Voice of the Marketer 2026
4 min
Introduction
Our fourth annual INFUSE Insights Voice of the Marketer report examines a market in strategic transition. B2B marketers are reclaiming brand as their foundational mandate, shifting ownership from volume metrics toward discoverability, where shortlists and preferences are established before sales conversations begin. Budget allocation now matches strategic intent, with brand investment leading all categories and buying group engagement evolving. This includes a marked shift in the role of content from lead capture to buyer enablement and fueling discoverability.
The discoverability imperative has moved from concept to funded priority. This is a vital part of the demand generation imperative.
Yet GTM execution confidence has not kept pace. Marketers recognize the AI discovery mandate but hedge on implementation. They invest in technology but trail in AI integration discipline.
Our survey of 2,300+ GTM leaders reveals that the gap between what marketers understand and what they operationalize has become the defining challenge of 2026.
Trust is the new competitive advantage
This year's Voice of the Marketer research covers:
Research themes
The discoverability imperative
Buying groups and dark funnel execution
Existing accounts and operational excellence
AI adoption and untapped potential
Content for trust and discovery
Alexander Kesler
Founder & CEO
“Marketers understand the imperative. Execution is where winners separate.
Brand investment leads all categories, buying group engagement has matured, and AI dominates the roadmap. The question is no longer whether GTM teams understand the imperative, but whether they can execute it. The organizations that win in 2026 will be those who generate demand and translate intent into action."
Region
Audience overview
Organization size
Industry
Annual revenue
Seniority
The discoverability imperative: Brand investment a priority, execution determines who wins
Marketing is reclaiming brand as its foundational mandate, with investment and ownership shifting away from lead volume to discoverability and ensuring your solution is visible during the consideration phase of the buyer’s journey.
Yet, understanding the imperative and executing against it remain two different challenges, as growing budgets outpace execution confidence.
Marketing reclaims brand as its foundational mandate
What outcomes of the buyer's journey is marketing directly responsible for delivering?
Brand surges, on par with generation: Brand preference rose from 58% to 62% while lead generation fell from 75% to 56%. This inversion reflects the discoverability imperative: GTM teams cannot generate leads without first establishing brand preference and demand generation, particularly as AI-led research renders traditional tactics less effective.
Late-stage ownership shows the most dramatic repositioning: Conversion to sales dropped 27 points (from 72% to 45%) and revenue responsibility fell 11 points (from 57% to 46%). Marketers reject being measured on volume while chasing late-stage signals.
Retention remains the lowest responsibility despite delivering the highest margins: Client retention and expansion rose from 38% to 42%, yet it remains the lowest priority outcome for marketers. This gap represents unrealized value, as existing customers represent the fastest, most profitable growth.
Larysa Zakirova
COO
"Expansion revenue delivers higher margins at lower acquisition costs, yet strategies remain fixated on net-new. Marketing must reclaim lifecycle ownership."
Takeaway
Marketing is reclaiming its foundational mandate to build influence before active evaluation begins.
The shift to focus on brand preference reflects the 95% day one shortlist reality (6sense, 2025). Organizations that win will fund discoverability as the foundation for pipeline generation, rather than treating it as a separate initiative.
Victoria Albert
CMO
"In the AI-assisted buying era, discoverability precedes demand. If you are not present when buyers are forming their shortlists, you have lost before evaluation begins."
Buyers confirm brand familiarity drives shortlisting
33% of buyers say brand familiarity is essential for shortlisting vendors, nearly three times higher than "strong market presence" (12%). As AI-assisted research collapses the awareness stage, buyers evaluate discoverable brands. The shift to brand preference is the correct approach, provided organizations pair brand investment with discoverability and demand generation.
Source: Voice of the Buyer 2026