Disconnect between marketing and sales in UK B2B organisations persists
More than half (52%) of B2B marketers in the UK admit they are making only limited progress towards their pipeline goals.
New data suggests that late-funnel performance is where the most challenges emerge for B2B marketers. Over two in five (38%) respondents identify closing deals and lead qualification as their top barriers, while 34% struggle with lead nurturing. That challenges are emerging at this stage in particular suggests a disconnect between marketing and sales.
Only around one in 10 (12%) B2B marketers believe their current strategy to be “exceptional”, the data finds.
Worryingly, over half (56%) of B2B marketers surveyed describe their tech stacks as either ‘limited’ or ‘disorganised’.
Source: Pipeline360
TV advertising returns to growth in 2024
TV is responsible for over half (54.7%) of all advertising-generated profit, according to data from Thinkbox. The research finds that the channel generates an average £5.61 return on investment for every pound spent.
TV advertising returned to growth last year, for the first time since 2021. Investment in the channel grew 3.8% year-over-year and totalled £5.27bn.
Advertising revenue from the broadcasters (which includes both their linear and on-demand offerings) totalled £5.04bn (up from £4.98bn in 2023), while revenue from ad-supported streaming services totalled £236m (up from £96m in 2023).
According to data from Nielsen Ad Intel, which measures linear TV ad spend, the largest increase in TV advertising investment in 2024 came from household FMCG brands, which increased their investment in TV by £67 (up 22%) to a total of £368.9m.
Source: Thinkbox
Habits around health, media and money have shifted post-pandemic
Covid brought upheaval globally and shifted many habits, and while some of those habits have since faded, others have stuck.
One change that the pandemic helped accelerate is a consciousness around health. Over a quarter (27%) of UK adults now say they have health check-ups “even when feeling fine”, up from 21% in 2021.
The pandemic also seems to have accelerated trust in different kinds of medical treatment, with 25% of respondents now saying they trust alternative medicines, versus the 17% who said this in 2019.
Our relationship with media has also shifted post-pandemic, according to the data. For example, 19% of British adults now say social media influences their political opinions, versus 13% in March 2021. This suggests that, where TV and newspapers used to be the primary influences on political opinion, social media is now filling the gap.
Another shift is in the growth of streaming TV, with over half (53%) of respondents agreeing that streaming has changed the way they watch TV. Over a third (35%) agree that streaming means they now watch TV more than ever, up from 26% in March 2019.
During the pandemic, many vendors and consumers prioritised using contactless payments over cash, with fears of possible infection rife. The preference to pay by contactless jumped from 73% in March 2019 to 93% in March 2023.
A preference to pay by cash has recovered in popularity somewhat. Despite falling from 36% to 28% between March 2019 and March 2023, around a third (35%) of the population now say they prefer to pay with cash, meaning its popularity has returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Source: Kantar Media TGI
Less than one in three businesses feel they are fully utilising AI
Generative AI is one of the most talked-about topics in almost any industry at the moment, yet only 28% of businesses feel they are fully utilising the technology, according to research from TheyDo.
The biggest barriers to AI adoption identified in the data are a lack of AI-ready infrastructure and data overload.
The research also identified different levels of AI-readiness across various sectors. For example, while 40% of financial services firms are already seeing value from AI investments, a third of retailers haven’t implemented AI at all into their business.
There are also generational gaps in attitudes. AI outputs being untrustworthy is a concern for 40% of baby boomers within businesses, versus just 25% of millennials and younger generations. Similarly, while only 10% of millennials were unsure how accurate data and dashboards are at painting the bigger business picture, around two in five among older generations are unsure of the accuracy.
Source: TheyDo
Consumer confidence drops amid worries over world economy
Consumer confidence has dropped by four points in April following the introduction of tariffs and the ongoing economic impact, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Barometer.
The overall index score, which brings together five different measures of consumer confidence, dropped to –23 in April, the lowest level it’s been all year. All measures were down in comparison to last month.
April’s figures capture the economic issue with a five-point drop in how consumers feel about the economy over the past year, which is down to –3, six points worse than April 2024.
Looking ahead over the next 12 months, the picture is even more bleak, with expectations for the general economy falling by eight points to –37, which is 16 points worse than a year ago.
April’s figures capture the economic issue with a five-point drop in how consumers feel about the economy over the past year, which is down to –3, six points worse than April 2024.
Looking ahead over the next 12 months, the picture is even more bleak, with expectations for the general economy falling by eight points to –37, which is 16 points worse than a year ago.
Source: GfK
