Every year, Foundry’s State of the CIO study takes a close look at what’s on the modern CIO’s radar for the year ahead. The study is always packed with valuable datapoints, but more importantly it reflects how the CIO role has evolved in recent years as our world careens in a wholly digital direction and virtually every company becomes a tech company first.

When we released this year’s State of the CIO study in January, one of the most telling datapoints was that 85% of CIOs now consider themselves to be a changemaker in their organization. In a conversation with my colleague Lee Rennick, I asked her to elaborate on what this datapoint means in the context of the remit for today’s CIO, and what tech marketers and vendors need to know to best support them. 

As Executive Director of CIO Communities at Foundry, Lee speaks with some of the world’s most senior CIOs, CTOs, and IT leaders every day to gain a more rich and nuanced understanding of their changing role, their daily challenges, and their shaping visions.Ěý

For tech marketers aiming to better understand and support IT leaders in real and relevant ways, there isn’t a better brain to pick than Lee’s.Ěý

Asked to expand on the changemaker label, Lee noted that when COVID accelerated companies’ push to digital-first models, the CIO was propelled overnight as a business leader and strategist. Whereas in the past, the office of the CIO mainly supported the business through technology, recent years have seen the core value proposition become centered around that technology.

For CIOs that had to adjust to this shift in record time, they were looking to their vendors to support them, as Lee’s Parm Sandhu, CIO at ISSofBC told her.Ěý

Building trusted vendor relationships is mandatory. The more they understand what we’re doing and why, the better equipped they are to help us on that journey.

“Building a trusted relationship with vendors is absolutely mandatory,” says Parm in the interview. “As an IT organization, we simply cannot keep up with the evolution, development, and pace of change in technology.” He goes on to say that he has come to rely on his vendors as a source of trusted guidance along ISSofBC’s strategic roadmap.Ěý

Parm’s approach to vendor evaluation and selection is no longer just about the products and services they sell out of the box—it now involves “opening up my strategy, my vision, and my aspirations” to them so that vendors can act more like partners and advisors to support Parm’s unique needs. “The more they understand what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and where we want to get to,” he says, “the better equipped they are to help us on that journey.”

For CIOs like Parm who are looking to vendors to add strategic value in new ways than before, this also means those that can’t will be cut. “I’ve really looked at my vendors, at who’s helping me to get to the next level—and I’ve gone on a journey to consolidate,” he says.Ěý

In this new era of the changemaker CIO, there’s a clear call to action for technology vendors and marketers: now, more than ever, the CIO needs you to be all in on their vision. And because each CIO’s vision is unique, the way you communicate with them needs to be tailored to support them at each turn. 

This flips our old approach of selling to the CIO on its head. Gone are the days of delivering a standard pitch and serving generic product information—they’re now looking to vendors to solve their challenges, bring new ideas to the table, and gain their trust to innovate alongside them. 

In that way, I suppose you could also interpret the CIO’s changemaker status as making us change the way we market to them—to a way of real relationship building through shared commitment to their vision. 

To learn more about how tech marketers can adapt to the changing role of the CIO, check out the rest of this video series, and today.

Status of AI exploration and adoption

Because of this, it’s no surprise that only 8% of IT decision-makers are not interested in Generative AI technology according to Foundry’s AI Priorities study. More specifically, this year’s found that 80% of CIOs say they are tasked with researching and evaluating possible AI additions to their tech stack. Additionally, those that have technology budgets dedicated to AI show no signs of slowing down. Close to two-thirds expect their spending towards AI projects to increase this year. With 55% of tech leaders stating that Gen AI-infused products create better business outcomes and allow employees to refocus on value-adding tasks, this seems like a no-brainer.

The same enthusiasm holds true for business departments. 79% of technology content marketers report using generative AI tools according to Content Marketing Institute’s Technology Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2024 research. More than half (53%) use generative AI to brainstorm new topics, 48% use the tools to write drafts, and 43% to research headlines and keywords. Fewer said they use AI to outline assignments (29%), proofread (19%), generate graphics/images (10%), and create videos (7%) and audio (7%).

Are Gen AI users moving too fast?

Does this all sound too good to be true? Maybe that’s because it is. While these solutions have clear business benefits, they also pose some risks, especially if the organization is not fully prepared to embrace the technology. In fact, 23% of IT decision-makers agree that their organization is moving too fast with respect to the use of generative AI. Of the technology marketers using gen AI tools, 88% use free tools, which means they can have their own personal accounts and create accounts without letting their IT team know.

The rapid change that resulted due to the gen AI frenzy did not allow organizations to establish a set of guidelines before everyone decided to join the movement, and even the marketing team acknowledges this. Only 26% said that their organization has a set of guidelines for their gen AI tools. When asking the IT team, 36% said that their organization has a policy and/or system in place to monitor the use of generative AI. But, close to half (46%) of organizations with more than 1,000 employees are establishing policies and guidelines to prepare for gen AI.

IT concerns marketers should be aware of

What exactly is the IT team concerned about and what should marketers take into consideration when using generative AI tools? The most pressing considerations and ethical implications they have to implementing the technology are security and cybersecurity as these systems can be vulnerable to attacks; privacy concerns around the large amounts of data required to generate accurate content; authenticity and trust as the proliferation of gen AI content challenges the authenticity of digital media; questions about intellectual property rights; and regulatory compliance to make sure the technology complies with data protection, intellectual property, and consumer protection laws.

Many of these fears come down to the system, and marketers must do their due diligence before creating a profile and entering company data into a generative AI platform. The entire point of these tools is to increase employee productivity and give time back for more high-value tasks, but if these tools lead to cyberattacks, deepfakes, or forgery, it’s game over.

Continuing to work together

The benefits of AI and gen AI are only as good as the people who use it. IT and marketing teams must work together, and the good news is that 71% of CIOs agree that they’re working more closely with lines of business on AI applications. There’s also some improvement to be made – 58% say that IT and LOB are aligned on the adoption and use of generative AI. It’s important for technology marketers to be transparent with their IT team about their desired use for the tools and explain the benefits they see out of one certain tool versus another. Ultimately IT should work with them to recommend and implement the proper systems.

Cheers to hopefully a year of gen AI success – check back next year and see how the IT and business alignment has shifted. In the meantime, explore how you can engage with AI-focused IT decision-makers through Foundry’s editorial expertise.

Even as CIOs devote time to modernization and optimization, their primary charter is as change makers championing and leading business transformation.

After years of discourse on the CIO’s evolving role, Tim Dickson landed a chance to spring into action. The veteran IT leader jumped from a high-profile CIO post to a newly-created Chief Digital Information (CDIO) role at an industrial equipment manufacturer to practice what is regularly being preached—that CIO responsibilities transcend technology and are as much about driving business transformation.

The new opportunity at Regal Rexnord, a manufacturer of electric motors and power transmission components, allowed Dickson to officially formalize a role he’s played for some time. “In this day and age, a CIO needs to be able to do more than the traditional job description, including leading large transformation efforts,” he says. “This job gave me the opportunity to formally move into a position that demonstrates how the CIO role is changing.”

While modernization and optimization work still tops the CIO agenda, IT leaders are just as busy directing business strategy, prepping the organization for the next wave of innovation fueled by AI, and expanding their remit. In their broader capacity, CIOs are taking oversight of additional functional areas, managing a fresh crop of high-level executive reports, and taking responsibility for new revenue streams.

According to the 2024 State of the CIO, which surveyed 875 IT leaders and 251 line of business (LOB) participants, the CIO role is more digital and innovation-focused than ever before, cited by 88% of respondents and up from last year, at 85%. CIOs are now more involved in leading digital transformation initiatives compared to their business counterparts (87%), and 85% of IT leaders surveyed view the CIO role as a changemaker, increasingly taking the lead on business and technology initiatives.

Even more telling—LOB is finally recognizing CIOs’ enhanced status. Seventy-nine percent view CIOs as the primary lead on digital transformation efforts, while 82% regard them as critical changemakers for both business and technology initiatives. Three-quarters of IT leaders and 78% of LOB respondents said the CIO role has been elevated due to increased visibility within the organization—a trend that shows no sign of retrenching.

In fact, the business continues to draw on CIOs to guide both technology and business strategy decisions. This year’s research found almost half (48%) of IT leaders and 41% of LOB respondents look to the CIO to proactively identify business opportunities as well as make technology and provider recommendations. A quarter of CIO and LOB respondents view the CIO role as a consulting advisor, providing input on business needs along with the standard technology and provider recommendations. Sixteen percent of IT leaders and 11% of LOB respondents sought consultation with the CIO because of their ability to advise through a risk management or governance lens.

CIOs are also capitalizing on hard-won efforts to secure their spot in the C-suite corridors. Almost half (48%) of respondents now report directly into the CEO. CIOs are also being awarded oversight of some of the newly established technology-oriented C-level roles: 48% of Chief Data Officers report to the CIO, as do 44% of Chief Digital Officers, 49% of Chief Security Officers and CISOs, and 57% of Chief Analytics Officers. Chief Technology Officers and Chief Innovation Officers were more likely to report into the CEO, at 56% and 57% respectively.

Outside of the expansive CIO leadership capacity, the IT organization itself is becoming more business-driven. IT leader respondents pointed to automating business and IT processes (43%), implementing and creating new AI applications (32%), and making data more available (29%) as ways IT is catering more effectively to business needs, the 2024 State of the CIO research found.

The lines that separate `IT’ and ‘the business’ continue to blur. We’re all members of the same business, striving to achieve the same goals.

Angela Yochem, Global CIO at Krispy Kreme

CIO priorities: A triple balancing act

While CIOs take the lead in directing future business and technology strategy, they remain immersed in the work of optimizing, modernizing, and securing technology infrastructure. This year, 40% of IT leaders’ time is spent on transformational tasks, followed by strategic (35%), and functional (25%). Looking out over the next one to three years, nearly half (49%) of IT leader respondents expect to play more of a strategic role, with 36% anticipating an emphasis on transformational responsibilities and a narrow 14% expecting their dockets to be consumed by functional activities.

Much like last year, the 2024 State of the CIO research found CIOs still caught up in functional duties like security management (50%), improving IT operations and systems performance (41%), and cost control and expense management (31%). Transformational-related tasks also dominated their agenda, with a focus on aligning IT initiatives with business goals (36%), modernizing infrastructure and applications (36%), and leading change efforts (28%). Business strategist work is centered around driving business innovation (31%), developing and refining business strategy (24%), and identifying opportunities for competitive differentiation (18%), the 2024 research found.

This year’s top CEO priorities for the CIO role indicate a swing back towards advancing business strategy to bolster innovation. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said the No. 1 objective voiced by CEO leadership is for CIOs to lead digital business and digital transformation initiatives, up from less than a quarter (23%) last year. Fortifying IT and business collaboration and upgrading IT and data security to reduce corporate risk were next-up on the CEO agenda, according to 27% of respondents.

Given the accelerated pace of change and the centrality of technology and digital platforms to every facet of the business, it’s no wonder CIOs continue to walk a fine line balancing all the demands of their ever-expanding remit. Three-quarters of respondents to this year’s survey said it was a challenge to balance the demands for business innovation with operational excellence, in line with last year’s findings.

Deepa Soni, CIO at The Hartford, says the need for IT leaders to be adept at leading and orchestrating functional, strategic, and transformational responsibilities simultaneously ˇÉ´Ç˛Ô’t change any time soon, regardless of industry shifts or CIOs’ continued ascension in the enterprise. “I see the role as encompassing all three today with the highest focus for me now on strategist work,” says Soni, citing her ongoing efforts to develop new business models and explore how and where the insurance giant can leverage Generative AI for competitive advantage.

Under Soni’s direction, The Hartford’s IT group is defining and implementing digital opportunities designed to deliver a “step-change” in business value as opposed to an incremental return. Yet those innovation activities are happening in tandem with ongoing modernization and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. “For us, modernization and innovation are not sequential … and without modernization, innovation doesn’t mean much,” she explains. “We spend time collaborating, codesigning, and strategizing with the business to determine how modernization will help business outcomes.”

For us, modernization and innovation are not sequential…and without modernization, innovation doesn’t mean much.

Deepa Soni, CIO at The Hartford

How CIOs are transforming and optimizing the business

As organizations emerge from the post-pandemic period, there remains a significant emphasis on optimizing and transforming business operations. Forty-four percent of IT leaders are anticipating a full docket of initiatives keyed to increasing operational efficiencies, with 43% earmarking projects to transform existing business processes using automation and integration.

Despite some economic uncertainty this last year, IT budgets remain flush. Fifty-four percent of CIOs surveyed for the 2024 State of the CIO anticipate budget increases, while 35% expect IT investments to remain the same. On average, companies report a 17.4% budget increase, a bit higher than the 15% reported in the prior two years. For the 11% expecting IT spending cuts, the average dip was 18.8%.

Companies are expanding IT budgets for a variety of reasons. Most cited the need for security improvements (38%) along with having to keep pace with the rising costs of technology and services (35%) and investment in emerging technologies like AI (34%). Those respondents who said their firms were tightening the IT purse strings called out company performance (67%), economic uncertainty (64%), and a reduction in employee headcount (35%) as the primary culprits.

IT budgets are being directed to a number of leading technology areas. Among the more prominent are business process automation and IT automation offerings along with machine learning and AI technologies, all cited by 44% of respondents to the 2024 State of the CIO research. Data/business analytics (38%), application modernization (27%), and infrastructure modernization (23%) are also on the shortlist for technology investment as part of the 2024 IT budget cycle, the research found.

Given the focus on securing and automating operations and parlaying AI technologies for future innovation, CIOs are reprioritizing where and when they get involved. In addition to upping their presence on AI initiatives, IT leaders expect to ramp up participation in efforts tied to cybersecurity (70%), data privacy and compliance (61%), data analysis (54%), and customer experience (51%).

At Casey’s, the third largest convenience store chain in the United States, the last couple of years have been devoted to IT transformation initiatives, including moving from a project to a product mindset to drive digital innovation, according to CIO Sanjeev Satturu. Operating with 2,600 stores in 17 states, the $12 billion chain continues to scale its technology foundation, rationalize legacy systems, and deploy edge infrastructure to support frictionless customer experiences and advanced analytics for data-driven decision-making. It is also actively working to reduce the complexity of Point of Sale (POS) systems to improve transaction speeds to better serve customers hungry for flexibility and convenience.

“The business of convenience requires us to continually transform,” Satturu says. “Modernization is not one-time done. You have to continuously work on modernizing platforms and solutions because with the rate technology moves, everything becomes legacy really quickly.”

As in years past, security remains a top concern and an area of ongoing IT investment. Increasing cybersecurity protections was the No. 1 business initiative this year, cited by almost half of IT leader respondents (49%) compared to only 44% last year. Security and risk management technology is slated for a significant slice of the IT budget, cited by 45% of IT leaders and 20% of LOB respondents.

Upleveling cybersecurity, particularly as it relates to fraud management, remains a top priority at TIAA, according to Upendra Mardikar, CISO for the financial services provider. The firm has a four-pronged strategy to address the continuously changing threat and regulatory landscape: Embrace Zero Trust principles; leverage AI to automate and elevate its defenses against attacks; upskill and reskill cyber talent and make cybersecurity a team sport; and collaborate with consortia and CISO peers to develop security best practices and strategies, he explains.

“We’re seeing exponential growth in the threat landscape, including cyber threats coming from nation-states,” Mardikar says. “We continue to incorporate advanced capabilities and controls, protection and recovery capabilities, and Zero Trust so our platform is trustworthy, safe, and secure for clients and customers.”

“Modernization is not one-time done. You have to continuously work on modernizing platforms and solutions because with the rate technology moves, everything becomes legacy really quickly.”

Sanjeev Satturu, CIO, Casey’s

Infrastructure for innovation: AI takes center stage

This was the year AI and, more recently, generative AI entered the mainstream and cast a hotter spotlight on the strategic nature of the CIO role. CIOs are front and center charting the AI roadmap, from working closely with the business to formulate AI applications and use cases, cited by 71% of 2024 State of the CIO respondents, to researching and evaluating possible AI additions to the technology stack (80%).  More than half (58%) of IT leaders said IT and LOB were aligned on the adoption and use of generative AI, in particular.

Over the next year, IT leaders anticipate increased involvement in AI/ML endeavors, cited by 80% of IT leader respondents. Business users also want to see greater CIO involvement in planning and executing AI initiatives. Nearly three-quarters (74%) of LOB respondents to the 2024 State of the CIO research said CIOs are working more closely with them on AI applications, and 77% said IT leaders are spearheading the research of AI solutions to augment the technology stack.

There is mounting desire to capitalize on AI to reimagine the business in new and compelling ways. Almost half (49%) of CIOs and 29% of LOB respondents called out machine learning and AI as the technology initiatives that will be most strategically important this upcoming year. AI is also a top reason for companies to increase their IT budgets, cited by 34% of respondents. Already, AI technologies are being used to reshape data center operations—an evolution cited by 54% of IT leaders and 71% of LOB respondents, according to this year’s research.

While deep into AI deployment at his previous CIO engagement, Regal Rexnord’s Dickson is back at square one, exploring where to apply AI for industrial manufacturing and identifying potential use cases. To that end, Dickson’s team has pinpointed three areas where AI can deliver a competitive edge: For orchestrating more effective production scheduling and planning; for buying the right parts to produce orders for customers; and for demand forecasting.

With the initial game plan established, Regal Rexnord is sailing right along on its AI journey. The company has hired its first data scientist, built a base collection of models, and instituted MLOps (Machine Learning Operations), a set of practices for deploying and operationalizing the AI model lifecycle, Dickson says.

We’re starting from scratch, trying to figure out where AI can move the needle.

Tim Dickson, CIO at Regal Rexnord

Skills for success: Talent challenges loom large

As CIOs struggle to balance optimization and innovation, they face a number of challenges—the biggest being ongoing staffing and skills shortages. Thirty-nine percent of IT leader respondents said dealing with the talent problem caused them to redirect time and energy away from strategic and innovation tasks. Changing business conditions (43%), the need to address security threats (43%), and budgetary constraints, coupled with the ability to demonstrate ROI, were hurdles for 41% of respondents.

On the talent front, organizations are targeting the usual areas to build out their skills pipeline. Ramping up cybersecurity talent is a major priority, cited by 42% of IT leader respondents. Companies are also on the hunt to acquire AI/ML expertise over the next six to 12 months, cited by 39% of respondents, followed up by hires with data science and analytics skills, at 32%.  

Because AI/ML expertise is in hot demand, it is also where IT leaders expect to have the most trouble attracting talent. Slightly more than a quarter (27%) expect to have difficulty finding professionals with the appropriate AI/ML skill sets, followed up by cybersecurity (26%), data science/analytics (20%), and enterprise architecture (17%).

As CIOs reach for the mantle of leading business strategy and transformation, they need to do so prepared to balance the growth agenda with continuous IT optimization and modernization. “You don’t get to drive digital transformation with the ship running smoothly,” Dickson says.

About the 2024 State of the CIO study

The 23rd annual State of the CIO survey was fielded online with the objective of understanding the current parameters of the CIO role and how it may be changing over time. To be considered qualified, respondents must have identified themselves as the head of IT for their company or a division within it. Results are based on 875 qualified IT respondents and 251 LOB responses. This study was fielded globally, with the response base being 41% North America, 19% EMEA, and 38% APAC.

From 1991 to 2014, the DEMO Conference, produced by Ďă¸ŰÁůşĎ×ĘÁĎ (parent company of Foundry), was a key event for the technology industry. This was a time of innovation and rapid change from the PC revolution to the introduction of the world wide web to mobile technology becoming ubiquitous. The companies appearing at DEMO represented the luminaries of the time. In the 90s: Computer Associates, Lotus, Apple, Intel, Microsoft and Adobe, AT&T, Intuit and Logitech. The early 2000s included Eloqua, Plantronics, Lenovo, GarageBand, LogMeIn, Real Networks, Citrix, Symantec, Trend Micro, Seagate, ZoomInfo, Roku, and Qualcomm. In the 2010s, Zoom, Ring Central, Waze, and many more. Ěý

The concept behind the DEMO conference was to foster growth and innovative development in the tech ecosystem by acting as a launching pad, providing innovators and new technology companies with a showcase in front of venture capitalists, industry analysts, journalists, and other professionals from the tech industry.  

DEMO’s magic was in going deeper than the typical company pitch. It gave in-depth attention to new products. This meant people were seeing the future of tech before their eyes, essentially giving them early VIP access to the tech that would shape the industry, and tech companies weren’t trying to shrink their capabilities into a pitch but bringing the audience into their innovations with them hands-on. 

After appearing at DEMO, many now-popular companies immediately took off. The conference became a defining moment for finding and becoming future technology stars. Companies like Palm, E*TRADE, Salesforce, TiVo, Waze, WebEx, Evernote, Fusion-io, and VMware launched products at DEMO that would go on to impact everything from cloud computing and online trading to digital personal assistants and video conferencing.Ěý

It served as an introduction to the world of products and companies that have become integral to the tech industry, and many startups directly got their funding right after their presentations at DEMO.Ěý

It was more than a gathering—it was the very spirit of the ’90s/2000s tech boom and the innovations that brought new vitality to the industry. Looking back on DEMO’s legacy, one sees that the impact goes beyond the companies it launched; it helped to cultivate an era of breaking barriers that still exist today.Ěý

Reintroducing DEMO

With today’s GenAI wave, it’s clear that tech innovation and disruption are far from stagnant, making it the right time to bring back . Since tech has also evolved how we work, consume content, and gain information, DEMO will be online in the form of engaging video content on CIO.com produced by the team at Foundry.Ěý

Here’s how we describe it: 

“Sometimes you just want to see how products work. That’s the idea behind DEMO, in which technology vendors provide a “show and tell” experience of their new features or platforms, software, and hardware. Hosted by Keith Shaw, DEMO brings you the demonstration of a product, who it’s for, and how it works.”Ěý

Ready to see the first new wave of DEMO videos? Check them out here featuring innovative companies doing amazing things with GenAI. DEMO will extend and expand to other product categories in the future, providing our audience of senior IT decision-makers with a look into the future of computing,Ěýa role we are very familiar with, going back over 60 years.Ěý

Here are 5 changing influences redefining the role of the CMO and their impact on business growth:Ěý

1. Increasing demand for digital experiences Ěý

Between an increasingly remote workforce the need for digitalization in all industries, and the evolution of buyers becoming increasingly savvy in what they need and where to spend their money, it seems everything is digital. Shopping for a new outfit, hiring a dog sitter, or even ordering your Whole Foods groceries on Amazon. We’re so comfortable doing everything digitally. That ease of doing research and purchasing something with just a few clicks? Buyers now expect that same digital convenience during a B2B transaction.Ěý

have adopted or have plans to adopt a digital-first business strategy. B2B buyers now expect a digital purchase journey from start to finish, and CMOs must evolve to stay ahead of the curve. The key lies in integrating digital convenience into the B2B buyer’s journey. An example of this could be chatbots, freemium models, or even an interactive digital experience like Foundry IntentBot, that allows users to interact with your product before sending an inquiry to sales.ĚýĚýĚý

2. Expanding buying-teams and generational preferencesĚý

A one-size-fits-all approach just won’t cut it. The average number of individuals who influence the tech purchase process increased to 25 people, up from 20 people in 2022. To add another layer of complexity, there are varying content preferences among younger generations involved in the decision-making process. Foundry’s 2023 Customer Engagement Study revealed over half of Gen X respondents said product tests and reviews are important compared to 30% of Gen Z. A similar contrast was evident with product demonstrations and literature, which are deemed valuable by 44% of Boomers and 50% of Gen Xers but just 15% of Gen Zers.ĚýĚý

The challenge for CMOs lies in not only adapting to the expanding size of buying teams and their preferences, but also in catering to the content preferences of the Millennial and Gen Z demographics. CMOs should leverage data-driven insights to understand not only who the buyers are but also what resonates with them and how they prefer to be engaged. This approach opens doors to crafting tailored messages that resonate with decision-makers across different generations, ultimately driving revenue.Ěý

3. Artificial intelligence adoptionĚý

IT organizations and CMOs are beginning to embrace AI, viewing it as a catalyst for business growth, rather than a threat. ITDMs expect a positive benefit from Gen AI as 55% agree that Gen AI infused products create better business outcomes and another 55% agree that Gen AI is allowing employees to refocus on high value-adding tasks.  

By investing in AI technologies that align with specific B2B objectives, CMOs can unlock opportunities for improved process optimization, targeted outreach, personalization, and advertising, to name a few. However, to be successful, CMOs must have a strong understanding of organizational needs and apply a strategic approach to AI implementation. 

UK fashion brand, is a great example of AI marketing in practice. With over 600k customers, Thread uses AI to provide personalized clothing recommendations for each customer while delivering hyper-personalized emails at scale. This allows Thread to create a hyper-personal experience and tailor their marketing recommendations based on customer engagement. B2B brands can also draw insight from this model. Printer manufacturer saw firsthand the benefits of AI adoption when they worked with , a company that specializes in AI automated emails. Thanks to this partnership, Epson saw a in its customer response rate and a 75 percent increase in its number of qualified leads.Ěý

4. Brand and trustĚýĚý

Brand awareness matters – 65% of ITDMs typically spend more time-consuming content from known and trusted brands. As we enter a new era of artificial intelligence, trusted sources and brands with strong beliefs will become increasingly valuable.Ěý

CMOs, particularly in B2B marketing, can lean into branding and define their purpose and mission, further connecting with customers emotionally. Emphasizing educational content, thought leadership, and transparent communication are going to be major contributing factors to establishing brand as an authority and reinforcing trust among audiences.  

Foundry’s initiative, “Stores inspire. Data connects.,” launched in late 2023. The campaign focused heavily on brand and educational content, including a hub of thought leadership content as well as featuring industry experts sharing practical solutions and deep insights. The results proved successful, including a 164% surge in overall website conversions and a 44% increase in session duration compared to visitors unaffected by the campaign.Ěý

5. Growing involvement in customer engagementĚý

While the CMO isn’t accountable for every aspect of the customer lifecycle, a significant focus lies on shaping the digital customer experience. This involves crafting a unified strategy throughout various stages of customer engagement. 

One way the CMO and marketing can become a customer intelligence engine is by adopting the model, or ACE. This model was designed to meet the needs of modern B2B buyers and involves connecting customer data across the enterprise, fostering a deep understanding of both current and ideal customers. From the initial engagement with the brand to the ongoing customer relationship, the goal is to deliver tailored content and engagement.Ěý

Conclusion

Undoubtedly, over the next two years, the CMO role will continue to evolve as new influences emerge. The modern CMO plays a major role in ‘the digital dream team’ and is characterized by adaptability and a strategic mindset. By leaning into developing market influences and embracing change, CMOs can lead the charge of generating business growth for their organizations now and well into the future. 

To learn more about the dynamic role of the CMO, watch the Inspire to Connect session, Adaptive Customer Engagement: How to engage with today’s buyers, .ĚýĚý

A bloomer is someone who believes AI is the next great revolution, bringing innovation, endless possibilities, and will make our lives as we know it, better. A gloomer on the other hand, is someone who believes the opposite, that AI could if not approached carefully, will eventually destroy life as we know it in a doomsday-esque fiery explosion. 

Finding a balance

Naturally, as marketers, we’re expected to jump onto the AI trend, pushing innovation, creativity, and always staying ahead of the curve. Yet, amid the ongoing “Bloomer vs. Gloomer” debate surrounding AI, where should marketing stand? Is it a sprint to rapidly adopt AI and explore every possibility, or should we be cautious, implementing AI only as necessary?

The ultimate question is, how can we as marketers use AI to our advantage? 

As we step into uncharted territory with AI, navigating this landscape requires a strategic approach. To effectively leverage AI’s advantages for marketing success, four critical questions emerge: 

How can marketers use AI in practice today?

Marketers can effectively leverage the power of AI in their daily operations by adopting a strategic and targeted approach. Start by identifying specific areas where AI application aligns with your marketing objectives. AI adoption can begin on a smaller scale, then gradually expand across multiple areas of marketing.  

Here are a few strategies that marketers can start putting into practice today: 

Stay informed

One of the easiest ways marketers can begin to use AI in practice is by optimizing their existing tech stacks by staying informed on AI innovations in the roadmap of existing platforms. One way to do this is by attending conferences and briefings related to marketing tools in use. For example, at Foundry we use for social media management. Recently the platform came out with , an AI tool that helps generate AI captions and winning post ideas in seconds. Once our team knew that tool was available, we were able to integrate and implement it into our existing strategy.  

Enhance buyer experiences 

The rise of AI has made it easier than ever for businesses to create personalized content at scale, allowing you to connect with your audience on a more individualized and meaningful level. addressing unique concerns and aspirations of different stakeholders. Whether it’s the CFO concerned about ROI, the CTO focused on implementation challenges, or the CEO envisioning long-term business impact, the GenAI narrative must speak directly to their priorities. Additionally, experiment with AI image and video tools. These tools, like , allow users to create customized snippets and visuals, creating a more engaging and tailored experience for your audience. 

Elevate employee experiences 

Train employees to use AI effectively, helping to automate repetitive tasks to make work more efficient. AI can help cut down time in various marketing activities like content editing, creating images for blogs, or automating certain tasks. Encourage teamwork for more creativity and efficiency. Numerous programs are available for employees to explore the benefits of AI, one example being Google Cloud’s Introduction to which you can enroll in for free now. 

What AI tools are available to marketers right now? 

Given that close to two-thirds (61%) expect their spending towards AI projects to increase in 2024, marketers but be ready to explore AI tools available and what will integrate best into their existing martech stack. 

AI tools available to marketers right now include: 

• – ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI, designed for natural language understanding and generation, capable of performing various language-related tasks through API interactions. 
• – Jasper AI is an AI writing tool that helps you easily create content. You only need to provide simple inputs, and Jasper will generate original, high-quality content. 
• – Writer makes it easy to create custom apps to support any use case, including digital assistants, content generation, summarization, or data analysis. 
• – Typeface is the generative AI application to supercharge personalized content creation for businesses. 
• – Adobe Firefly is being built into Creative Cloud to give people the tools to both generate results quickly and customize them to fit their unique vision. 
• – Avoma is an AI meeting assistant and revenue Intelligence solution for customer-facing teams for startups and scaleups. 

It’s important to note that the choice of tools may depend on specific marketing needs. Additionally, Generative AI tools are not going to solve all our problems. Additionally, businesses must have the capacity to implement any technology that they are bringing on. 

What are the risks associated with AI?

AI presents significant risks for marketers (ask any gloomer). In fact, only 36% agree that their organization has a policy in place to monitor the use of Gen AI.  
 
This lack of governance can lead to various concerns, including: 

• Security and privacy – As Gen AI evolves and becomes more sophisticated, the risks of cybersecurity threats amplify. Security and privacy concerns are the most pressing ethical implications when implementing Gen AI.  
• Quality – Over-using AI to write content, posts, etc. you risk not matching brand voice, losing your perspective/POV, etc. 
• Trust – Marketers may exploit AI capabilities, leading to manipulative practices, data breaches, and overreliance on automation. This could result in the erosion of trust and long-term brand damage. 
• Channel performance – Certain traditional channels, such as cold outreach and cold outbound, may become less effective as AI-driven personalization increases. 
• Job displacement – As AI automates certain SEO tasks, there is a risk of job displacement for professionals specializing in routine optimization.  

 
To mitigate these risks, organizations may need to develop policies addressing the specific challenges of Gen AI. This could involve establishing ethical guidelines or implementing required training. 

Who should own AI within an organization? 

The ultimate question when it comes to leveraging AI in any organization, “What department or role owns AI?” The answer may look different for every company, determining who owns AI depends on factors like its structure and goals.  

While this is a highly debated topic, here are three possibilities on who could own AI within an organization: 

1. Department leaders – Each department leader is given a mandate to leverage AI technology within their own departments. Assigning AI ownership to department leaders could empower each division to leverage AI tailored to their specific needs and goals. In this case CMO’s would become the driving force behind integrating AI solutions to meet the unique needs and objectives of the marketing department. 

2. Cross-functional teams – Establish cross-functional teams that cut across departments, bringing together individuals with diverse skills, expertise, and perspectives to collectively drive AI innovation across the organization. 

3. Centralized ownership – Centralized ownership of AI involves appointing a dedicated team or individual responsible for overseeing and driving AI innovation across the entire organization. In this model, a centralized AI unit assumes the role of a strategic hub, coordinating efforts, setting standards, and ensuring a cohesive and aligned approach to AI implementation.  

Additionally, organizations should consider implementing some sort of AI ethics, to ensure ethical considerations are prioritized and integrated into AI applications. 

Conclusion

As we move forward into the unknown of AI, it’s not just about the speed of adoption but the mindfulness and strategy we bring to the table. Between Bloomers and Gloomers, the middle ground becomes an opportunity of advantage for marketers. 

Want to hear more about marketers AI advantage? Tune into Inspire to Connect to watch Matt Egan, Editorial Director at Foundry, Katie Berg, VP Marketing at Klue, and Aditya Kothadiya, Founder & CEO of Avoma, share their thoughts on how marketers can better leverage AI.  

At Foundry’s event, ’s editorial team drew from their vast industry knowledge, constant dialogue with CIOs and recent industry studies to provide valuable insights into the ever-evolving landscape of digital transformation. Speakers included myself, CIO, Ken Mingis, Executive Editor, Computerworld US, Amy Bennett, Editor in Chief, CIO, Computerworld, CSO, InfoWorld, and Network World and Ann Bednarz, Executive Editor, Network World.  

“IT leaders want to make sure they’re on top of what’s happening in the technology world, figuring out how to get the right information to make the best decisions for the next five years.”

Ken Mingus, Executive Editor, Computerworld, US.

Here, we dive into the insights from CIOs on topics crucial for understanding today’s technology buyers and navigating a dynamically changing tech landscape: 

What are the everyday challenges or pain points that we might not be aware of in their roles as technology leaders?

Faced with such as security threats, economic uncertainty, and operationalizing AI, as well as a rapidly evolving landscape to navigate, the job of a CIO is no easy task. According to Foundry’s 2024 State of the CIO research, , increasingly leading business and technology initiatives. Additionally, 80% of CIOs agree they’re tasked with researching and evaluating possible AI additions to their tech stack.

CIOs everyday challenges and pain points: 

• CIOs are addressing issues such as constantly evolving threats, the specter of ransomware attacks, and the heightened attention from board-level stakeholders. 
• Faced with the technology skills gap and the erosion of traditional career paths, CIOs are challenged with building and retaining a skilled workforce. 
• In the realm of innovation, CIOs are pushing for digital and innovation agendas, all while facing hurdles associated with the implementation of generative AI. 
• Remaining current on happenings in the technology world is a top priority for CIOs, ensuring that they are well-informed and adaptable. 
• Budget alignment is a persistent challenge for CIOs who must find a balance between allocating resources to maintain existing systems and investing funds for new innovations. 

What are IT leaders and tech buyers reading, and how do they consume that information?

Tech buyers use a diverse range of sources to gather information on technology innovation trends and vendor options. However, 87% of IT buyers say it’s challenging to find high-quality content. The challenge lies in filtering through the abundance of information, emphasizing the need for curated, reliable sources. So, where are tech buyers turning to find their high-quality content?Ěý

Types of content and information that tech buyers are consuming: 

• Tech buyers continue to rely on traditional sources such as industry conferences, publications, and established vendor relationships, recognizing their enduring importance despite the evolving landscape. 
• Online resources such as tech websites, blogs, and social media platforms play a significant and dynamic role in keeping IT decision-makers updated on the latest developments in technology.Ěý
• Peer networks and professional associations contribute significantly to knowledge-sharing and provide opportunities for learning from industry peers, enhancing understanding of market dynamics. 

What are the most important pieces of data that IT leaders rely on while making a cybersecurity investment decision?

Faced with the pressure of demonstrating return on investment (ROI), IT leaders prioritize this key aspect when making investment decisions. Here are a few important KPIs and areas of information that IT leaders rely on when making cybersecurity investment decisions: 

• IT leaders prioritize ROI over price. 
• Their main focus is on achieving tangible returns with a clear timetable. 
• There is significant pressure on demonstrating ROI in IT product purchases. Vendors are expected to acknowledge and address the pressures involved in these decisions. 

“IT leaders are seeking successful purchases and a clear return on investment, with a growing emphasis on the need for meaningful customer connections and insights from real-world implementations.”

Amy Bennett, Global Editor-in-Chief for CIO.com.

Along with important pieces of data, the top tech initiatives driving investment are security risk management (45%), machine learning/artificial intelligence (AI) (44%), and business process automation/IT automation (44%). These initiatives represent a proactive response to the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital era.Ěý

How do you undertake the buying process? The stages, the resources, and the teams involved?

CIOs play an important role in the buying process and in deciding on strategic investments for the organization. Working closely with other stakeholders, 79% of CIOs have a strong educational partnership with the CEO/board of directors. In 2024, there will be increased emphasis on working more often with line of business executives during specific stages of the technology purchase process such as determining business needs and evaluating products and services.Ěý

The stages, resources, and teams involved in the tech buying process: 

• Stability and reliability in vendors are crucial, aligning with the long-term plans of organizations to ensure sustained effectiveness and support. 
• Operating in a global market, it becomes increasingly important for IT leaders to stay informed about global events as technology decisions have widespread impacts. Awareness of the global context is key to making informed and strategic choices. 
• Recognizing the trend of increased collaboration and shared processes between network and security teams, IT leaders are navigating a complex decision-making landscape. With an average buying team size of 25 people and months of research, decision-making involves thorough consideration.Ěý
• IT leaders prioritize making sure new products work well with their current systems. They want to avoid buying something that ends up unused with features they don’t need. Understanding how a product integrates and its practical use is crucial for them. 

Challenges of messaging to the data audience while driving a business outcome viewpoint.

When it comes to reaching B2B and IT audiences, crafting compelling messaging is vital to business success. To properly tailor your messaging, this involves understanding the unique challenges and priorities of your audiences. 

Approaches used by CIOs in crafting messages to reach and connect with a data audience: 

• Prioritize understanding customer challenges rather than promoting a specific viewpoint in pitches. 
• Emphasize the importance of establishing a genuine customer connection in pitches. 
• Look for pitches that provide a realistic view, including both success stories and challenges faced by customers. 
• Actively seek customer connections and stories that offer valuable lessons to readers. 
• Recognize the value of connecting with companies that have deployed the technology, and sharing practical experiences. 

“It’s crucial to shift the focus from driving a specific viewpoint to addressing the challenges of customers, ensuring that the narrative resonates with their real-world struggles and aligns with the ultimate goal of driving meaningful business outcomes.”

Amy Bennett, Global Editor-in-Chief for CIO.com

What trends will we see in technology leadership and tech buying in 2024?

As budgets rise and the digital landscape continues to evolve, this year will be shaped by notable trends in technology leadership and tech buying. Security, rising costs, and investments in AI dominate the top three reasons budgets will increase in 2024. These trends highlight how important it will be for tech leaders to encourage growth and innovation.

Trends CIOs identified in tech buying for 2024: 

• Generative AI (Gen AI) takes the spotlight in 2024, introducing challenges associated with its adoption. 
• Tech companies are focusing on upskilling workers and making strategic investments in the existing workforce. 
• Amidst transformative shifts in the job market, a key focus emerges on skills development. 
• There will be a significant emphasis on sustainability-driven purchases reflected in the IT landscape. 
• Growing interest is observed in energy-efficient servers, and sustainability metrics are becoming integral to decision-making processes in the industry. 

Conclusion

CIOs are positioned to play a crucial role in driving growth and innovation amidst transformative changes in the digital era. In 2024, the CIO will face numerous challenges, including those around increasing security threats and AI adoption. Despite these, the role of the CIO is stronger than ever as their visibility within the business continues to elevate and technology budget growth is positive.

Want deeper insights into the evolving role of the CIO? Download Foundry’s latest research, State of the CIO 2024. 

Not to worry! Plug a prompt into the AI chatbot of your choice and badabing badaboom, you’ve got content. But after you trim the fat, the forced synonyms for ‘engaging’, and everything extrapolated beyond your prompt, you have… something that sounds pretty generic. Wasn’t AI supposed to make this effortless and innovative? 

The AI disconnect

When it comes to content creation and copy writing, it’s hard not to depend on the seemingly productive use of Generative AI. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to use it myself for this very blog. But instead, I pried into whether the benefits of using Gen AI as a tech marketer do outweigh the often-overlooked negatives.  

According to Foundry’s latest AI Priorities Study, content generation is the second most popular use case for Gen AI and yet nearly 1/4 of IT decision-makers are concerned that their organization is moving too fast to adopt this new tech, creating a glaring disconnect between the 54% of ITDMs using AI to boost productivity, and the looming concern about its implications.  

I fear that our growing dependency on Gen AI is leading to a decline in originality, linguistic style and humour in marketing efforts. Yes, you can input tonal suggestions into prompts (my go-to is Spartan), but its amalgamating algorithm strips copy of authentic personality. It could be argued that this is for the best – that B2B techmarketing should steer away from the individualism of ‘human’ linguistic style to focus on communicating success and trust with clarity. We expect B2B tech content to provide facts and insight, not puns on intent data creating a surge of interest. I’ve experienced firsthand when A/B testing that more risky/cheeky/original subject lines don’t necessarily get higher open rates than straightforward subject lines, usually including a fact or stat. Is this indicative of our expectations or stringent guidelines for tech marketing copy? Does B2B tech marketing have to be devoid of personality for the sake of trustworthiness and communicating credibility?  

Finding a balance: B2C copy vs. B2B  

B2C copy seems to always be having more fun than B2B, striving to sound as human as possible. Ads on the London Underground are essentially an extended joke reel, written by marketers trying to convince commuters that their brands are relatable and not profit-driven. I find that most of these campaigns are trying too hard to evoke an emotional response, to the point they turn into Uncanny Valley caricatures of their target audience.  

What’s interesting is the growing presence of B2B brands following suit, for multiple reasons. Some may be trying to stand out from their corporate competitors and position themselves as young, hip, innovative organizations that are in on the trends. Or, it may be to intentionally target younger people, now that Gen Z and Millennial IT decision-makers are important gatekeepers in the buying team. B2B campaigns could also be trying to humanize their voice in the social media space, to contribute their own dose of dopamine to feeds intended for entertainment and individual consumption. It may be a combination of these factors, but if this trend persists, B2B copy could take a turn (for better or for worse) very quickly.  

All organizations have values that inform their corporate tone, from language choices to design elements and beyond. But when their marketers are trying to take up space across channels, especially on social which is inherently individualistic, it’s important to show your audience that the organization is not an individual but made up of individuals. Well-executed leadership blogs, podcasts, interviews, and expert takeaways from research hit the right balance of personable and credible. These content types show how your organization is made up of experts who want to share their insights with peers and prospects to better the field. Recently we launched our first ‘Stories Inspire. Data Connects.’ campaign to champion the expertise within our organization to educate and inspire tech marketers. The content is created by humans in their own authentic voice, rather than editing away the personality that we, and our audience love about them. At the end of the day, how can a brand convey who they are without the people they’re made up of? Or build trust and familiarity by trying to ‘sound human’ while simultaneously stripping away the quirks, emotions, that help audiences really connect and resonate with them.  

So, how should we be using Gen AI in content creation?Ěý

Firstly, content should prioritize giving your prospects what they want, and not just what you want prospects to know about you. Substance over style, in other words. What I find most useful about Gen AI is not the ease of content creation, but how it can make content more clear and concise. By using chatbots like ChatGPT and Bard to cut down copy to a certain word count and summarise key points, you can check if its takeaways align with your intentions. Using Gen AI to optimize rather than create will ultimately preserve creative autonomy as marketers. There’s no need to be afraid that ChatGPT will be replacing marketers when we are best informed to tailor our content to tech buyers and what they’d find most useful in their buyer’s journey.    

This blog was 100% written by a human, for better or for worse. I urge you to reconsider your use of Gen AI in the name of productivity. This doesn’t mean throwing this super powerful tool to the wayside, but question if it’s really more efficient to use it for content, or if it might be more helpful for idea generation or editing, for example. After all, isn’t it an oxymoron to use a robot to make you (a person) sound more human?   

I also urge you to use ‘Spartan tone’ in your next prompt.  

Unlocking Digital Strategies to Enhance Intimacy in Events 

For decades, many partners relied on more traditional, face-to-face customer engagement approaches, allocating the lion’s share of their marketing dollars to travel and entertainment (T&E) budgets. The onset of the COVID-19 shift caused significant swings in recent years, particularly during the height of the pandemic’s isolation, leading to the disappearance of T&E and a universal pivot toward digital engagement. However, in the past six months, there has been a notable resurgence in in-person events, driven by a collective longing for face-to-face connections. 

Innovative digital technology has transformed events into multi-touch experiences, seamlessly blending digital elements throughout their orchestration. Moore says, “Events are much more intimate and customized to attendees. With the onset of AI, and all this digital marketing, there is a much better opportunity to do a multi-touch campaign.” This post-pandemic event style extracts more value from each gathering, extending their impact and duration. In essence, events have not only made a robust comeback but have emerged stronger, leveraging invaluable lessons learned during the digital revolution of the pandemic. Moore states, “It is a much more sophisticated event roadmap than it used to be.” Events now offer a more intimate and tailored experience for attendees, transcending the simple act of collecting business cards or scanning badges. 

Implementing a Locally Replicated High-Growth Model for Business Success 

Moore explains that leveraging partner marketing is crucial for reaching a broader market and achieving ServiceNow’s ambitious growth objectives. The packages and services provided by ServiceNow to their partners enable them to capture a larger market share and significantly enhance ServiceNow’s presence. Yorke emphasizes the importance of remaining “globally consistent but locally relevant,” an idea further expanded upon by Moore. She explains the process as a progression from globalization to regionalization and finally to localization. The global strategy and infrastructure are developed by a top-level team, requiring adherence from all regions. Sales areas then proceed to localize it, tailoring content to suit the language, customs, or the unique ambiance of the respective area.  

Moore explains that it is important to cascade these KPIs throughout the organization. For optimal efficiency, collaboration among all participants is crucial, coupled with a clear understanding of each individual’s role within the business framework. “It’s like the old adage of the kindergarten soccer team,” Moore chuckles, “Everyone can be scrambling toward the ball at the same time; that’s going to get us nowhere. But if we can put people on the field, spread them out, give them each a different position, and work towards the same objective, we’re going to be way more efficient.” 

Earning Trust & an Enthusiasm for Change 

Yorke & Moore emphasize the importance of trust, both within the organization and in external partnerships. Moore underscores the pivotal role of trust among partners, highlighting their reliance on ServiceNow to develop programs, solutions, and incentives aligned to their business models. This trust extends internally, as Moore emphasizes that teams with high trust and collaboration yield extraordinary results. 

Moore’s enthusiasm for change stems from enriching the experiences of ServiceNow’s employees, partners, and customers. This enthusiasm reflects a commitment to driving positive transformations across the organization as a whole. As Moore aptly expresses, “We are building something unique here. You need to have a tremendous amount of change, enthusiasm, and motivation to push yourself to the next level.” 

—- 

About ServiceNow 

ServiceNow’s cloud-based platform and solutions help digitize and unify organizations so that they can find smarter, faster, better ways to make workflow. So, employees and customers can be more connected, more innovative, and more agile. 

About Meaghan Moore 

Meaghan, with extensive experience at SAP for 11 years as Head of Global Partner Marketing and Mid-Market, followed by 4 successful years at HPE as VP of Channel Strategy, recently joined ServiceNow. She values trust deeply, emphasizing its importance within her team, with partners and customers, and among company stakeholders. Beyond her professional endeavors, Meaghan is passionate about mentoring and fostering opportunities for emerging talent, believing in the transformative impact of guidance and support. 

About the CMO Perspective Video Series 

°Őłóąđ CMO Perspective series spotlights industry-leading executives who are making a difference within the tech marketing landscape. Our host, Matt Yorke, Global Chief Revenue Officer at Foundry, delves into the latest marketing trends, providing peer insights for tech marketers.   

Content marketing

Generative AI will transform content experiences, and disrupt commodity content 

, Global Editorial Director, Foundry

Generative AI will change the way people find and consume content, allowing them to gather the insights they want from trusted sources. It will make it easy for anyone to churn out landfill content, which will disrupt existing channels such as search and social media. But this will be good for those who – like Foundry – invest in creating unique and insightful content in the service of readers and customers. 

Original research content will be crowned king 

, Sr. Digital Marketing Manager 

The flood of AI generated content will make original research stand out. Original research is already one of the most valuable types of content – seeing actual A/B tests, survey results and real data is a step above the simple pontification that makes up a lot of content these days. But once the market is flooded with content that is informed, framed or entirely written by generative AI, original research will stand out as pricelessly valuable content that AI can’t generate for us. 

Generational shift changes the game for tech marketers. 

, VP, Global Services, Foundry

Current market conditions show that 60% of B2B tech decision-makers and their influence will only rise in 2024. For vendors, this means traditional sales tactics happen at the end of discovery for these cohorts. Exploration for these groups consists of self-guided digital research with a focus on trusted peers/influencers on social. These specific buying committee members want content in all forms (text, podcasts, video), demos, product reviews and free trials that they can consume on-demand. For these critical prospects, tactics must shift away from cold sales outreach and towards a content-based brand-to-demand approach.

Artificial intelligence

AI brings promise and peril for IT 

, Editor-in-Chief, B2B, Foundry

2024 will be an interesting year for IT as AI takes hold in the enterprise. Vendors are busily – from ERP systems to security products to productivity suites. And software developers, typically early technology adopters, are embracing large language models for coding. This is all very bullish, but there will be significant challenges as well, not least of which is what all of this will cost. 

Gen AI is my co-pilot 

, Global Director, Content Strategy, Foundry

In 2024, generative AI will establish itself as a critical assistant to marketers. As these platforms and tools mature, and our comfort levels with using the tools rise, gen AI will help with everything from creative concepting and copywriting to presentation development and campaign analysis. Proper training and data governance will be critical to operationalizing GenAI across the marketing function, but there will be no turning back from this transformative technology. 

From Bits to Billions: Data Structuring Boosts Business 

, VP Events Europe IDC & Foundry

90% of corporate data is unstructured. Although the data is rich in information, this has traditionally posed challenges for analysis and management. With the rise of AI, particularly generative AIs, based on large language models, unstructured data can be transformed into valuable insights without the need for extensive training. Generative AI can enhance business operations by unlocking knowledge from various sources, making unstructured data more accessible and understandable for humans. Companies will use generative AI to enhance operational efficiency and unlock the value of their data.

AI scoring enhances lead prioritization

, Chief Strategy Officer, Foundry

AI-based scoring will enhance the efficiency of identifying high-potential prospects, enabling sales teams to focus their efforts on cultivating relationships with individuals most likely to convert into valuable customers.

SEO and search

SEO meets LLM 

, Chief Customer Officer, Foundry

New rules inspire new playbooks, and that will quickly prove true for SEO as marketers compete for an edge in AI-powered search results. The twist this time? PageRank could be reverse engineered to a degree, Large language models (LLMs) by their nature cannot be. That makes it a whole new playing field, and by year’s end it will be completely normal-sounding to ask questions like “How do you use prompt injection to optimize zero-click SEO performance? 

Gen AI won’t be like Google Search 

, Global Director, Product and Data – Consumer, Foundry

The real value in GenAI will be found in walled gardens, not in open systems like ChatGPT – and in tools tailored to specific users. That tailoring will happen on a macro level, where users will go to specific apps or sites for trusted information – and on a micro level where your interaction with an app or site changes depending on what you’re trying to achieve. 

Embrace the Change 

VP, Search, Foundry

In 2024, the evolving landscape of AI will have a significant influence on SEO practices. In a generic AI-generated content world, publishers must deliver unique and insightful content tailored to user preferences and semantic search patterns. Publishers should focus their efforts on establishing their brand identity by creating comprehensive, in-depth material showcasing expertise, and most critically, cite reliable sources with the aim of increasing exposure and trustworthiness. Embracing AI-driven tools to identify keywords, augment data analysis, uncover link building opportunities and innovations will become fundamental in this process. 

Customer experience

RPA will be the silent winner 

, Chief Marketing Officer, Foundry

While AI will continue to be top of mind, the process of evaluating AI vendors for marketing will recognize the need for better Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to improve data. RPA will be the silent winner, particularly in marketing organizations focused on understanding customer engagement and retention strategies or adopting the IDC ACE framework.

It’s not Human-to-Human vs Human-to-Robot; it’s Robot-for-Human-to-Human. 

, Director of Customer Success, EMEA, Foundry

Building relationships with clients and customer loyalty is more prevalent than ever. Customer Service teams will be expected to be more consultative, bring more expertise to the table and present data in more imaginative ways, all more consistently. GenAI will help scale customer service teams in exactly this way; repetitive tasks will be automated, making room for personalization at scale. 

Hyper-personal is the new norm to drive Conversion 

, Managing Director – Consumer, Foundry

Customers expect their needs to be anticipated. Digital experiences will become increasingly hyper-personal through the use of machine learning and GenAI. These advancements will enable marketers to leverage unstructured data sources, content analytics, and design to drive outcomes. Device categories like AR, VR, and XR will multiply the range of AI-powered experiences beyond the boundaries of smartphones, laptops, and screens, allowing for seamless blending of virtuality and reality. 

It’s all the name..or is it? 

, Executive Director, CIO Communities, CIO, Foundry

In 2024 tech leaders will continue to transform legacy systems, build , ensure security, and take steps to transform their business with generative AI. By doing so, they are leading the way to create and build frictionless end user experiences. This will require talented, diverse teams, with current skills and specialized learning opportunities to future-proof business. Who is the technology leader of 2024? It’s not one person, but a team. The CIO, CTO, CISO, and CSO will be a multitalented leading group that will guide, build and execute business strategy and growth. 

Engagement and ROI 

Stealing the Spotlight: Partner Marketing vs. Corporate Marketing in 2024 

, SVP US Sales & Partner Marketing, Foundry

In 2024, will step into the spotlight as companies rely on strategic partnerships to elevate their go-to-market messages and solutions in crowded markets. Co-funding initiatives will thrive despite tight budgets, driven by a relentless focus on ROI, reshaping the corporate marketing landscape. 

Accurate engagement tracking becomes the new KPI

, Director, Performance Analytics, Global Services, Foundry

The core KPIs for digital marketers will shift from high level site analysis to engagement and user-based metrics. With Google launching Google Analytics 4, marketers now have access to more accurate metrics such as engaged time, engaged sessions and active users. Marketers will have more exposure to user engagement than ever before, and metrics such as session duration will begin to sunset with a greater focus on engagement. 

Security priorities

2024 will be the Year of the CISO 

, Regional Managing Director, DACH, Central and Eastern Europe, Foundry

In 2024, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) will become the most important executive in every company. Having a CISO on board will be crucial for the success of the business. Not only do they protect the company against all kinds of cyber threats, they are also ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive data. 

AI plus Security 

, Managing Director, Foundry Spain

AI is the new “hotness” that is here to stay, not only for marketers and the IT industry, but for everyone. At this moment, it’s difficult to imagine the impact that AI will have in all our lives. In 2024, and target for AI, as well as quality of content, and our approach to demand generation and ROI. There is very little that AI ˇÉ´Ç˛Ô’t touch in 2024.

Global markets

Navigating 2024 challenges

, VP Sales, ASEAN, Foundry

In 2024, the APAC region will see growth targets increase but budgets stagnate or reduce. There will be a renewed focus on alliance and partner building as vendors look to share the load and de-risk budgets. In turn, this will apply pressure on marketers to shepherd prospects further down the pipeline. Marketers will also need to provide deeper, more substantial intelligence across account data to ensure the quality of leads they send to sales.

AI-driven insights will become a global language for regional teams 

r, Marketing Manager APAC, Corporate Marketing, Foundry

The impact of worldwide events has had a ripple effect in regional markets. As we go into 2024, regional markets will continuously be addressing the ramifications of 2023. Global data will play a pivotal role in how regional marketers behave and communicate moving forward, as well as how to align businesses from a global perspective. This will be achieved through AI-driven insights that align teams and turn data into a global language.

Events

In-person events grow despite growing digitalisation 

, Global Director, Events, Foundry

“Events will never be the same again”- like sentences were commonplace as we adjusted to a new digital life during the pandemic. But in 2023, these predictions have proven to be far from true. B2B conferences no signs of slowing demand. Maybe this reinforces an evolutionary trait in which we’ll never lose – humans crave real, in-person experiences. As buyers immerse themselves in niche content and communities, sellers benefit from real interactions with potential customers, complimenting an otherwise digital marketing mix. I speculate, perhaps with a hint of self-interest, that the novelty of in-person events will see them continue to thrive in an increasingly digitized world, extending well into 2024 and beyond. 

Shifting landscapes

2024: AI, of course – and marketers – caveat emptor 

, Chief Data Officer, Foundry 

1. Doubling down on trust. 2024 is the year clients, agencies and publishers double down on trusted partnerships. These three groups must work together to navigate the challenges of AI, wasted spend and bad marketing practices. 

2. No more delays. First party cookie and contact pools from trusted brands become more critical as Google finally makes good on its promise to depreciate Chrome’s support for 3rd party cookies.  

3. Rich get richer. AI becomes more prevalent, but what to use, who to trust, leads organizations to Microsoft, Google and Meta. Open-source AI tools will also be big winners as no one wants to make a large bet on a single platform in an ever-shifting environment.  

4. Flushed in Flushing. The NY Mets do not win the World Series. Futility again. 

Transformative change in 2024

, Vice President, Commercial Operations, APAC, Foundry

In 2024, the B2B media and marketing industry is poised for transformative changes, driven by technological advancements and evolving business landscapes. Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to revolutionize B2B marketing strategies, enabling more sophisticated and data-driven approaches to customer engagement. Account-based marketing (ABM) is expected to gain further prominence as companies increasingly recognize the value of personalized and targeted outreach to specific accounts. The continued rise of blockchain technology may enhance data security and transparency, addressing concerns related to trust and privacy in B2B transactions. As sustainability becomes a central focus across industries, B2B marketers may also witness a shift towards eco-conscious messaging and practices.

Expanding buying teams and priorities 

, SVP US Sales & Strategic Partnerships, Foundry

The typical B2B deal in 2023 involved an average of 25 people in the buying committee, up from 20 people in 2022. In 2024, buying teams will continue to grow, introducing new personas and challenges. To better reach these teams, we must be able to connect with various stakeholders across accounts and align our messaging with their unique priorities.