Authenticity and relevance remain the best way to win customers’ attention and trust in a “sloppy” AI world
To kick off the first CMA B2B Council meeting in 2026, I shared my holiday reading and facilitated a group discussion. I referenced the latest marketing trend reports from Brandwatch, CMI, Forrester, GWI, and Salesforce, then asked the Council members what resonated with them most based on their day-to-day experiences.
Three themes stood out from our conversation: trust in the AI era, the battle against “slop” content, and a renewed appetite for hybrid, human experiences. Across all of these, one conclusion kept surfacing: AI may change how customers search and scan, but authenticity and relevance still determine whom they ultimately trust.
With The Economist naming “slop” as 2025’s word of the year, it’s no surprise marketers are wary of generic, overproduced content that can erode credibility and trust. A large volume of content can easily become a marketer’s worst enemy. It’s far more effective to demonstrate authenticity and relevance for clearly defined target audiences than to cast a wide net and increase the volume.
Authenticity should be evaluated in three ways. First, the authority of the subject matter expert, demonstrated by the authors’ knowledge and experience. Second, the tone of voice that reflects the authors’ personality and demonstrated passion, and not to be stranded by “corporate speak.” Third, the commitment of the authors as demonstrated by what they have done over time to support their beliefs and arguments in practice.
Relevance is both art and science. Analytics can retrospectively show how well a piece of content resonates with specific segments, channels and format. Better still, anticipating what the audiences should know and why based on past response rates and behaviours is a smarter way to plan content. Also, pay attention to cultural trends and public sentiment. Sometimes, the content may be relevant, but it may not be the right moment.
Trust is an emotion. The reports clearly show that as AI becomes embedded in workflows, customers want to interact with a human at key decision points. The human influencer must have authority on the subject matter, understand the customer’s context, and make informed recommendations that put their customer’s interests at heart.
During the meeting, Council members shared examples of how founders lend their personality to their companies, how employees – not always executives – are spotlighted as hero subject matter experts, and how customers share their user experiences. Lived experience and credible voices have increasingly become sources of trust, along with earned coverage in credible media.
Finally, the reports show that audiences crave in-person connection. However, it’s important to note that with events, it can be difficult to measure ROI if objectives and metrics are not clearly defined. Smart marketers now leverage offline experiences to create and deepen relationships, then amplify the conversations with digital tactics such as content marketing, and SEO or GEO to further gain brand presence among target audiences. Again, relevance and authentic engagements are critical to the success of this integrated approach.
What are your observations or surprises of emerging B2B marketing and communication trends this year?
