Sep 7, 2025
Why B2B is finally catching up to B2C on data
Pranav Piyush
,
Co-founder, CEO
Connect with Pranav
The bottom line
B2B marketing is in the middle of a transformation. As Rucha highlighted, better measurement is about giving teams the confidence to act decisively, experiment more boldly, and earn greater trust across the organization.
When data becomes a shared language, marketing shifts from defending its value to driving strategy. That’s the opportunity measurement reveals: the ability to move faster, align more closely with business goals, and build marketing programs that truly scale.
Why B2B is playing catch-up
For years, B2C marketers had a head start.
They ran performance-driven campaigns, had more consumer data, and built cultures where experimentation and iteration were expected.
But B2B was slower to change. Long sales cycles, reliance on relationships, and siloed data meant that measurement was often treated as an afterthought.
Rucha points out that this gap is closing. The pressures are now the same across both worlds:
Higher costs of acquisition
More complex buyer journeys
A need to prove ROI across every dollar spent
This means B2B leaders are finally embracing measurement as a strategic asset, not just a reporting tool.
Measurement as a cultural shift
One of the biggest insights Rucha shared is that measurement is not only about systems or tools, but about culture.
Teams that truly value measurement operate differently:
They align cross-functional teams on the same definitions of success.
They replace debates with data-driven decisions.
They create trust between marketing, sales, and finance by tying spend directly to business outcomes.
They have faster cycles, less second-guessing, and a stronger sense of accountability.
In contrast, teams that don’t have this culture spend more time debating metrics than acting on them. They rely on intuition or anecdotal wins instead of validated insights.
That’s the separation line: measurement becomes the difference between leaders and those falling behind, stuck in the old ways of doing things.
Why measurement creates a competitive edge
Rucha sees three clear reasons why strong measurement is turning into a moat in B2B:
It builds confidence with leadership: When CMOs and CFOs see the same data, tied back to revenue, it earns trust. This can often unlock more budget.
It shortens the path from idea to execution: Teams collaborate more easily by iterating on what's working vs. just attribution.
It makes experimentation safer: With better incrementality testing and smarter metrics, marketers can run bold campaigns without flying blind.
From surface-level metrics to incrementality
Another theme Rucha emphasized is that B2B teams must outgrow vanity metrics (impressions, clicks, form fills, etc.).
Instead, they should be asking “What is making the most impact for the business?”
That means designing experiments and models that can prove:
Which channels drive net-new demand
Which campaigns accelerate deals already in pipeline
Which programs have no impact at all
It’s not about measuring everything, but rather focusing on what matters. You'll find more success when you lean into the experimentations that drive growth and revenue and leave everything else behind.
The role of trust in data
Measurement is ultimately about trust. Rucha highlighted that when marketing and sales share the same definitions of success, data becomes a unifier instead of a wedge.
That trust has ripple effects:
Executives trust marketing with bigger budgets.
Sales trusts that leads are qualified and campaigns drive impact.
Marketing trusts that leadership values their contribution.
When all of your teams are working together with the same intent, real growth can happen. Too often, marketing and sales are at odds, but with data, it keeps everyone aligned to a common goal.
What B2B leaders should do now
Rucha’s advice to B2B marketers is simple but challenging: make measurement a core part of how you operate, not a quarterly report.
That means:
Building shared definitions of success with sales and finance.
Investing in incrementality testing instead of relying only on attribution.
Creating a culture where data informs action, not just reflection.
Accepting that measurement is never “done," but instead iterative and evolving.
