Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a highly targeted and strategic approach to B2B marketing that tailor’s outreach and engagement efforts to specific, high-value accounts. It has been the talk of the town for quite some time as to whether it is still alive and kicking. B2B Marketing discussed the concept in their latest session, “The Great International ABM Debate.”

The speakers, Joel Harrison and Barry Richards, along with six seasoned ABM practitioners, discussed their opinion in three live debates.

Session 1: “AI is going to change everything about ABM.”   

To start with, AI is slowly transforming industries in B2B landscape, and ABM is not far behind. Just like other industries will AI also cloud ABM? 

Voicing the statement, Ryan Almond focused on the fact that AI is the lever that will take ABM mainstream. AI will help provide better solutions for optimizing ABM strategies. How companies are using AI to formulate ABM strategies is what will matter more. 

On the contrary, speaking against the topic, Rhiannon Blackwell emphasized on how AI must provide a differentiation factor that businesses strive for. AI will have a massive effect on ABM, but there will always be the need for human intervention to provide better solutions through ABM.   

Session 2: “The ABM hype is gone, and so should ABM.” 

Once a go-to strategy for generating sales and revenue, the hype around ABM is slowly reducing. Should businesses move on from ABM and focus on other strategies? 

Supporting the statement, Vanessa Schotes implied on how ABM helping to optimize the marketing strategies is no longer relevant. However, ABM is still relevant in terms with sales strategies and strategic targeting. ABM focuses more on sales rather than the marketing side of the business.  

However, Lisa Perry refuted the statement and talked about how ABM finetunes the strategies and brings the sales and marketing departments together. ABM helps maximize revenue, create a positive reputation, and foster strong relationships. ABM is here to stay in the B2B landscape to help achieve sales and marketing objectives. 

Session 3: “ABM is no more or less creative than other programmes.” 

There is a dearth of creativity in ABM than other programmes. Does B2B landscape needs to believe that ABM no longer serves the purpose? 

Speaking for the statement, Sandy Walters is positive that ABM is still more creative than other programs as it focuses on strategy. Marketing strategies such as using data and insights to create a targeted list for ABM or allocating budget and resources to high-value accounts, requires creativity to create ABM strategies which will generate desired results. 

Neil Berry disagreed with the topic by stating that ABM is not creative anymore as businesses are more focused on scaling and analytics. They are not pushing boundaries and are working on the same old methods in ABM. These days, ABM is all about replicating and repurposing the same strategies used in high-value accounts.

In the end, as we conclude the sessions here are our learnings: 

AI is needed while creating ABM strategies, but we cannot solely rely on the technology. It should be a balance of human intervention and technology. 

ABM is here to stay in the B2B landscape and will continue to help optimize businesses' sales and marketing objectives.

ABM is still more creative than other marketing programs as it is required to create ABM's strategic objectives.   

Hosts:  

Joel Harrison – Editor-In-Chief - B2B Marketing 

Barry Richards – VP Global Strategy - Transmission  

Speakers:  

Ryan Almond - Global Vertical Marketing & ABX Director – Henkel

Rhiannon Blackwell - Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Leader, Global Marketing Organization – PwC

Vanessa Schotes - Chief Marketing Officer – Enfuce  

Lisa Perry - Senior Director, Account-Based Marketing - Salesforce 

Sandy Walters - Global Account Based Marketing Manager (Business Messaging) – Meta

Neil Berry - Global Account Based Marketing Director – CapGemini