MAM
GUEST ARTICLE: How is B2B influencer marketing emerging as a trend in the marketing space?
Mumbai: Influencer marketing is extremely popular in the B2B arena, owing to the fact that customers trust experts more than advertisements. However, the worldwide pandemic has brought new challenges for B2B marketers. Marketing strategies have shifted as the customer and industry environments have changed post-Covid. Companies are also seeing lower marketing spending, which is expected to continue. In addition to such market dynamics, marketing teams are under growing pressure to continuously offer business value and significant outcomes.
Gartner’s annual CMO Spend Survey has found global marketing budgets now equate to just 6.4 per cent of overall company revenue, down from 11 per cent previously. As a result, marketers must accomplish more with less. These challenging times create a compelling opportunity to redesign influencers in the B2B marketing strategy and think creatively, tactically, and comprehensively. Companies may establish high-impact, scalable, and long-term relationships that add value to the organisation. B2B influencer campaigns have greater reach and confidence with possible buyers, who are more receptive and accepting of information coming from a neutral and reputable source.
Without a question, the B2B marketing sector will be quite fascinating in the next few years. The reliance on digital interaction, experience, and an increasing tendency toward B2B e-commerce will undoubtedly continue. Data from Salesforce’s seventh annual State of Marketing report shows that 44 per cent of B2B marketers have ‘completely changed’ their marketing channel mix since the pandemic began to meet new challenges. Furthermore, content will continue to play a prominent role, experiences will be everything, and the function of influencers in digital media will become much more significant. B2B marketers must shift away from brand-centric marketing experiences and toward customer-centric marketing experiences.
Advertisers are increasingly looking for experiences that can attract, engage, and transform the buyer in the driver’s seat. Some B2B marketers are already successfully leveraging partnerships with the industry’s most trusted voices, aka influencers. The reach and efficacy of B2B influencer marketing in obtaining brand awareness and buyer attention are now significantly greater than traditional marketing tactics. 84 per cent of B2B marketers work with influencers to create brand awareness and 69 per cent of B2B marketers work with influencers to help generate new leads (according to the State of B2B Influencer Marketing Research Report). This is why, as part of their brand marketing, prominent businesses from a wide range of industries are partnering with leading industry influencers across both digital and traditional platforms.
Due to the significant digital change in B2B buying choices, the relevance of engaging influencer marketing has grown in the industry. Buyers rely on these trustworthy sources to educate and influence their purchasing decisions. The B2B marketing business anticipates a stronger focus on digital engagement, experience, and growth in the next few years. Content will continue to play an important part in this area, and experience and impact will be more prominent than ever. Considering this trend, B2B companies must leverage influencer relationships to build experiences that attract, engage, and convert customers in a way that promotes long-term trust and loyalty.
People have shown an interest in learning more about influencer marketing during the last several years. B2B marketers should be on the lookout for this possibility because it will be a trend in the near future. As the primary source, it will be one of the fastest-growing client acquisition strategies. Working with recognized influencers in the company may give considerable prospects for promoting to prospective buyers.
People have raised an interest in learning more about influencer marketing during the last several years. B2B marketers should be on the lookout for this possibility because it will be a trend in the near future. As the primary source, it will be one of the fastest-growing client acquisition strategies. Working with recognized influencers in the company may give considerable prospects for promoting to prospective buyers.
The author of the article is The Girlfriend Box co-founder Vaibhav Pathak.
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
