Welcome to What We're Reading, a weekly rundown of news stories, marketing columns, and B2B industry news that caught our eye.

Why do so many B2B video ads fail to register?

New research shows 81% of B2B video advertisements fail to grab viewers’ attention or foster brand recall. Marketing Week suggests four areas of improvement — including short but impactful videos, early branding, and strategic use of sound — to ensure you get the most out of your creative spend.

Trends for B2B marketing budgets in 2025

A survey of B2B professionals says the top areas of spend in 2025 will include investing in martech, direct marketing, and content marketing. MarketingProfs breaks down the spend and priority trends highlighted in the report.

Half of B2B marketers will fall short of their 2024 goals

Due to limitations with budgets and resources, economic conditions, and lack of alignment between marketing and sales teams, a report outlined in MarTech says 50% of B2B marketers won’t reach their goals for 2024. The outlook was said to be much better when sales and marketing align.

Why marketing deserves a seat in the boardroom

Typical company boards include lawyers, finance experts, and CEOs or executives, but they don’t always leave space for marketing leaders to share their knowledge of markets and customers, revenue growth, and brand building. B2B Marketing explains why CMOs should always have a seat at the table.

What's your social media audience saying?

Read a primer on social listening to tap into conversations about your B2B brand.