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

B2B trends to anticipate

In anticipation of its B2B Summit EMEA, Forrester’s research director gives The Drum a sneak peek at key trends and talking points to be discussed at the event. He discusses how the B2B buying network is evolving, the growing group of B2B influencers on social media, and potential replacements for the marketing-qualified lead (MQL) concept.

The role of B2B CMOs in creating human connection

In an age of AI and algorithms, Forbes makes the point that people don't just want and need connection, but that CMOs can play a key part in making it happen. It says that, in companies where leaders value human connection differentiation beyond product, the CMO can act as a catalyst, working with sales, product, and R&D to "stitch together a narrative that accelerates the whole business."

How has B2B marketing changed in the last 50 years?

A blast from B2B marketing’s past shows that not much has changed in the last 50 years. CustomerThink highlights key quotations from a 1972 book on buying behaviour to show that despite all the rapid change we’ve seen in the sector, the core principles of marketing and buyer behaviour are still the same at their essence.

Will LinkedIn’s new features make a difference?

LinkedIn is introducing new capabilities to its platform, promising better attribution and insight into the B2B buying decision. Diginomica discusses the changes from a data perspective to predict how they’ll affect B2B marketing in the years to come.

Adapting ads to the new buying process

B2B ads need to use a relatively small piece of digital real estate to communicate value and build brand recognition. In this blog, our advertising experts share their tips on how to build ads that do this while respecting the buyer’s limited time. Read it here.