B2B marketing has entered its MVP era. Boards and leadership teams increasingly want to see how marketing contributes to pipeline, revenue and growth. That is one of the central findings from our report, Most Valuable Player? How B2B Marketers Can Take More Control of Growth. In this blog, we share one of the clearest shifts: account-based growth.
Drawing on data from the 2025 B2B Marketing Awards, the Propolis Index, bespoke B2B Marketing research conducted in 2026 and thousands of customer conversations across the B2B marketing community, the report explores what separates the highest-performing marketers from the rest.
Why account-based targeting matters now
Buyers are doing more of the journey themselves. By the time they speak to sales, they have often already compared options, shortlisted vendors and formed opinions. That means broad awareness activity has less room to influence the outcome, and marketing has more pressure to shape demand earlier, within the right accounts.
This is why account-based targeting has moved beyond a campaign tactic. Used well, it is a strategic growth model that aligns brand, sales and data around the accounts that matter most.
The core principle: you do not need to reach everyone to make an impact. You need to reach the right players, at the right time, with the right message.
From campaign tactic to strategic operating model
Account-based marketing was never meant to be treated as a standalone campaign tactic, but many teams still use it that way. The stronger approach is account-based targeting as an operating model, where sales, marketing and data work from the same account list and the same commercial priorities.
Our Propolis ABM and Demand Generation expert Robert Norum explains:”With so much of the enterprise buying cycle becoming self-service, it’s become increasingly important to think about a shift left to make sure you’re building brand awareness, engagement and trust right across the buying group as early as possible, both to shape demand and ensure you’re on the shortlist. You can’t do this effectively to the whole market without a massive spend, but you can take a micro-targeted approach to your most important accounts and prospects.”
The aim is no longer to generate more activity for its own sake. It is to concentrate spend, creative and orchestration where they can create the highest commercial return.
What leading teams are doing differently
- Aligning account selection with pipeline goals, not just audience size
- Using intent and engagement signals to prioritize effort
- Coordinating sales and marketing around the same target accounts
- Measuring engagement depth across the buying group, not just leads generated
- Tailoring creative to specific accounts and personas, not only job titles
Awards data from the B2B Marketing Awards shows increasing sophistication in targeting, orchestration and measurement, with account-based targeting now driving deeper engagement and stronger commercial outcomes across buying groups.
A real-world example: Multiverse
One example of this shift came from Multiverse, which faced a major challenge breaking into the highly sceptical financial services sector with its AI training offer.
Rather than relying on traditional lead generation tactics, the company worked with Radish and developed “Real AI Direction”, a highly targeted account-based branding campaign designed to challenge perceptions around AI adoption and training value.
The campaign used humor and distinctive creativity to highlight the risks of AI without skilled human oversight. It brought the idea to life through:
- Tailored messaging and personalized content journeys
- Digital OOH placements outside major financial services headquarters in London
- Direct mail coordinated with sales activation
- Engagement signals triggering outreach at the right moment
More importantly, the campaign reflected a broader strategic shift: moving beyond campaign activity towards tightly aligned account-based growth.
The results
By integrating brand, sales and marketing around a focused set of high-value accounts, the campaign delivered:
- 94% account engagement
- £4 million+ in pipeline revenue
- 2,252% ROI
- Gold for Best Account-Based Marketing Campaign at the 2025 B2B Marketing Awards
The value here is not just the scale of the numbers. It is the proof that account-based targeting works when commercial discipline, creativity and sales alignment are pulled in the same direction.
The takeaway for B2B marketers
The Multiverse example shows that account-based targeting does not force a choice between commercial discipline and creativity. The strongest work does both.
- Commercially: it focused on a small number of high-value accounts and linked activity directly to pipeline and revenue
- Creatively: it used humor and distinctive storytelling to cut through a crowded AI conversation
- Operationally: it aligned marketing, sales and account strategy around engagement journeys triggered by real-time signals
As B2B marketing becomes more accountable for growth, account-based targeting gives teams a sharper way to concentrate resources on the accounts and buying groups that matter most. The lesson is simple: you do not need to reach everyone. You need to reach the right players. Read the full report, Most Valuable Player? How B2B Marketers Can Take More Control of Growth, to explore the other shifts separating MVP marketers from the rest.
Join us at the Global ABM Conference
Looking for more ABM guidance? Whether you’re building your first ABM program, scaling an established strategy or pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, The Global ABM Conference is designed to give you practical ideas you can take back to your organization. Grab your ticket for the Global ABM Conference on 4 November and connect with peers from 20+ countries who live and breathe ABM: https://events.b2bmarketing.net/abmconference/home
