New Report Warns Most B2B Companies Are Spending Millions to Stand Still

Adelaide marketing advisory says the problem is not budget or channels, but a broken messaging foundation

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA, July 29, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Lustosa Marketing, a boutique B2B marketing advisory, has released a strategic report arguing that most B2B companies are misdiagnosing their marketing problem, pouring growing budgets into tactics that fail to move the needle.
The report, authored by founder and Fractional CMO Celeste Lustosa, draws on research from Forrester, Gartner, McKinsey, and 6sense. It argues the real issue is not spend or channel choice, but unclear positioning and a lack of long-term brand investment.

Forrester's 2024 State of Business Buying research found that 86 percent of B2B purchases stall, and 81 percent of buyers end up dissatisfied with the vendor they chose. Separately, 73 percent of B2B buyers actively avoid vendors that send irrelevant or generic outreach.

“These numbers should stop every marketing leader in their tracks,” said Ms Lustosa, Lustosa Marketing's Founder and Fractional CMO. “Companies are not failing because they are not trying hard enough. They are failing because the messaging underneath that effort was never built to hold up.”

6sense's 2025 Buyer Experience Report found that in 95 percent of cases, the vendor that wins a deal was already on the buyer's shortlist from day one. “Most businesses still treat marketing as something that supports the sales conversation,” Ms Lustosa said. “In reality, marketing usually decides the outcome long before sales picks up the phone. If your positioning is not clear well before that point, you are already competing from behind.”

Drawing on Les Binet and Peter Field's research with LinkedIn's B2B Institute, the report finds B2B brands investing at least half their budget in long-term brand building deliver stronger returns, yet most companies remain weighted toward short-term lead generation. “This is not a call to spend more,” Ms Lustosa said. “It is a call to fix the foundation first. Get the positioning and messaging right, and every campaign and sales conversation after that starts working harder for you.”

About Lustosa Marketing
Lustosa Marketing is a boutique B2B marketing advisory based in Adelaide, led by founder and Fractional CMO Celeste Lustosa, who brings 25 years of marketing experience. The agency specialises in B2B pipeline growth, LinkedIn lead generation, and fractional marketing leadership.

Celeste Lustosa
Lustosa Marketing
466519982398
celeste@lustosamarketing.com

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.