What CMOs Are Doubling Down On Now (And Why You Should, Too)

At G2, our Executive Advisory Board (EAB) plays a crucial role in shaping our go-to-market strategy. Comprised of visionary marketing and revenue leaders from the industry’s leading B2B organizations, this group brings together voices from the frontlines - and we’re talking about the biggest challenges we’re facing -  change.

We recently hosted our second virtual EAB session of 2025. And while the tools and tactics in our marketing stacks may vary, the themes that emerged were remarkably aligned—with customer voice, AI adoption, and organizational design top of mind for everyone right now.

Here are four key takeaways from the session:

1. Customer voice is the new growth engine

Buyer trust is harder to earn (and easier to lose) in the AI era. That’s why leaders across the board agreed: authentic customer voice is the most effective lever we have right now.

CMOs shared how they’re doubling down on reviews, peer proof, and customer-created content — not just for demand gen, but as fuel for the entire funnel. G2 reviews in particular were called out as high-impact assets that accelerate trust and shorten deal cycles.

But what struck me most was how expansive the “voice of the customer” has become. It’s not just about testimonials or case studies anymore; it’s a strategic driver across product validation, content generation, and even AI model training.  We’ve learned that the LLM’s favor authenticity and G2 is one of the top reference sites that power LLM’s answers.   

2. AI is shifting the way we execute (faster is the only option)

There’s been no shortage of discussions about AI use cases over the past year, but our discussion zoomed in on what’s actually working.

One standout story came from Wendy White, CMO at Daxko, who has built an internal AI content engine that publishes over 120 blog posts per week. That’s not a typo. While that volume won’t make sense for every business, it illustrates the new velocity and scale that AI enables.

The group also discussed a key philosophical shift — as Chandar Pattabhiram, Chief Go-to-Market Officer at Workato, put it: it’s no longer about having a "human in the loop." Increasingly, it’s “AI in the loop,” with humans guiding and fine-tuning the output. That mindset is reshaping how teams think about process design and execution.

Still, across the board, leaders emphasized that human oversight remains essential for maintaining quality, consistency, and brand trust - but AI agents can accelerate output in meaningful ways.

3. Sales enablement is getting smarter -- and more personalized

Sales and marketing alignment is getting a tech-fueled boost, and AI is making it happen.

Meagen Eisenberg, CMO at Samsara, shared that her team built a custom GPT to handle deep research ahead of customer meetings, transforming work that once took hours into insights delivered in minutes. 

She wasn’t alone. Other leaders also highlighted tools like Google Gems and ZoomInfo Copilot, which are helping sales teams prep faster, follow up smarter, and deliver more personalized value throughout the customer journey.

Jennifer Reif, VP of Global Revenue Marketing at Salesloft, described their new approach as “sales enablement without the friction." That framing stuck with me because, at the end of the day, great enablement should feel seamless for both the rep and the prospect and naturally integrated into the way we work

4. Teams are rethinking roles, not just reducing them

Interestingly, despite the pressures many teams are under, few leaders on the call were actively cutting roles. Instead, they’re reassessing how work gets done and where AI fits in.

Another example was how one leader was shifting agency and contractor work to in-house teams using AI-driven processes. Others echoed this, sharing that AI fluency is becoming an expected skill set in hiring. Some companies are even piloting internal training programs and certifications to help teams build AI competency and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market.

These shifts aren’t just about efficiency. It’s about preparing teams to thrive in a future where AI is embedded in how we work.

Innovating for an AI-first experience

We closed out by previewing some of G2's latest product innovations—all designed to reduce the “latency loop” between a customer’s review and a business’s revenue. These updates directly reflect the themes and challenges surfaced in this session: the need for faster validation, richer insights, and more flexible ways to activate the customer's voice.

I always leave our EAB sessions energized and inspired, and this one was no exception. There’s a real sense of momentum right now — not just in how we’re navigating change, but in how we’re shaping what comes next.

At our Q2 Innovation Event we hosted earlier this week, we unveiled new AI-powered experiences — from reimagined review collection to on-demand buyer intelligence — built in direct response to what we heard from this group.

On behalf of the entire G2 team, thank you to our Executive Advisory Board members for your time, transparency, and partnership. Your insights are helping us build a better future for B2B software.

We hope you’ll join us on June 17th to see it all in action.

Let’s keep the conversation going. Connect with our EAB members on LinkedIn:

• Amber Armstrong, CMO at Salesforce Sales Cloud
• Karen Budell, CMO at Totango
• Tifenn Dano Kwan, CMO at Amplitude
• Meagen Eisenberg, CMO at Samsara
• Rob Giglio, Chief Customer Officer at Canva
• Shay Howe, Chief Strategy Officer at ActiveCampaign
• Joan Jenkins, CMO at MindTickle
• Sanjay Kini, Chief Customer Strategy Officer at 6sense
• Bryan Law, CMO at SentinelOne
• Bobby Patrick, CMO at UiPath
• Chandar Pattabhiram, Chief Go-to-Market Officer at Workato
• Jennifer Reif, VP of Global Revenue Marketing at Salesloft
• Wendy White, CMO at Daxko