We’re joined by Liam Bartholomew, VP of Brand & Customer Marketing at Cognism, to break down one of the biggest shifts happening in B2B marketing right now: the move from traditional lead generation to true demand generation.

Cognism didn’t just tweak their funnel. They fundamentally rethought how marketing drives growth.

In this episode, Liam shares the real story behind that transition: what triggered it, how they proved it internally, and what had to change across content, paid media, and sales alignment to make it work.

We talk about:

• Why cheap leads and high volume were holding growth back

• The data that exposed the flaws in a lead-gen-first model

• What actually happens when you ungate content

• How demand gen changes the role of content, video, and distribution

• How to keep sales onside while reducing “leads”

• Why intent matters more than engagement

• The fear, risk, and internal pushback no one talks about

Liam also shares practical advice for marketers who believe in demand gen, but are stuck in lead-driven organisations, including how to start building momentum before making the big switch.

Learn more about Cognism's Demand Gen playbook course here

Follow Liam on LinkedIn