The Engine Room

AI-powered search, answer engines and social platforms are changing how people discover information online. Increasingly, buyers are getting the answers they need without clicking through to websites, creating new challenges for marketers who have traditionally measured success through traffic and leads.

In this episode, Laura Pearsall and Christine Clancy explore what the rise of the zero-click internet means for B2B marketing. They unpack why trust, authority and educational content are becoming even more important, and what marketers can do to stay visible in a world where clicks are no longer guaranteed.

Key sections covered

• What the zero-click internet actually means for B2B marketers

• Why visibility and influence matter more than website traffic alone

• The growing importance of trust and credible media environments

• How to create content that works in an AI-driven discovery landscape

• Practical strategies for staying relevant as buyer behaviour evolves

Key takeaways

• Being found is no longer the same as getting a click.

• Trust is becoming a stronger competitive advantage than reach alone.

• Educational content is more valuable than promotional content.

• Strong brands will benefit even when buyers never visit their website.

• B2B marketers need to measure influence and visibility, not just traffic and leads.

The modern B2B buyer does not wait for a sales conversation to start forming an opinion. Buyers are researching challenges, comparing solutions, checking proof and building confidence long before making an enquiry.

In this episode of The Engine Room, Laura Pearsall and Andrew Morrison unpack five defining traits of today's B2B buyer: independent online research, the questions they need to answer, larger buying groups and the growing role of AI.

They explore why education beats promotion, how trusted trade media helps brands establish credibility and why marketers need to influence the entire buying group, not just generate clicks.

For marketers navigating long sales cycles and increasing pressure to prove ROI, this episode offers a practical way to rethink content, channels and measurement around the outcome that matters most: buyer confidence.

Key topics covered

The journey before the enquiry: why marketing influence begins well before the first supplier conversation.

Information that helps buyers decide: creating content that helps buyers understand challenges, evaluate options, reduce risk and justify action.

The wider buying group: supporting the different priorities of technical, procurement, operational and executive stakeholders.

AI, AEO and zero-click discovery: how answer engines are changing where buyers find information and why trusted sources matter.

From visibility to confidence: building campaigns around education, credibility, evidence and influence rather than interruption.

Events are an increasingly important part of any B2B marketing plan, but how do you make exhibiting at trade shows worth the investment? In this episode of The Engine Room, Laura Pearsall and Christine Clancy to unpack what separates a forgettable stand from one that attracts the right people, starts meaningful conversations and creates real commercial opportunities.

Drawing on Prime Creative Media's experience running more than 30 large-scale events and exhibitions each year, as well as exhibiting through our magazine titles, the episode shares practical tips for planning, promotion, stand engagement, lead capture, follow-up and measuring success.

This is not about turning up, handing out pens and hoping for the best. It is about treating trade events as a serious B2B marketing channel, where trust, timing, preparation and the quality of conversations matter more than foot traffic alone.

In this episode of The Engine Room, Laura Pearsall and Christine Clancy explore one of the most common questions in B2B marketing: how do you actually measure the ROI of content?

Laura and Christine unpack why content should be measured through its influence rather than immediate lead generation, how trusted and authoritative content is becoming even more important in an AI-driven world, and what marketers should be tracking instead of vanity metrics.

They also discuss the rise of answer engine optimisation (AEO), the role of AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot in the buying journey, and why strong content is now a competitive necessity.

If you've ever struggled to justify content investment or explain its value to management, this episode offers a practical framework for thinking about content ROI in a way that reflects how modern B2B buyers actually make decisions.

What should we measure instead?

• Measure influence, not just leads

• Track trust and credibility signals

• Growth in returning audiences

• Higher engagement in trusted environments

• Increased brand search and recall

In this episode of The Engine Room, Laura Pearsall and Christine Clancy tackle a topic that continues to dominate conversations with B2B marketers in 2026: lead generation. While the industry has spent years debating brand versus performance, businesses are still asking the same question – how do we generate more leads and build pipeline?

Laura and Christine explore why lead generation remains a commercial priority, why buyers are actively searching for suppliers in trusted industry environments, and why traditional digital lead generation tactics are becoming less effective. They also discuss the role trust, credibility and trade media play in generating higher-quality leads that convert.

If you're under pressure to deliver pipeline, this episode provides a practical perspective on what actually works in modern B2B marketing.

Episode Outline

• Lead generation remains central in B2B marketing because pipeline growth is still a core business need

• The best opportunities come from reaching buyers who are already in research mode, not interrupting disengaged audiences

• Generic digital channels are getting harder for quality lead gen – specialist media environments are key

• Lead quality is more important than volume and is tied to buyer intent, trust, and context

• Brand-building improves lead-generation performance rather than competing with it

• The most effective campaigns educate first, establish credibility, and then capture demand

Campaign of the week

Our Campaign of the Week comes from Datascape, who run an annual marketing campaign in Council, which includes lead generation

The campaign featured:

• Premium print placements, including inside front cover advertising

• High-impact digital placements, including website leaderboards

• Enewsletter banner advertising

• Insight-led content designed to position the brand as a trusted expert

• Culminating in a lead generation asset focused on residents' attitudes to digitisation in local government which generated strong results from Council's audience of local government decision makers

Why don't your marketing numbers ever match – and should they?

In this episode of The Engine Room, Laura Pearsall is joined by Prime Creative Media's Head of IT, Chris Forrest, to unpack one of the biggest frustrations in modern marketing: reporting.

From mismatched analytics dashboards to bots, autoclick traffic and attribution gaps, this episode takes a behind-the-scenes look at how marketing data actually works – and why chasing perfect numbers might be holding you back.

If you've ever questioned your campaign reports (or your sanity), this one's for you.

Campaign of the week

Our Campaign of the Week comes from Specsavers, a long-term client across Australia's leading publication for opthalmic professionals, Insight.

The campaign features:

• Education-led content through the "Specsavers Stories" series

• Supported by premium print, digital and enewsletter placements

It's a really strong example of:

• Building trust over time

• Using a highly targeted, trusted environment

• Prioritising brand and influence over short-term metrics

It's also a great reminder that not everything that works in B2B marketing shows up neatly in a dashboard!

Resources & links

Digital marketing reporting: why the numbers don't always match:

https://www.primecreative.com.au/digital-marketing-reporting-why-the-numbers-dont-always-match/

Recent "Specsavers Stories":

https://www.insightnews.com.au/specsavers-stories-lisa-ogi/

https://www.insightnews.com.au/specsavers-stories-shray-kamath/

https://www.insightnews.com.au/specsavers-stories-song-jin-loh/

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/opoUWBEMwh8

In this episode of The Engine Room, Christine Clancy and Laura Pearsall go back to basics, breaking down the five core principles that underpin high-performing B2B marketing.

From educating buyers and navigating long sales cycles to building relationships, brand and choosing the right channels, this episode explores what marketers need to get right before chasing tactics.

Grounded in real-world experience and campaign insights, this is a practical guide to building B2B marketing that actually drives results.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why B2B marketing is different

• The five fundamentals of B2B marketing

1. • Education is paramount

• • Long sales cycles and multiple decision makers

• • Relationships drive sales

• • Brand and share of voice matter

• • Communication channels are critical

Campaign of the week

Our Campaign of the Week for this episode is Jenike and Johanson's campaign about their Selective Heat Ore Technology across Australian Bulk Handling Review and Australian Mining.

The campaign features:

• Education-led content (technical, insight-driven articles)

• Always-on presence (multi-month campaign across print and digital)

• Integrated channels (print, enewsletters, website, social)

• Culminating in a front cover feature to drive impact and brand visibility; as well as an EDM campaign that exceeding everyone's expectations!

Resources & links

Download the full Five Fundamentals whitepaper:

https://www.primecreative.com.au/the-five-fundamentals-of-b2b-marketing/

Jenike's front cover campaign in ABHR:

https://issuu.com/primecreativemedia-2016/docs/australian_bulk_handling_review_may_2026

The Dangers of Going Dark in Marketing:

https://www.primecreative.com.au/the-dangers-of-going-dark-in-marketing/

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/when-the-going-gets-tough-the-tough-dont-skimp-on-their-ad-budgets/

https://www.kantar.com/north-america/inspiration/advertising-media/the-dark-side-of-media-going-dark-and-its-impact-on-brand-health

In the first episode of The Engine Room, Christine Clancy and Laura Pearsall unpack insights from Prime Creative Media's latest reader survey, exploring how today's B2B buyers are researching, evaluating and making purchasing decisions.

Drawing on responses from 856 decision-makers across nine industries, this episode dives into the key shifts shaping B2B marketing – from the growing importance of trust and credibility to the demand for proof-led content and multi-channel engagement.

If you're responsible for marketing, sales or growth in a B2B environment, this episode will help you better understand what buyers really think – and what it takes to influence them.

In this episode, we cover:

• The state of B2B buying in 2026

• Trust as the new currency

• Buyers wanting proof over promotion

• Multi-channel influence is critical

• Consistency builds results

• One-size-fits-all doesn't work

Campaign of the week

Our Campaign of the Week for this episode is from Bosch Professional Power Tools, highlighting their Electrical Testing Tools via The Tradie.

It's a great example of:

• Case study-led content

• Multi-channel amplification (print, video, digital, social)

• "Create once, publish everywhere" in action

• Featuring real users to build credibility and trust

Resources & links

Download the full reader survey report: https://www.primecreative.com.au/buyer-insights-from-b2b-decision-makers/

Bosch Professional Power Tools Electrical Testing Tools campaign video: https://www.tradiemagazine.com.au/tradie-tough-test-boschs-professional-electrical-meters-and-testers/