Surviving Uncertainty and Driving Marketing Impact

UK B2B Marketing in 2025: Surviving Uncertainty and Driving Impact Amid Shifting Sands

I’ve spoken with a number of UK B2B marketeers in the last couple of weeks. Hats off to the majority of them, who continue to put on a brave face.

The reality is that, beneath the surface, most of them had far from a positive story to share.

Recession, followed by Brexit, followed by COVID, followed by Tory chaos, followed by Labour ‘change’ (e.g. employer NI increases), followed by Trump’s tariffs, have all caused concern for SMEs.

The cost increases, uncertainty, and unpredictability of carrying out business have all compounded to make businesses cautious. Cutting costs and delaying campaigns is now an everyday norm. As ever, marketing is one of the first areas to suffer-even if it does have a negative impact on business.

We are now in a time when we should accept the shifting sands on which we try to build our businesses. Moving forward, the ‘how’ will vary by business type and scale, but reducing longer-term committed spend, whilst focusing on creating impact in the short to mid-term, is the starting point.

For B2B, throwing mud at the walls has to stop. Focussed and effective marketing activities are the order of the day. Sitting behind a desk all the time is not the solution; talking to clients at their offices will uncover the issues they face.

As is often said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Survival is about taking control and setting a course. At the same time, SMEs need to talk to their peers and advisers; shrinking into their shells is not the way forward.

Kevin Harrington

I’m a UK-based B2B marketing consultant, specialising in strategic advice for SME business owners. I bring extensive hands-on expertise to every client engagement. Senior leadership roles across technology, media, payments, and publishing have shaped my practical approach. Highlights include serving as Chief Marketing Officer at The Panoply plc (now TPXimpact), Chief Commercial Officer at Tungsten Network, and Global Marketing Director at BBC Worldwide. Over the years, I’ve guided numerous SMEs through transformation and value creation. Helping businesses evolve and thrive is a genuine passion. Practical marketing insights and succession planning strategies are at the heart of what I do, as I believe growing a business’s asset value should be a rewarding and positive journey for every entrepreneur.

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