Lustosa report says B2B marketers are spending on tactics instead of fixing messaging

Lustosa Marketing has released a report arguing that most B2B companies are not underinvesting in marketing — they are investing in the wrong place. The advisory says unclear positioning and weak brand foundations are driving stalled deals, wasted spend and low-quality demand.

Why it matters: - The report argues many B2B companies are paying more for marketing results without fixing the messaging problems that limit those results. - The finding matters because it shifts the diagnosis from budget pressure to strategy, especially for teams chasing pipeline growth and shorter-term lead targets. - 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. - 73 percent of B2B buyers actively avoid vendors that send irrelevant or generic outreach.

What happened: - Lustosa Marketing released a strategic report saying most B2B companies are misreading their marketing challenge and overinvesting in tactics that do not move the needle. - The report was authored by Celeste Lustosa, founder and Fractional CMO at Lustosa Marketing. - The advisory is based in Adelaide, Australia. - The report draws on research from Forrester, Gartner, McKinsey and 6sense. - Ms. Lustosa said companies are failing because the messaging foundation underneath their marketing 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.

The details: - The report says the real problem is not marketing spend or channel choice. - The report points to unclear positioning and a lack of long-term brand investment as the core issue. - The research argument says B2B brands that invest at least half their budget in long-term brand building deliver stronger returns. - The report says many companies remain weighted toward short-term lead generation instead. - Ms. Lustosa said marketing usually decides the outcome before sales gets involved. - The report says weak positioning leaves companies competing from behind before the first sales call. - Lustosa Marketing says the report is meant to reframe marketing as a foundation problem rather than a budget problem.

Between the lines: - The report is pushing back on a common B2B habit: using more demand generation to solve a positioning problem. - The message also reflects a broader split in B2B marketing between short-term pipeline capture and long-term brand creation. - The implication is that companies may see better returns by tightening their narrative before adding more spend or more channels. - Ms. Lustosa framed the issue as one of readiness, not effort, saying companies are not failing because they are not trying hard enough.

What's next: - Lustosa Marketing is positioning the report as a guide for companies that want to improve pipeline performance by fixing messaging and positioning first. - The advisory's focus remains on B2B pipeline growth, LinkedIn lead generation and fractional marketing leadership. - Celeste Lustosa has 25 years of marketing experience, which Lustosa Marketing is using to support its advisory work.

The bottom line: - The report's core claim is simple: B2B marketing often breaks because the message is weak, not because the budget is too small.