17th February 2026

How B2B marketers can keep their noses ahead in the Year of the Horse

 

The Year of the Horse is often associated with speed, momentum and decisive action. A year that favours progress over waiting for everything to be perfect.

 

Whether you buy into the symbolism or not, it mirrors what many B2B marketers are experiencing right now.

In B2B tech, pace shapes how buyers engage, how teams compete, and how quickly advantage is created or lost. When momentum drops, it’s felt on both sides of the buying journey.

So what does that mean in practice? If this is a year that rewards movement, where should B2B marketers actually focus their energy? Which kinds of speed make a difference and which ones create noise?

Let’s take a look at how B2B marketing teams can take inspiration from the Year of the Horse, and what it really takes to keep your nose ahead when the tempo picks up.

 

Speed is influencing performance

In many organisations, speed has traditionally sat at the delivery end of marketing. Campaigns launch faster or slower depending on resources, approvals and process.

That view is changing.

McKinsey research shows that B2B companies able to reduce their time to value by 20% achieve, on average, a 15% uplift in marketing ROI. The pace at which value is created is starting to shape performance in its own right.

This shows up in everyday decisions. How quickly insight reaches teams. How long it takes to adjust messaging. How fast feedback loops close. Over time, those differences add up.

 

Buyer momentum plays a bigger role

The same dynamic is visible on the buying side.

Forrester’s State of Business Buying reports that 86% of B2B purchases stall at some point in the process. Progress slows, decisions pause and complexity builds.

Deals don’t always fall apart, but they lose energy.

From a marketing perspective, this places more emphasis on maintaining momentum. Engagement that helps buyers move forward tends to stay relevant longer. Engagement that adds friction often fades into the background.

In faster markets, those effects become clearer.

 

Innovation is tied to decision speed

McKinsey has found that companies using data-driven personalisation and generative AI are 1.7x more likely to grow market share than those who don’t. And a recent State of AI in B2B Marketing survey shows that B2B teams using AI are 7x more likely to exceed their organisational targets.

What these teams share is quicker access to insight. They understand what is happening in their market sooner and make decisions with more confidence.

Cylvy® supports that way of working. Silver’s AI-powered microservices for B2B marketing is designed to bring market insight, audience understanding and content performance into one place. It helps teams see where attention is being gained or lost and apply that insight directly to planning and execution.

With insight closer to action, teams can respond earlier, adjust faster and keep momentum as conditions change.

 

Where momentum tends to slow down

Despite the focus on speed, many B2B marketing teams still experience drag.

One contributing factor is misalignment between output and understanding.

Research shows that 57% of B2B marketers find it challenging to create the right content for their audience. When insight is unclear, decisions take longer. Rework increases and alignment becomes harder to maintain.

None of this is dramatic in isolation, but over time it slows progress. As expectations increase, that friction becomes more visible.

 

 

Decision quality shapes momentum

Pace on its own doesn’t sustain momentum. Decision quality plays a central role.

Research from Harvard Business School shows that data-driven organisations are 3x more likely to report significant improvements in decision-making. Clearer signals support faster alignment and more consistent execution.

Marketing leaders who stay ahead tend to invest in clarity. They benefit from shared understanding, access to insight and fewer assumptions filling the gaps. That foundation supports movement when opportunities appear.

This is where the Year of the Horse framing has value. It draws attention to readiness and the ability to act when timing matters.

 

Staying ahead this year

For B2B marketers, taking inspiration from the Year of the Horse means focusing on how insight moves through their organisation, how decisions are made, and how momentum is maintained across the buyer journey.

Teams that stay ahead tend to recognise shifts earlier. They adapt with confidence. They keep progress moving when others slow down.

In years shaped by pace, advantage is built through momentum that holds over time.

 

Silver is embracing innovation across strategy and creative to help our clients stay ahead. If you’d like to see how, let’s talk.