Babel Barometer 2025
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Almost £4bn Tech Spend in 2025 Hinges on Trade Media and Thought Leadership

Babel’s Tech Barometer research highlights include:
  • 49% of technology buyers purchase or replace technology every two to five years
  • Tech and vertical trade media (22%) and Business trade media (22%) are the most selected channels for regularly consuming B2B business and technology news
  •  Long-form thought leadership is the most popular content format (32%) with technology buyers, followed by research-based news (30%)  and executive profile pieces (29%). 
  •  68% of technology decision-makers want consistent messaging, branding and ownership across all channels
 
London, 25 April 2024 – Specialist B2B PR and Marketing agency Babel PR has released its annual Tech Barometer research report, which breaks down the various areas of consideration for vendors trying to catch the attention of IT decision-makers in the UK and US. 
 
The research found that organisations with more than 1,000 employees are aiming to invest nearly £4bn1 in technology purchases in the next year. On average, UK businesses with over 1,000 employees are looking to invest £369,1012 while their US counterparts are spending closer to £500,0003 on technology.

WHO INFLUENCES BUYING DECISIONS

As can be expected, the job role with the most influence on purchasing decisions is the CIO / CTO, with 30 per cent of respondents saying they had the most influence. Interestingly, this is slightly higher in the US (33%) than the UK (25%).
 
However, marketers shouldn’t take their eyes off the other champions within the buying committee. According to our research, the next influential group is systems integrators or the technical team, at 29%, followed by the CEO and financial director/procurement (27%).
 
“All too often, we see marketing and communications campaigns target the C-Suite almost exclusively. While it’s important to get your message across to these key decision makers, it’s important not to forget the others in the buying committee,” says Jenny Mowat, CEO at Babel PR.
 
“Often, these management roles are the champions of buying decisions. They are the ones who will bring your solution or service to the table, with the C-Suite signing it off based on the business case. Forget these key influencers at your peril.”
 
When it comes to the B2B buying cycle for organisations with more than 1,000 employees, it is no surprise that they are long. Our data shows that 49 per cent of technology buyers only purchase or replace solutions every two to five years4. 
 
The challenge for technology vendors will be ensuring they remain front of mind throughout the buying cycle and are remembered. This is compounded by the research conducted by BBN, which shows that when someone moves into buying mode, the first search engine they use is their head. When they do this, typically only three brands will immediately come to mind, one of which they will buy from in 90 per cent of cases.
 

Which stakeholders have the most influence on choice of tech provider graph
How frequently do companies purchase or replace tech solutions graph

HOW BRANDS CAN GAIN INFLUENCE AND BE MEMORABLE

For marketing and communications professionals, it’s all about creating mental availability. Which means being in the right places all of the time. Whether that’s through demand generation campaigns that drive inbound opportunities or outbound activities that keep you top of mind.
 
Our research explored where respondents typically got their news from and what were the most important types of content that helped to influence their vendor selection.
 
Contrary to popular opinion, it wasn’t the national newspapers or broadcasters topping the list. In fact, the most selected channels for consuming B2B business and technology news were:
 
  1. Tech and vertical trade media (22%)
  2. Business trade media (22%)
  3. Industry Newsletters (21%)
  4. YouTube (20%)
  5. LinkedIn (18%)
While traditional trade media remain the key sources of information, alternative media channels, such as LinkedIn and YouTube, are becoming ever more critical to getting your brand seen and heard. Furthermore, ensuring your brand is included in newsletters is another important tactic to get your message across. 

Where do decision-makers consume B2B news from graph

Even vendor-produced newsletters were selected by 15% of respondents, which is higher than national print media and broadcast TV and radio (12%).

 

 

This might be due to the type of content B2B technology buyers are looking for, with 32% most likely to read long-form thought leadership content, 30% research-focused news and 29% executive profile pieces.

 

 

“Particularly in PR, we have seen an over-index in trying to get in the national pages. While this is certainly a great tactic for gaining mass awareness, it won’t necessarily have the business impact many expect,” says Mowat.

 

 

“Senior IT decision-makers still heavily rely on the news and features they read in trade media to inform their purchasing decisions. This is because articles in these publications convey technical insights and deep analysis of the challenges shaping the industry. It’s content written by experts, about experts, and for experts. While nationals, regionals and broadcast media are typically only looking at the “why” and the “who”, trade media naturally goes deeper into the “how”.” 

 

 

Marketers and communications experts should aim to secure a steady cadence of strong thought leadership content in the trade media if they are to influence purchasing decisions and remain front of mind for their buyers.

 

And, most importantly, this content needs to be consistent across all the channels they are distributing their messaging through – whether news articles, social posts or advertisements. Our research shows 68% of technology decision-makers want consistent messaging, branding and ownership across all channels. Mixed messages could be hurting your brand.

OUTBOUND LEADS TO QUESTIONS

As When it comes to outbound marketing, technology buyers are most likely to reach out to their network of contacts when approached by an unknown technology vendor (43%). Word of mouth remains the most popular way to validate solutions in the industry. 
 
But it’s not just the opinions of colleagues that matter. Analyst reports (42%), media commentary (42%) and the website (41%) are also popular steps a buyer would take to investigate a potentially relevant product or solution.
 
These results highlight the importance of independent, trustworthy sources in providing credibility. But these insights must be echoed and expanded upon on the company website. Helping educate and influence technology buyers on the solution and its use cases. 
 
“For marketers, the key takeaway is clear: creating consistent, memorable, and targeted messaging across multiple channels is essential to remaining relevant and impactful throughout the extended buying cycle.
 
As competition intensifies and IT decision-makers turn first to familiar brands, staying top-of-mind has never been more critical. By aligning content with the preferences of technology buyers and ensuring consistency across all touchpoints, brands can navigate the complexities of the B2B buying cycle and position themselves for long-term success in 2025 and beyond,” concludes Mowat.

When approached by a tech vendor, how do decision-makers assess their offering graph

The Babel Tech Barometer aims to help marketing and communications professionals better understand their buying audience, what influences them and how they make purchasing decisions. The research, conducted by Censuswide, surveyed over 400 respondents working for businesses with over 1,000 employees across the UK and US.

View the full report here.

 
 About Babel

Headquartered in London and with affiliates across the globe, Babel is a technology PR and integrated communications agency. Babel works with established global brands, market challengers and emerging disruptors. Clients rave about our ability to understand their business, bring strategic insights and deliver amazing results that transform their companies and personal reputations. They come to us because they know they will gain access to some of the smartest communications strategists and implementers in the business. It’s why our clients consistently rank us highly in terms of overall agency satisfaction, why staff give us high job satisfaction scores, and why journalists, analysts and other influencers are happy to speak to us. For more information, visit: www.babelpr.com   

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