Caroline Wiemann, Head of Marketing for Asia Pacific at ON24, talks to The Ortus Club about her transition into tech marketing, how B2B buying behaviour has evolved, and why marketers need to rethink traditional playbooks in an AI-driven world. From the rise of the “hidden buyer” to the growing role of hybrid events and first-party intent data, Caroline argues that successful marketing today requires a balance between measurable outcomes, personalisation, and continuous experimentation.
For Caroline, modern marketing leaders are increasingly expected to do more with less while still driving growth. As buying committees become harder to influence and digital behaviour continues to shift, marketers must stay agile without abandoning the fundamentals that have always mattered: understanding customers, building trust, and aligning closely with business outcomes.
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Executive Summary: Key Takeaways
- The Challenge of the Hidden Buyer: According to the Edelman report referenced by Caroline, over 50% of B2B buyers are hidden from direct view, while 71% may never interact with a sales representative, requiring marketers to rethink how they influence decision-makers.
- The Hybrid Event Model: Rather than relying only on large-scale brand moments, marketers are increasingly shifting towards more personalised, hybrid experiences that combine digital and face-to-face engagement.
- The Power of First-Party Data: Understanding how buyers consume content, which channels they prefer, and what formats they engage with enables more personalised customer journeys and stronger long-term engagement.
- The 60/40 Marketing Rule: While traditional marketing fundamentals still matter, marketers must continue experimenting and adapting as AI and changing buyer behaviour reshape the landscape.
- Why Fundamentals Still Matter: Even as technology evolves, the core principles of marketing, understanding customers, building trust, and the Four Ps remain unchanged.
How do you target and influence a buying committee you cannot see?
Caroline details the operational challenges of navigating the modern B2B “hidden buyer” landscape.
“The market we operate in has completely transformed. A lot of us marketers are under scrutiny to do more with less while still driving business growth and balancing the fine act between brand versus demand. The way people search is different, our buyers are different, and AI has completely changed the game.
One of the biggest challenges today is what Edelman refers to as the ‘hidden buyer’. Over 50% of buyers are hidden within the buying committee, and many of them significantly influence purchasing decisions without directly engaging with vendors. Forty percent of these hidden buyers can block deals from progressing, while 71% will never even interact with a sales representative. Fundamentally, this changes how marketers need to go to market and influence people they cannot physically see.”
Why are marketers shifting away from large-scale brand events?
Moving beyond one-size-fits-all event strategies, Caroline explains why marketers are increasingly investing in smaller, more targeted experiences.
“If you look at broader industry trends, we are moving away from large-scale brand moments and into an era where ABM personalisation is no longer a nice-to-have, it is a must. Budgets are not necessarily getting bigger, so marketers have to focus on creating measurable impact.
People do not have the time to attend three events a week, and buyers today are far more diverse in how they prefer to engage. For teams operating across Asia Pacific, scaling purely face-to-face events is not always feasible.
What we are seeing now is marketers increasingly pivoting towards digital roadshows and hybrid motions. At ON24, we took our global digital event and created smaller, regional roadshows for targeted accounts and customers. Some people prefer face-to-face interaction, while others prefer virtual experiences, so it is about making sure both elements work together.”
How do first-party intent signals improve B2B engagement?
Caroline explains why understanding how buyers consume content is becoming one of the strongest advantages for marketers.
“For us, successful engagement comes from understanding our own first-party engagement data. It is really looking at buyers and asking: what content are they consuming, how are they consuming it, and through which channels? Different audiences engage differently. You have younger buyers entering the workforce who may prefer short-form content, while others may prefer more in-depth formats. One-size-fits-all no longer works.
A tactic that I have found really effective is adopting a hybrid approach to engagement and looking at how you can create long-tail impact beyond a one-time event. Rather than simply ending engagement there, marketers should think about how digital experiences and AI can help extend value over time. Ultimately, success still needs to align with core business objectives. If marketing KPIs are not aligned with sales, then that is a fundamental problem. Whether it is pipeline, customer retention, upsell, or revenue growth, marketing has to support measurable business outcomes.”
Why does AI mean marketers can no longer simply “follow the playbook”?
Challenging traditional leadership advice, Caroline explains why marketers must continue adapting to rapid change.
“A piece of traditional advice that does not necessarily apply today is simply to ‘follow the playbook’. Best practices are not always the best practice anymore. What worked a year ago in SEO and SEM may not work today. AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) have completely changed how people search and how we produce content.
That said, I still think around 60% of traditional best practices remain relevant. But there is another 40% where marketers need to constantly create, iterate, and experiment with new ways to go to market.”
What career advice would you give to aspiring marketers?
Reflecting on her own journey into tech, Caroline shares practical advice for marketers starting out.
“I fell into tech after starting my career in FMCG, and one of the biggest lessons I learned is to say yes to opportunities. Learn every facet of marketing, whether it is demand generation, digital, field marketing, or partner strategy. Find leaders who inspire and invest in your growth. When you go into interviews, remember that you are interviewing the organisation just as much as they are interviewing you.
Most importantly: fail fast and learn quickly. No product evolves perfectly from the first ideation. We are working in an industry that changes rapidly, and if you are not testing, learning, and adapting, you will struggle to keep pace.”
What does the future of marketing look like in an AI-driven world?
In a final reflection, Caroline explains why changing technology does not mean abandoning core marketing principles.
“I do not have a crystal ball to predict the next five years of marketing because things are changing incredibly quickly. Buyers are evolving, how they consume content is evolving, and AI will continue shaping the landscape. We are already seeing B2B marketers adopt approaches that traditionally belonged to B2C. But while tactics continue to change, the fundamentals remain the same.
You still need to understand your customer, solve a pain point, build trust, and make sure your product reaches the market effectively. At its core, it still comes back to the Four Ps: Product, Place, Price, and Promotion. The tactics may evolve, but the fundamentals will always remain.”
Join the Conversation: The Ortus Club’s Executive Network
Across Caroline’s insights on hidden buyers, hybrid engagement, first-party intent data, and marketing experimentation, one thing becomes clear: modern B2B marketing is becoming more complex, not less.
Marketing leaders today must balance measurable outcomes with personalisation, adapt to changing buyer behaviour, and continuously rethink how they go to market in an increasingly AI-driven environment.
At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables that bring together senior leaders navigating these exact challenges. Step away from fragmented dashboards and day-to-day execution to engage in meaningful conversations with peers shaping the future of enterprise growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is the “hidden buyer” in B2B marketing?
A: A hidden buyer is an internal stakeholder who influences purchasing decisions but may never directly interact with a vendor or sales representative.
Q: Why are hybrid events becoming more important in B2B marketing?
A: Hybrid events allow marketers to combine the relationship-building benefits of face-to-face engagement with the scalability and accessibility of digital experiences.
Q: What is first-party intent data?
A: First-party intent data refers to behavioural insights collected directly from customer interactions, such as webinar participation, content engagement, and digital activity.
Q: Why are AI and LLMs changing marketing strategies?
A: AI is changing how buyers search for information and discover brands, forcing marketers to rethink traditional content, SEO, and engagement strategies.
Q: What is Caroline Wiemann’s 60/40 marketing principle?
A: Caroline believes that while much of traditional marketing still applies, marketers should dedicate meaningful effort to experimentation and adaptation as buyer behaviour evolves.
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