Your ABM Shouldn’t Look the Same in 2026

There’s a leaner way to engage your target companies (plus: CTV WARS among the big platforms!)

Author

Sean Nowlin
January 09, 2026

There’s no need to pay big money for fancy martech platforms if your ABM campaigns don’t have the right traction. The theory of ABM – focusing your efforts on your best potential customers – is great, but I’ve seen a ton of teams without the resources or knowledge to make the most of their investments. 

ABM can absolutely work in 2026, and it can work for smaller budgets – and in the rest of this edition, you’ll learn more about industry benchmarks and how to get traction for your business.

On another note: if you need evidence that CTV is gaining momentum, check out the news from advertising’s biggest platforms below.

Quick Hits

How Pinterest’s Big Acquisition Could Shake up CTV — Mike Shields at Next In Media takes a clear-eyed look at the reasoning behind Pinterest’s acquisition of tvScientific.

IG for TV App Lets You Watch Reels Videos on the Big Screen — From Variety, a look at the consumer appetite that persuaded Instagram to bring Reels to the Amazon Fire suite of devices.

YouTube Creators Turn Entrepreneurs on Growth in Vernacular, CTV — Even if you’re not playing in the India market, YouTube’s December India Culture and Trends Report is a bit of a canary in a coal mine: connected TVs are YouTube’s fastest-growing surface, and both creators and advertisers are flocking.

Yours truly - MarTech

Having fun with Nana Banana Pro. “Working on laptop while watching TV.”

I’ve mentioned CTV as a great option for marketers leaning into ABM, and reactions usually range from “I hadn’t thought of that,” to “How would you make that work?” There’s a huge B2B opportunity on CTV (still!) since most brands are focused on more DR channels. 

In my latest for MarTech, I lay out the use cases, cross-channel measurement, and audience shaping to help you gain transformative mindshare with your ICP with great CTV campaigns.

James Hickey - DemandGen Report

If you want to get more grounded in what your competitors are doing in ABM (and where they’re underinvesting and leaving you room to engage your ICP), check out DemandGen Report’s ABM benchmark survey. 

DGR’s report has, among other great nuggets, fantastic insights on where and why B2B marketing teams are struggling to get the most out of their ABM investments. I highly recommend the download.

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