Informa Launches B2B AI Authority Index

As more B2B buyers use AI in their journey to purchase – with research from Forrester finding that 94% report using AI tools in their research process – brands are looking to reshape their marketing to ensure they are meaningfully showing up. 

To combat this, Informa TechTarget has announced the launch of its B2B AI Authority Index, a diagnostic tool designed to help B2B marketers assess and enhance their brand’s ability to influence buyers in their AI-enabled purchasing journeys. 

“AI has officially entered the buying group,” says Lieu Thi Pham, Vice President of Strategy-Brand and Content at Informa TechTarget. “AI systems that scan and consume multimedia content from every corner of the web are now a key persona of the B2B buying team. 

“Although certainly not the only source of information, AI’s influence on purchase decisions cannot be underestimated or ignored.”

Assessing brand strength

Informa’s B2B AI Index uses a self-assessment of 24 questions to identify the specific areas of brand strength and weakness across the areas that can determine whether AI is likely to recommend that product over a competitor’s. 

Through the questionnaire scores, Informa says that B2B marketers can identify a specific AI authority archetype from categories such as Newcomer, Contributor and Authority. 

From there, the assessment highlights areas markers can improve on, with recommended actions to close authority gaps before they have the chance to impact pipeline and revenue. 

“AI visibility is a necessity, but optimising for large language models is not enough,” says Staci Gullotta, Chief Marketing Officer of Informa TechTarget. 

“AI authority requires a much more strategic, holistic brand-building approach that resonates directly with buyers and the information sources they trust.

“B2B CMOs who make AI authority a priority – and who ensure they have the dedicated budgets, resources, and cross-functional alignment needed to achieve their goals and the right partners to help them – will drive brand preference and marketing-influenced revenue in the age of AI.”

The SIGNAL framework

According to Informa, this index has been based on the company’s SIGNAL framework, which measures brand strength across six core capabilities:

• Strategy: AI authority is owned at the CMO level with budget, KPIs and a long-term roadmap.
• Intelligence: A deep understanding of buyer research behaviour across all channels.
• Governance: Content standards, processes and technical frameworks are in place for AI discoverability.
• Narrative: The brand has a deliberate, documented plan for the topics it wants to own.
• Amplification: Recognition is systematically built through analysts, industry media and other third-party sources trusted by buyers. 
• Longevity: Ongoing investment and activity to sustain authority.

“Most marketing teams know how to optimise our owned channels,” Staci wrote on LinkedIn. “We obsess over our website, our content, our messaging. 

“But the brands that win aren’t optimising for LLMs. They’re building something LLMs can’t take away: Unmistakable authority that stands up and reverberates through every key channel, community and trusted voice that influences their buyers. 

“They're the brands whose authority is validated across multiple trusted sources. And, like it or not, if AI-powered search engines don’t include your brand among those trusted sources when they answer your buyer’s questions, you don’t exist. 

“Fixing this goes beyond adding ‘optimise for AI’ to your content checklist. It's about fundamentally rethinking where and how you build brand authority.”

Who are Informa’s key partners?

• Google Cloud: Driving data transformation across its vast intelligence network, Informa uses Google Cloud to power advanced analytics, AI and machine learning infrastructure. This collaboration helps the group to process massive datasets, optimise content delivery for Taylor & Francis readers and enhance digital audience segmentation across its global exhibition portfolio without compromising security or operational efficiency.
• Salesforce: Informa TechTarget and Salesforce maintain a technology and go-to-market partnership which focuses on integrating Informa TechTarget's purchase intent data directly into Salesforce workflows. This allows sales and marketing teams to personalise communications, streamline delegate registrations and drive higher conversion rates across international markets.
• Cisco: Cisco partners with Informa TechTarget to use data-driven market insights and help boost sales for its channel partners. The company uses Informa’s Priority Engine platform from Informa TechTarget to spot active buyers, helping channel partners prioritise high-value sales opportunities.
• Deloitte: Deloitte and Informa’s partnership focuses on global B2B events, executive networks and creative industry platforms. The two companies partner regularly to publish market intelligence reports and deliver keynote insights.