The “enslopification” of B2B marketing is here
There’s a phenomenon happening in advertising and marketing . If you’ve been on LinkedIn lately, you’ve experienced it in the endless scroll of bland thought leadership posts. Your inbox is filled with decks and documents that your coworkers and vendors are churning out, expecting you to decipher. The verbose, garishly-designed, and ultimately meaningless content you now have to wade through…
The phrase "enslopification" has emerged in the world of B2B marketing. It describes the current trend of content becoming repetitive, AI-generated, and lacking depth. If you've spent time on LinkedIn recently, you may have noticed endless streams of bland thought leadership posts. Your inbox is likely filled with overly designed decks and documents meant to be deciphered by coworkers and vendors.
This phenomenon is a variation of Cory Doctorow's term "enshittification," which refers to the decay of digital platforms due to their focus on profit over user experience. In the case of B2B marketing, "enslopification" occurs when content trends toward AI-generated, meaninglesssimilarities due to frictionless content creation.
The AI effect is evident in the market, where marketers are pushing out cheap, identical noise instead of sharing unique insights. Audiences can feel the difference between genuine opinions and AI-generated content, even when they can't quite pinpoint it. This is a significant threat to B2B marketing and small agencies that rely on AI to work faster with fewer resources.
To combat this issue, the industry needs to adopt five principles. Firstly, share a clear point of view that only your brand can provide. AI-generated content tends to appeal to everyone, but B2B buyers are looking for interpretation and real, firsthand stories they can relate to. Secondly, develop content that captures attention through brief, visual, and conversational formats.
Modern buyers are overwhelmed with information and crave instant value. Thirdly, build trust from the start by ensuring every touchpoint is substantive and genuine. Show your work, share real examples, and let your experts express opinions. Fourthly, ensure human judgment is present behind the machine. While AI can provide helpful outputs, it can also create wordy and unconvincing content.
Finally, build community rather than just a lead list. Connection with customers is vital, whether through customer advisory boards or regular meetings. By implementing these principles, the B2B marketing industry can resist the tide of "enslopification" and provide valuable, authentic content that resonates with buyers.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
