Mi6 Round Up | May 2025

At Mi6, we curate these round ups to deliver essential, actionable insights that matter to entrepreneurs and marketing professionals like you. We sift through the noise to bring you the strategies, trends, and innovations that can genuinely move the needle for your business.

CIPO’s Next-Gen Patent System: What Entrepreneurs Should Expect

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is preparing to launch its Next Generation Patent (NGP) system in 2025, modernizing its digital infrastructure to streamline patent filing and examination. Key updates include improved self-serve tools, real-time filing statuses, and enhanced automation. Early adoption could give businesses a competitive edge by accelerating innovation protection.

Actionable Insight: IP-focused entrepreneurs should engage with CIPO’s pre-launch resources now to optimize future filings. | Read more

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B2B Marketers Prioritize Customer Marketing Amid Budget Constraints

According to recent data, B2B marketers are doubling down on customer marketing and retention, citing tighter budgets and longer sales cycles. While 43% still favor lead generation, 35% are shifting toward deepening existing customer relationships. Account-based marketing (ABM), content personalization, and customer success initiatives are gaining traction as scalable strategies.

Actionable Insight: To maximize ROI in lean times, marketers should reallocate spend toward retention and lifecycle marketing tactics that deepen engagement. | Read more

LinkedIn Tops B2B Ad Spend as Marketers Embrace Platform’s ROI

LinkedIn has emerged as the dominant platform for B2B digital ad spending, with 84% of marketers allocating budgets to it—far ahead of Facebook (67%) and YouTube (44%). The platform’s targeting capabilities and strong ROI perception make it the preferred choice for B2B lead generation and brand visibility. Notably, 60% plan to increase LinkedIn spend in 2025.

Actionable Insight: B2B marketers should prioritize LinkedIn for high-intent lead targeting and leverage its analytics to refine ad performance. | Read more

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CMOs Report Expanded Influence, but ROI Pressure and Cross-Functional Hurdles Persist

CMOs say marketing’s role has moderately broadened over the past five years, especially in service-oriented businesses, with a notable rise in internal collaboration—particularly with Sales and IT. However, over one-third struggle to gain cross-functional support for new investments, and 64% cite proving marketing’s financial impact as their top challenge.

Actionable Insight: CMOs should invest in analytics that link marketing to revenue and build stronger cases for strategic buy-in across departments. | Read more

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SMBs Prioritize Marketing Outsourcing Amid AI and Time Pressures

With 70% of U.S. SMBs planning to increase outsourcing in 2025, marketing tops the list alongside AI and tech services. Labor-intensive creative marketing tasks are often delayed, pushing SMBs to seek external support. Key drivers include cost-efficiency (65%), quality (50%), and strategic alignment (46%). AI tools, data analytics, and cybersecurity rank as the most critical technologies for growth.

Actionable Insight: Agencies and consultants should tailor scalable, AI-integrated marketing solutions to meet SMBs’ growing outsourcing demand. | Read more