Spotlight, a Kansas City-based firm specializing in analyst relations and influence orchestration for B2B companies, has acquired Captivate Collective, a customer marketing and advocacy consultancy. The move marks Spotlight’s first strategic add-on investment and aims to create what the company describes as the market’s first end-to-end Influence Orchestration capability for B2B organizations.
The acquisition brings together Spotlight’s expertise in analyst relations and customer influence with Captivate Collective’s programs for activating customer advocates throughout the buyer journey. The combined offering is positioned to help B2B marketers manage analyst relations, customer advocacy, and influence measurement within a single, cohesive platform.
Short on time?
Here’s a quick look at what’s inside:
- What’s the story with Spotlight and Captivate Collective?
- How does this change the marketer’s toolkit?
- What’s the broader context for B2B influence marketing?
What’s the story with Spotlight and Captivate Collective?
Spotlight, known for helping B2B companies engage and measure analyst influence, has acquired Captivate Collective to expand its capabilities in customer advocacy. According to the announcement, this is Spotlight’s first add-on investment and is part of a long-term strategy to address the increasingly complex B2B buyer journey.
Captivate Collective brings experience in designing and running customer advocacy programs, enabling organizations to activate customers as credible sources of influence. The acquisition will allow both companies’ clients to access a broader set of services, including analyst relations, customer advocacy, and influence measurement. Captivate Collective will continue to operate with its existing leadership team.
Patrecia Meliana
How does this change the marketer’s toolkit?
For marketers, the combined offering means a more integrated approach to managing influence across the buyer journey. Instead of treating analyst relations, customer advocacy, and peer validation as separate efforts, B2B organizations can now access unified programs that connect these touchpoints.
Spotlight’s platform already supports peer review sourcing and win/loss research. With Captivate Collective’s expertise, marketers can expect expanded options for activating customer advocates and measuring their impact. This could help B2B teams improve their visibility in analyst research, secure more favorable mentions, and leverage customer voices more effectively in sales and marketing.
What’s the broader context for B2B influence marketing?
The acquisition reflects a broader trend in B2B marketing: the convergence of analyst relations, customer advocacy, and AI-driven discovery. As B2B buyers rely on a mix of analyst insights, peer reviews, and customer references, marketers are seeking ways to orchestrate these sources of influence more efficiently.
Spotlight operates in a competitive landscape that includes firms like ARInsights, Onalytica, and Influitive. The move to integrate customer advocacy and analyst relations aligns with ongoing trends in AI marketing automation and workflow automation, as B2B organizations look for ways to streamline influence management and improve market positioning.
Spotlight reports working with over 165 teams worldwide, including notable customers such as Adobe Commerce Cloud, SAP, Amplitude, Cisco, and UiPath. The company’s focus on innovation and technology investment suggests it will continue to develop its Influence Orchestration platform in the months ahead.
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