How much should a company actually invest in marketing in 2026? It’s a million dollar question and marketing leaders all over the world are fighting that battle with their CEOs and CFOs as we speak.

Just like anything with marketing, it’s never a black and white answer. The answer mostly goes.. It depends..

Recent Gartner research shows that nearly 60% of CMOs say their budgets are insufficient to execute their 2025 strategies, even as marketing spend holds steady at around 7.7% of company revenue. This gap is forcing leaders to rethink not just how much they invest, but where and why.

So how much should you be investing in marketing in 2026?

Should it be tied directly to a percentage of revenue, or shaped around company priorities and long-term growth goals? The reality is – there’s truth in both approaches. Watch this session to learn how much you should really be spending on marketing in 2026?

We discussed with marketing leaders as well as finance executives about marketing spend in 2026 - how to identify biggest impact drivers for your business model, how to find efficiencies based on performance data, how to select appropriate channels and build the right team.