AI is moving deeper into media buying and budget allocation, helping marketers put more of their spending into what’s working. By John Premkumar Published on August 17, 2026 AI is giving marketers more ways to change where money goes while a campaign is still running. Media bids, creative, targeting, channel mix, and budget … Continue reading The next AI opportunity is deciding where to spend
August 11, 2026 Marketing isn’t a cost center anymore BY Keith Turco For most of its history, marketing lived on the expense side of the ledger. It was the function that built awareness and made the company look good. Its budget was treated accordingly: nice to have, first to cut, hard to defend in a downturn. … Continue reading Marketing isn’t a cost center anymore
AI is accelerating marketing production, but most teams still measure clicks instead of business outcomes, limiting their ability to prove AI’s impact. By Constantine von Hoffman Published on July 31, 2026 AI is speeding up marketing production. Measurement hasn’t kept pace. Marketers are 68% more likely to measure email and landing page performance … Continue reading AI speeds marketing production, but measurement lags
Stronger modeling and disciplined measurement help marketing earn credibility where it matters most. Shiv Gupta on November 19, 2025 Marketing leaders often find themselves in a constant struggle. Expected to drive growth, build brands and shape customer experience, they face ongoing scrutiny from CFOs and boards who want to know, “What’s the return?” Even … Continue reading The real reason marketing budgets get cut — and how to stop it
Don’t let dysfunctions hold back your marketing efforts. Master soft skills to build a thriving, future-ready team. Mark Ogne on January 30, 2025 Marketing teams are facing a growing challenge: despite being packed with talented experts who excel at hard skills like data analysis and campaign management, they’re struggling to stay competitive. The problem … Continue reading How soft skills solve marketing’s biggest challenges
Shrinking budgets aren’t a crisis but an opportunity to reimagine marketing. See how smart CMOs cut bloat and drive revenue. Gene De Libero on January 14, 2025 Let’s be honest: seeing Gartner’s latest CMO spending report probably made your stomach drop. Marketing budgets are down 15% year-over-year. Only 24% of CMOs feel confident about … Continue reading Stop defending your marketing budget — start proving its value
Gartner survey finds technology getting 23.8% of marketing budget this year, down from 25.4% in 2023. Paid media jumped from 25.6% to 27.9%. Constantine von Hoffman on May 13, 2024 Marketing technology’s percentage of marketing budgets fell to 23.8% this year, down from about 25.4% in 2023, according to Gartner’s 2024 CMO Spend Survey. Spending … Continue reading Martech cut of budget falls to lowest level in 10 years
Insights on appointing a budget lead, prioritizing impactful initiatives and maintaining flexibility for optimal marketing results. Justin Sharaf on December 5, 2023 Creating the annual marketing budget is notoriously challenging. Trying to justify every line item to finance teams that don’t understand marketing can be frustrating and overwhelming. This article explores practical tips for navigating the … Continue reading 3 tips to tackle the annual marketing budget challenge
Marketer optimism is way up from this spring, even though ad spend and marketing budgets are down. Constantine von Hoffman on October 16, 2023 Marketers are feeling much more optimistic this quarter, according to the CMO Survey from Deloitte. Nearly half (49%) reported feeling “more optimistic” about the U.S. economy, up from 30.1% in the … Continue reading Marketers more optimistic even as budgets fall
With many organizations facing budget cuts, marketers are focusing on social media to connect with consumers. Unfortunately, they prefer email. Chris Wood on September 26, 2023 Two-thirds of marketers are facing reduced budgets in the second half of the year, according to new research from email management software company Exclaimer. Also, many marketers are out … Continue reading Two-thirds of marketers report mid-year budget cuts
