How Marketers are Spending Their Money in 2026

"Marketing budgets aren't collapsing in 2026, but they are making a shift. That's the part many teams miss. That distinction matters. Rising media costs, weaker attribution, privacy changes, and AI-driven search shifts have created real pressure, but the data shows budgets are still moving into marketing. They're just moving with more intent. Our latest NP Digital research on how marketers are spending their money in 2026 shows a clear pattern: teams are reallocating toward channels that defend ROI, compound value, and hold up under volatility."

"Marketing budgets in 2026 are not shrinking. They're being consolidated around confidence, efficiency, and defensibility. Channels tied directly to conversion, retention, and owned data are absorbing spend, while those with declining signal quality or unclear ROI are losing ground. SEO and content are not disappearing, but expectations have shifted toward extractability, authority, and measurable downstream impact. Paid media still plays a critical role, but marginal efficiency now determines where dollars stay or move."

Marketing budgets in 2026 are reallocating rather than shrinking, prioritizing channels that deliver measurable ROI, defend value, and compound over time. Rising media costs, weakened attribution, privacy-driven data loss, and AI-driven search changes are increasing pressure on efficiency and measurement. Spend is shifting toward conversion-focused channels, retention initiatives, owned data, SEO and content when extractable and authoritative, and paid media that demonstrates marginal efficiency. Channels with unclear signals or declining measurable impact are losing budget. Teams that reallocate quickly based on real performance signals gain structural advantage under ongoing volatility.

Read at Neil Patel