#marketing-budgets

#marketing-budgets

Marketing budgets in 2025 have stayed the same, yet expectations keep rising. CMOs report budgets stuck at roughly 7.7% of company revenue, which means teams are expected to do more with the same dollars. In that context, the most practical use of AI is not a moonshot, but a set of clear fixes to everyday bottlenecks that slow teams down and drive costs up.

Communications can no longer rely on rigid quarterly plans or static message calendars. The most resilient organizations are building what can be called "adaptive communications"-a system that continuously learns from audience signals, cultural shifts and algorithmic trends. To plan effectively, you should: Structure modular budgets that can be reallocated across earned, owned and paid channels depending on performance. Embed data interpretation into day-to-day operations so that insights directly shape messaging.

Gartner's Spend Survey shows flat marketing budgets for 2025 at 7.7% of revenue, urging CMOs to optimize every dollar amidst pressures to do more with less.