Marketing budgets average 7.8% of company revenue in 2026 (Gartner CMO Spend Survey)
Verified Confidence: high
Primary source found; it says the same thing, the scope matches, and it is reasonably current.
- Commonly cited as
- "What percent of revenue should go to marketing?" / "Marketing budgets are 7.7% of revenue"
- True origin
- Gartner — Gartner 2026 CMO Spend Survey (press release, May 11, 2026)
- Type
- Reference fact: A frequently needed number or rule taken directly from a primary source (e.g. Pew, Census, IAB/PwC, FTC), with its as-of date.
- Year
- 2026
- Data as of
- Survey fielded Jan.–March 2026
- Last checked
- What the source says
Marketing budgets remain effectively flat, rising only slightly to 7.8% of company revenue in 2026 from 7.7% in 2025.
- Method & sample
- Survey of 401 CMOs and marketing leaders in North America, the UK and Europe, Jan.–March 2026; the vast majority from companies with over $1 billion in revenue.
- Drift between quote and source
- Population: mostly $1B+ companies, so not a benchmark for small businesses
- Interest
- Gartner sells research and advisory services to marketing leaders.
Safe rephrasing
Gartner's 2026 CMO Spend Survey (401 leaders, mostly at $1B+ companies) found marketing budgets averaged 7.8% of company revenue, up from 7.7% in 2025.
Sources we opened
Machine-readable: /api/claims/gartner-marketing-budget-7-8-percent-revenue-2026.json · Last checked 2026-10-16