[Research Round-Up] The Latest Edition of “The CMO Survey” and a New Survey by EMARKETER

 (This month’s Analysis Spherical-Up options the Spring 2025 version of “The CMO Survey” and a brand new survey of senior B2B entrepreneurs by EMARKETER, in affiliation with StackAdapt.)

Spring 2025 Edition of “The CMO Survey”

Supply:  “The CMO Survey”

• A survey of 281 advertising and marketing leaders at U.S. for-profit corporations
• 99% of the respondents have been VP-level or above
• 58.4% of the respondents have been with B2B corporations
• The survey was within the area January 21 – February 12, 2025

“The CMO Survey” has been carried out semi-annually since 2008. It is directed by Dr. Christine Moorman and sponsored by Deloitte, Duke College’s Fuqua Faculty of Enterprise, and the American Advertising Affiliation.

For a number of years, every version of the survey has requested individuals about general financial circumstances, present advertising and marketing spending patterns, and future spending expectations. Listed below are a number of the findings on these matters from the Spring 2025 survey.

Financial Outlook

The Spring 2025 survey discovered that advertising and marketing leaders have been much less optimistic concerning the economic system than a yr earlier. The survey requested individuals to charge their optimism relating to the general U.S. economic system on a 100-point scale, with “0” being the least optimistic, and “100” being probably the most optimistic. The imply ranking given by respondents was 62.2, down from 67.0 within the Spring 2024 survey.

The survey additionally requested if individuals have been kind of optimistic concerning the U.S. economic system in comparison with the earlier quarter, and solely 31.2% of the respondents reported being extra optimistic. That was down considerably from 43.7% within the Spring 2024 survey.

In the meantime, 48.2% of the respondents within the Spring 2025 survey mentioned they have been much less optimistic concerning the U.S. economic system in comparison with the earlier quarter. That was up from solely 25.3% within the Spring 2024 survey.

Advertising Spending

Within the Spring 2025 survey, respondents reported that advertising and marketing spending represented 9.4% of complete firm income, which was up from 7.7% within the Spring 2024 survey. Respondents additionally mentioned that general advertising and marketing spending elevated 3.3% over the 12 months previous the survey, they usually anticipated spending to extend 8.9% over the 12 months following the survey.

The relative change in spending on digital advertising and marketing vs. conventional promoting stays vital. Within the Spring 2025 survey, respondents reported that spending on digital advertising and marketing grew 7.3% over the prior 12 months. In distinction, respondents mentioned they anticipate spending on conventional promoting to lower by 0.3% over the 12 months following the survey.

Advertising’s Function within the Group Has Grown . . .

The Spring 2025 survey requested individuals how advertising and marketing’s position of their group had modified over the earlier 5 years. The survey requested individuals to charge the quantity and course of change utilizing a numerical scale starting from -7 (considerably narrowed) to +7 (considerably broadened). The imply worth given by respondents was 3.2, which signifies that advertising and marketing’s position has expanded considerably.

However So Has the Strain to Show the Worth of Advertising

Sixty-one % (61%) of the respondents within the Spring 2025 survey mentioned they felt stress from their CEO to show the worth of selling. That was up from 51% within the Fall 2023 version of the survey. Sixty-three % (63%) of the Spring 2025 respondents reported feeling the identical sort of stress from their CFO, and that was up from 52% within the Fall 2023 version of the survey.

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As at all times, “The CMO Survey” accommodates a wealth of priceless insights, and I encourage you to assessment the total report.

“B2B Marketing Makes Room for Brand in Budgets and Strategies” by EMARKETER in
partnership with StackAdapt 

Supply:  EMARKETER

• Primarily based on a survey of 110 B2B enterprise govt advertising and marketing professionals in North America
• 6.4% of respondents have been CEOs, presidents, or founders, 14.5% have been C-level executives, and 79.1% have been govt vice presidents, senior vice presidents, or vice presidents
• The survey was carried out throughout March 2025

The first goal of this analysis was to higher perceive how B2B entrepreneurs are allocating budgets between efficiency and model advertising and marketing, the place they plan to take a position subsequent, and what boundaries exist to extra model funding.

Listed below are a number of the main findings from the survey.

Model and Efficiency Advertising

Over half of the survey respondents (58.2%) mentioned they commit at the least half of their advertising and marketing funds to steer technology, with paid search and paid social being the highest two lead technology channels.

Nonetheless, 40% of the respondents mentioned they anticipate to extend their brand-building budgets within the 12 months following the survey. As well as, 45.5% mentioned that if funds weren’t a constraint, they’d allocate greater than half their advertising and marketing spend to model initiatives.

The Measurement Problem

Sixty-three % (63%) of the respondents agreed that model is a important long-term play, however they battle to quantify its influence. When survey individuals have been requested what challenges have been stopping them from growing funding in model advertising and marketing, “proving ROI” was the highest barrier recognized. 

As well as, over a 3rd of the survey respondents (35.5%) mentioned they anticipate to face better stress to exhibit ROI in actual time over the 12 months following the survey.