Marketing Is Driving Company Performance in 2026

Research Briefing

Marketing Profitability & Investments Research

Discover What Sets High-Growth Marketing Organizations Apart

Marketing leaders are under increasing pressure to prove ROI and deliver measurable growth and profitability from their marketing investments. To understand what separates high-growth organizations from the rest, Alexander Group surveyed 250+ marketing executives and conducted 50+ in-depth interviews. The findings show clear patterns: high-growth companies invest differently, move faster and measure more precisely than their peers.

Key Findings

Marketing Is Driving Company Performance

Marketing Investment

92%

of marketing organizations report positive ROMI (Return on Marketing Investment), with 35% achieving 2x or greater returns

Marketing Budgets

75%

of companies plan to increase marketing budgets by 6% or more in 2026; 35% expect increases above 10%

High-Growth Leaders Stand Out

of high-growth organizations are increasing their 2026 marketing budget by 10% or more

are investing in customer journey architect capabilities

are leveraging AI tools for lead scoring and predictive analytics

Investment Priorities for 2026

Top-performing organizations are prioritizing:

Over 50% of high-growth companies are:

to boost advertising effectiveness and sustain growth

Talent and Organizational Trends

55% of organizations are increasing headcount in marketing strategy, product management/marketing, and lead generation
Modern teams are closing gaps in market research, performance measurement, and emerging skills like AI/automation and customer journey architecture

Effectiveness and Alignment

High-growth organizations activate new campaigns in under 10 business days and use advanced targeting models to isolate high-potential segments
75% can launch new campaigns in two weeks or less, compared to ~50% of peers
Multi-touch attribution and data-defined targeting models are 2–5x more common among high-growth organizations

Ready to schedule an exclusive briefing?

How Marketing Leaders Should Respond

Alignment

Partner with sales to drive integrated campaign execution and shared outcomes

Targeting

Deploy data-driven models to identify buyer cohorts and accelerate growth

Resourcing

Strategically upskill marketing talent and modernize the marketing ecosystem

Market Insights

Map customer journeys and conduct voice of customer (VoC) research to inform strategy

Lead Gen

Focus on the most productive conversion sources to accelerate pipeline generation

Artificial Intelligence

Accelerate AI adoption in targeting, content, campaign performance and engagement

Schedule a Complimentary Research Briefing

An Alexander Group practice lead will share a tailored summary of findings relevant to your industry and growth objectives, including:

Exclusive access to the latest benchmarks, trends and best practices

How high-growth organizations are structuring teams, prioritizing investments and leveraging AI for commercial impact.

Benchmarks to compare your organization against industry leaders and identify actionable opportunities for improvement.

Unlock Your Marketing Growth Insights

Schedule a time to chat with Alexander Group to see how high growth teams invest, structure and leverage AI—and where your ROMI and speed-to-market can improve.