Marketing budgets, as a percentage of revenue, are recovering, CMO survey says
Spending on CX drops and so too does customer retention; marketing leaders aim to hire but hesitate on other marketing spend amid economic uncertainty Marketing budgets are beginning to inch up again. It’s good to see because it’s long overdue....Read More
The 10 most-read marketing, PR and comms stories on Sword and the Script in 2024
These ideas span marketing budgets, studies on tactics, and sadly, goodbye to a couple of beloved brands in marketing and PR This blog was started in 2009 as a tool for my own professional development. A long-time (but since retired)...Read More
3 recent surveys predict B2B marketing budgets will get a boost in 2025
Much of the “profit” in “profitable growth” came from the marketing budgets of tech organizations that didn’t grow this year; those in a financial position to fix this error are hastening to give their marketing team their budget back next...Read More
Do marketing budget cuts make B2B sales cycles grow longer?
When stories about budget cuts start trending, it’s only a matter of time before the stories about B2B sales cycles growing longer also emerge Do you know what happens when the B2B marketing budget gets cut? Expectations for results go...Read More
CMO spending on paid media soars at the expense of talent, tech and agencies
Gartner survey shows how B2B marketing leaders divvy up ‘anemic’ marketing budgets, which are at the lowest levels in four years If it feels like your marketing budget is tight, you are not alone. Marketing budgets are at their lowest...Read More
Financial analysts say marketing is an investment, not a cost
90% of financial analysts surveyed think marketing spend should be CapEx rather than OpEx Moving marketing off the income statement would instantly make businesses look more profitable – and then companies would think differently about marketing because it’s literally an...Read More
3 benchmarks for your B2B marketing budget as a percentage of revenue
Several credible studies conducted in 2023 put the average benchmark for B2B marketing budgets at about 10% of revenue How much money should a company invest in B2B marketing? As companies plan their budget for 2024, here’s a look at...Read More
Gartner rips CMOs over martech while business demands ‘more with less’
The tech analyst likens CMOs spending and utilization of martech to gambling with the marketing budget but the real culprit may well be short-term thinking in business CMOs are buying and implementing marketing technology (martech) that their marketing teams aren’t...Read More
Better Ways to Spend a Little Slice of the B2B Marketing Budget Designated for Display Ads
B2B marketing should take a little slice of the display ad budget and invest in media relations, genuine content marketing (not marketing content) and paid distribution of related assets from both Numbers like these from eMarketer make my head explode:...Read More
Optimism Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels Among Marketing Leaders: 5 Statistics from a Survey of CMOs
CMOs say strategies performed well during the pandemic, both prestige and budgets have grown; inclusive decision-making is a blind spot “Marketers’ overall economic optimism has rebounded beyond mid-pandemic and even pre-pandemic levels,” according to a new survey. The CMO Survey,...Read More
