The news: Marketers are entering 2026 with more money and less patience for waste. Sixty percent of US small businesses plan to raise marketing spend next year, and 78% of marketers feel positive about the outlook, per Clutch. 

• Budgets are moving toward channels that produce quick returns and at lower cost as ROI expectations tighten—46% of marketers say more than half of their 2026 spend will go to digital. 
• Conversely, about one-third of marketers plan to cut TV, print, radio, or out-of-home in 2026, citing high costs, limited flexibility, and weaker attribution.

This reflects pressure to show returns amid shifting buyer behavior that makes them harder to reach, quicker to judge, and less loyal to channels, per HubSpot.

Why it’s worth watching: Marketers plan to increase investment in content marketing and SEO, digital advertising, branding and creative, and sponsorships and partnerships tied to performance, per Clutch.

Digital-heavy budgets make sense as buyers fragment across search, social, video, and marketplaces. Channels tied to intent and feedback loops could scale faster and expose waste sooner. That favors SEO, performance media, and content tied to measurable demand.

The AI factor: 61% of marketers use AI for media planning, data analysis, and personalization. However, most (83%) expect AI-driven tools to account for less than 20% of their budgets.

Conservative AI spend reveals that most marketing teams use AI tactically, not structurally. Keeping AI spend low reflects maturity as they evaluate that ever-changing landscape.

What marketers should do next: Treat 2026 as a year for discipline, not just expansion. Invest where attribution is strong, like paid search tied to conversion events, retail media with closed-loop sales data, and email with CRM programs.

In 2026, success could hinge less on bigger marketing budgets and more on the ability to prove what drives growth and quickly defund what doesn’t.

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