10Fold Reveals 2025 U.S. Marketing Budgets Research: Bigger Budgets, Flat KPIs

U.S. CMOs rethink strategy as AI influences 82% of hiring decisions, signaling a shift toward smarter, tech-driven growth

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--10Fold, a leading business-to-business (B2B) Deep Tech integrated PR and digital communications agency, today released the 2025 U.S. Marketing Budgets Update: The CMO Wake-Up Call report. The findings reveal a shifting landscape for B2B marketers— where AI-fueled transformation is redefining how marketing leaders spend budget on programs, hire staff and agencies, and evaluate ROI.

The new data, based on research commissioned to Sapio Research, collects information from 125 U.S.-based B2B marketing executives. Based on the market changes, 10Fold updated U.S. data and expanded on concepts introduced in 10Fold’s 2024 Marketing Spend Strategy report.

Bigger Budgets Don’t Translate to Higher KPIs

While 56% of companies reported an increase in their marketing budgets in 2025, the increases were modest —typically under 20%. At the same time, only 47% of marketers raised KPI goals, and a majority (52%) either kept expectations flat or lowered them. These shifts point to a marketing environment focused less on blanket growth and more on performance-based investments—particularly in emerging tools like AI and automation.

“The 2025 findings reveal a more cautious, disciplined approach to growth,” said Susan Thomas, CEO of 10Fold. “We’re seeing organizations invest in AI and automation - with the understanding that building new systems takes time to deliver accelerated KPIs. CMOs are now balancing the urgency to grow, with a disciplined approach to replacing old systems with new technology.”

AI Disrupts the Status Quo: CMOs Split on Whether It Drives Growth or Cuts

AI continues to reshape the marketing workforce and agency partnerships—but CMOs don’t always agree on a correct course of action with AI-enabled systems. According to the report, AI was cited as a reason for both increased (46%) and decreased (30%) marketing budgets, underscoring its dual role as a growth enabler and a driver of cost-cutting. Among companies leveraging AI, 42% expanded internal teams, while 27% reduced internal headcount due to efficiency gains. Agency relationships were similarly impacted, with 42% reporting increased agency spend attributed to AI.

Enterprise software companies led in both hiring and agency investment, with 65% increasing internal staff and 61% raising agency budgets. In the cybersecurity sector, 50% of executives said AI directly influenced 2025 marketing budget decisions. These findings reflect a broader trend: CMOs are betting on AI to optimize operations, but results vary widely depending on implementation and expectations.

Sales Tools Dominate Budgets—But Lag in ROI

Sales enablement tools were ranked the top investment priority by 77% of respondents—especially in companies with over 500 employees (84%). However, only 7% of respondents said those tools delivered high ROI, pointing to a clear disconnect between budget allocation and business impact.

In contrast, more targeted and often underfunded tactics were assessed to have a stronger bang for the buck: website predictive tools (20%), social influencer programs (17%), and content development (16%) were more cited as high-ROI activities. While sales pressures still drive much of the spend, influencer strategies and content personalization for the ideal customer profile (ICP) are quietly producing the best results.

Analyst Services Decline, Regional Events Rise

Another notable trend: marketers are pulling back from traditional brand awareness strategies. Nearly half of marketers (46%) reported zero spend on analyst programs, and 42% said the same for thought leadership programs. Instead, CMOs are doubling down on measurable, ROI-driven activities such as regional events (58%), automation tools (56%), and organic social (56%).

These shifts suggest a rebalancing of marketing strategies—away from traditional awareness plays and toward programs that drive immediate, quantifiable engagement.

Additional findings from the report include:

• LinkedIn dominates B2B marketing: 83% of respondents named LinkedIn their top platform, while only 17% favored X (formerly Twitter).
• Smaller companies take bigger risks: 59% of businesses under $10 million in revenue increased marketing spend.
• Regional events are rising: Smaller, more targeted events such as user groups and regional conferences (58%) are now prioritized over large-scale trade shows (48%).

For more complete information, including details by company size, industry and by country, download the report here.

About 10Fold

10Fold is a leading Deep Tech integrated PR and digital communications agency supporting B2B technology companies across industries such as cybersecurity, AI, big data, and enterprise software. With a proven track record of helping emerging and established brands drive awareness, engagement, and revenue, 10Fold delivers award-winning campaigns and data-driven results.