U.S. B2B marketers are dealing with a paradox: they’re spending more than anyone else, but feeling less certain about the return.
Over half (55%) of U.S. marketers reported budget increases in 2026, while 37% were asked to make cuts — most of them under 10%, according to 10Fold’s “The 2026 Marketing Budget Blueprint, Part II.” But even with the largest budgets of any region, U.S. marketers reported the lowest confidence in meeting growth targets.
That disconnect is striking. The data suggests that after aggressive investment in 2025, some marketing programs may have outpaced market demand. Leaders are now left wondering whether spend levels are truly sustainable — or if they need to recalibrate for efficiency.
U.S. marketers are betting big on brand, content and AI
Despite those doubts, U.S. marketers aren’t shying away from bold investments. They are leaning into long-term plays — especially content and brand building — which together account for 15.8% of overall spend. That’s not just a branding push; it’s likely part of a growing strategy to capture organic traffic from AI-generated search (LLMs and beyond).
Dig deeper: The future of DAM is intelligent, integrated and essential
Product marketing and lead generation are holding steady and being funded at similar levels. But the standout trend is AI. U.S. companies are leading in investment in AI tools designed to scale product marketing and research — a clear signal that automation and insight generation are now baked into growth strategies.
Still, there’s a wrinkle.
Leadership, marketing don’t always agree on AI’s payoff
Even as AI budgets grow, there’s rising tension around expectations.
In the U.S., 27% of marketing leaders believe senior leadership overestimates what AI will actually deliver in terms of financial impact and productivity gains. That disconnect isn’t unique to the U.S., but it’s more pronounced than in the UK (23%) or Germany (where most marketers — 71% — say their C-suite has a realistic view of AI’s upside).
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About the author
Constantine von Hoffman is senior editor of MarTech. A veteran journalist, Con has covered business, finance, marketing and tech for CBSNews.com, Brandweek, CMO, and Inc. He has been city editor of the Boston Herald, news producer at NPR, and has written for Harvard Business Review, Boston Magazine, Sierra, and many other publications. He has also been a professional stand-up comedian, given talks at anime and gaming conventions on everything from My Neighbor Totoro to the history of dice and boardgames, and is author of the magical realist novel John Henry the Revelator. He lives in Boston with his wife, Jennifer, and either too many or too few dogs.
