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Marketing Budgets, Staffing, and Process Metrics

How much are organizations budgeting for their marketing function, and how large are their marketing teams? How are marketing resources allocated across processes and activities, and what is the split between internal teams and external providers such as agencies or vendors? How is the marketing budget distributed across key spending categories, and which performance metrics are used to assess marketing effectiveness?

To address these questions and more, we present our Marketing Budgets, Staffing, and Process Metrics study. For a detailed overview of the study and its findings, read more below.

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Chapter 1: Executive Summary (Free Download)
Chapter 2: Composite Metrics
Chapter 3A: Mid-Large Size Organizations
Chapter 3B: Very Large Size Organizations
Chapter 4: Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Chapter 5: Financial Services
Chapter 6: Healthcare
Chapter 7: Hi-tech (SaaS)
Chapter 8: Insurance
Chapter 9: Manufacturing
Chapter 10: Media and Entertainment
Chapter 11: Retail

INTENDED AUDIENCE

For Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and marketing leaders, this study provides key metrics and objective, benchmark‑ready data to evaluate and compare their organization’s marketing function, with a focus on marketing budgets, staffing levels, and core performance metrics. This study helps organizations achieve the following outcomes:

Benchmark marketing budget levels, enabling comparisons with peer organizations within the same industry sector.
Assess and manage marketing staffing levels, including internal marketing teams as well as external resources such as agencies and vendors. The study also includes multiple marketing strategies and efficiency metrics to support workforce planning.
Evaluate key marketing performance indicators (KPIs), allowing marketing leaders to compare effectiveness, efficiency, and outcomes against industry peers.

For marketing service providers, agencies, and marketing outsourcing partners, this study offers valuable insights into current marketing budget allocations, staffing models, and outsourcing practices. It also provides visibility into how organizations leverage external marketing resources across roles, processes, and regions, offering an up‑to‑date view of market demand and delivery trends.

KEY METRICS DESCRIPTIONS

Each chapter begins with an introduction, presenting the key findings.

Section 1: Demographics

We provide a description of the survey sample’s demographics for the chapter. These include organization-size demographics such as revenue, number of employees, and revenue per employee. We continue with marketing demographics, including total marketing staff head count, revenue per marketing employee, and marketing employees per billion-dollar revenue.

Section 2: Marketing Spending Metrics

This section looks at the annual budget for the marketing function. In other words, we examine how much organizations spend to operate their marketing operations.

Marketing Function Budget as Percentage of Revenue
Marketing Function Budget per Employee
Marketing Function Budget per Marketing Employee
Projected Increase in Next Year’s Marketing Function Budget
Marketing Budget Allocation: Internal vs. Outsourced Expenses
Marketing Budget Allocation by Region
Marketing Function Budget by Line Item
Percentage of Technology Budget Spent on AI
Technology Budget Spent on Emerging Technologies as a Percentage of Revenue
Technology Budget Spent on Emerging Technologies as a Percentage of Marketing Budget
Marketing Processes as a Percentage of Marketing Function Budget
Marketing Spend Mix (Current Year)
Marketing Spend Mix (Previous Year)

Section 3: Marketing Staffing Metrics

This section provides typical staffing levels for the marketing function. It includes marketing executives, managers, and employees who are part of the internal marketing organization and operate under its day‑to‑day supervision, as well as externally employed resources such as agency staff, consultants, and contractors who contribute to the marketing function through contractual or commercial arrangements.

Marketing Personnel as a Percentage of Total Employees
Marketing Staff by Personnel Type
Percentage of Total Marketing Personnel Performing Various Marketing Subfunctions
Percentage of Internal Marketing Personnel Performing Various Marketing Subfunctions
Percentage of Outsourced/External Marketing Personnel Performing Various Marketing Subfunctions
Internal Marketing Personnel as a Percentage of Marketing Personnel by Functions
Outsourced/External Marketing Personnel as a Percentage of Marketing Personnel by Functions
Percentage of Internal Marketing Personnel by Region
Percentage of Outsourced/External Marketing Personnel by Region
Internal Marketing Personnel across Region as Percentage of Total Marketing Personnel

External Marketing Personnel across Region as Percentage of Total Marketing Personnel

Section 4: Enterprise Strategy

In this section, we present insights and benchmarks to assess how organizations are shaping their enterprise‑level marketing strategy, including operating model choices, emerging trends, key challenges, and the metrics used to measure marketing effectiveness. These are:

Top 3 Sub-Processes Where Outsourcing is Less than 25% and Retained in-house by Function
Top 5 Trends with the Most Significant Impact on Marketing Strategy
Top 3 Challenges in Marketing Operations
Top 5 KPIs to Measure Success

Section 5: Outsourcing Strategy

In this section, we examine how organizations approach marketing outsourcing, focusing on the drivers influencing outsourcing decisions, the marketing processes most commonly outsourced to service providers, and areas being considered for increased outsourcing in the future.

Top 3 Drivers for Marketing Outsourcing
Top 3 Sub-Processes Currently Outsourced to Service Providers by Function
Top 3 Areas Anticipated For Future Outsourcing
Primary Challenges in Managing Outsourced Marketing Activities
Top 3 Factors Considered When Selecting a Marketing Outsourcing Partner
Top 3 Outsourcing Models

Section 6: Marketing Technology Trends

In this section, we provide an overview of marketing technology implemented to support the marketing processes of the organization.

Top 3 CRM Systems
Top 4 Account-based Marketing Systems
Top 3 Sales Engagement Systems
Top 4 Digital Experience Systems
Top 3 Marketing Automation Systems
Top 3 Search Engine Optimization Systems
Top 4 Customer Data Platforms
Top 10 Learning and Development Systems

Appendix

The Appendix includes common terms and definitions used in our annual survey and in this study. It also includes a detailed definition for all marketing spending categories and staffing categories. The Appendix concludes with a brief discussion on the statistics used in this study.

Common Terms and Definitions
Marketing Process Definitions
Statistical Notes

CHAPTER DESCRIPTIONS

Chapter 1: Executive Summary (Free Download)

This chapter provides an overview of the key findings from the full study and describes the contents of the subsequent chapters. It also includes information on the study participants and the survey methodology.

Introduction
Key Findings
Overview of the Study Contents

Chapter 2: Composite Metrics

This chapter provides composite metrics for all survey respondents across all sectors and organization sizes. The sample includes 167 organizations and is stratified by size and sector as described in the section on survey methodology. Respondents must have at least $250 million in annual revenue. There is no upper limit on the revenue of survey respondents.

Chapter 3A and 3B: Benchmarks by Organization Size

In these chapters, we provide a complete set of benchmarks for organizations within the specified size classification. Benchmarks for midsize and large organizations are in Chapter 3A and for very large organizations in Chapter 3B. There are 144 respondents in the midsize and large organization sample and 154 in the very large organizations sample. We define the size categories as follows:

Midsize and large organizations have annual revenue of more than $250 million up to $5 billion.
Very large organizations have annual revenue of $5 billion or above.

Chapter 4: Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)

Chapter 4 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry. This industry includes a diverse set of organizations spanning food and beverages, personal care, household products, health and wellness goods, and other fast‑moving consumer products manufacturers. The 20 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $630 million to those with revenues below $82 billion.

Chapter 5: Financial Services

Chapter 5 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the financial services industry, which includes organizations that manage money and deliver solutions across banking, investment, insurance, lending, and financial technology. This industry spans commercial and investment banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, consumer finance firms, insurance providers, and other financial services institutions. The 23 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $630 million to those with revenues below $82 billion.

Chapter 6: Healthcare

Chapter 6 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the healthcare industry, which includes organizations that deliver medical care, develop and manufacture pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and support care delivery through technology and specialized services. This sector spans hospitals and health systems, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical device manufacturers, healthcare services providers, and health insurers. The 22 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $310 million to those with revenues below $310 billion.

Chapter 7: Hi-tech (SaaS)

Chapter 7 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the hi‑tech (SaaS) sector. This industry focuses specifically on Software‑as‑a‑Service (SaaS) and software product–based companies. These organizations develop, license, and deliver software solutions through cloud‑based or subscription models, serving enterprise, mid‑market, and SMB customers across industries. The 20 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $315 million to those with revenues below $35 billion.

Chapter 8: Insurance

Chapter 8 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the insurance industry. This sector includes a broad range of organizations, including life and health insurers, property and casualty carriers, reinsurance providers, and specialized insurance service firms. The 20 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $315 million to those with revenues below $35 billion.

Chapter 9: Manufacturing

Chapter 9 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the manufacturing sector. This sector includes organizations that design, produce, and distribute physical goods, spanning both discrete and process manufacturing. This report covers manufacturers operating in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, industrial equipment, and advanced manufacturing, typically serving B2B, hybrid, or global markets. The 22 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $390 million to those with revenues below $320 billion.

Chapter 10: Media and Entertainment

Chapter 10 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the media and entertainment industry. This sector includes a broad range of organizations such as film and television studios, streaming and digital media platforms, music and publishing companies, gaming and interactive entertainment firms, broadcast networks, and sports and live‑event organizations. The 20 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $390 million to those with revenues below $320 billion.

Chapter 11: Retail

Chapter 11 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the retail industry. This sector encompasses a wide array of organizations, including supermarkets, department stores, specialty retailers, e-commerce companies, wholesale outlets, convenience chains, and large multi-format retail enterprises. The 20 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $390 million to those with revenues below $320 billion.

MARKETING BENCHMARKING

Avasant Research not only publishes business process metrics. We also provide custom benchmarking services for clients.

Looking for expert assistance in evaluating your marketing budgets, staffing, and key performance metrics? Our custom benchmarking consulting service provides an in-depth assessment of your key marketing metrics against our database of peer organizations.