Avasant Distinguished Analysts and Fellows

Get actionable insights from practitioners

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.

DOWNLOAD OR PURCHASE NOW

Clients: Download from the chapter links below.
Not a client? Click here to get access.
Want to see more first? Download Chapter 1, free.

PURCHASE/DOWNLOAD BY INDUSTRY OR ORGANIZATION SIZE

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 Subprocesses 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 Subprocesses 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 4 CRM Systems

Top 4 Account-based Marketing Systems

Top 4 Sales Engagement Systems

Top 4 Digital Experience Systems

Top 4 Marketing Automation Systems

Top 4 Search Engine Optimization Systems

Top 4 Customer Data Platforms

Top 4 E-Commerce Platforms

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 188 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 101 respondents in the midsize and large organization sample and 87 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 4A and 4B: Benchmarks by Organization Location

In these chapters, we provide a complete set of benchmarks for organizations based on geographic location. Benchmarks for US organizations are presented in Chapter 4A and for European organizations in Chapter 4B. There are 106 respondents in the North American organization sample and 77 in the European organization sample. We define the location categories as follows:

US organizations are organizations headquartered in the United States.
European organizations are organizations headquartered in Europe.

Chapter 5: Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)

Chapter 5 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry, which includes organizations that manufacture, market, and distribute fast-moving goods such as food and beverage, personal care, household products, and other everyday consumer essentials. This industry spans global brands, regional manufacturers, private-label producers, and emerging direct-to-consumer CPG players. The 23 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $550 million to those with revenues below $110 billion.

Chapter 6: Financial Services

Chapter 6 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 26 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $630 million to those with revenues below $182 billion.

Chapter 7: Healthcare

Chapter 7 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 25 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 8: High-tech (SaaS)

Chapter 8 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the high-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 22 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: Insurance

Chapter 9 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the insurance industry, which includes organizations that provide risk management solutions across life, health, property, casualty, and specialty insurance segments. This industry spans life insurers, health insurance providers, property and casualty carriers, reinsurance firms, and other insurance service organizations. The 22 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $745 million to those with annual revenue below $450 million.

Chapter 10: Manufacturing

Chapter 10 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the manufacturing industry, covering organizations that design, produce, and distribute physical goods across discrete, process, and hybrid environments. This includes industrial manufacturers, automotive and aerospace firms, electronics and machinery producers, chemical and materials companies, and consumer and business goods manufacturers. The 24 respondents in this sector vary widely in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $400 million to those with revenues below $320 billion.

Chapter 11: Media and Entertainment

Chapter 11 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the media and entertainment industry, including organizations that create, produce, and distribute content across television, film, digital media, music, gaming, and publishing. This industry spans broadcasters, streaming platforms, film studios, production companies, music labels, gaming firms, and other media and entertainment organizations. The 22 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $1.2 billion to those with revenues below $95 billion.

Chapter 12: Retail

Chapter 12 provides comprehensive benchmarks for marketing function metrics in the retail industry, which includes organizations that sell goods and services directly to consumers through physical stores, e-commerce platforms, and omnichannel models. This industry spans general merchandise retailers, specialty stores, apparel and footwear brands, grocery chains, big box retailers, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies. The 24 respondents in this sector vary significantly in scale, ranging from organizations with annual revenue exceeding $820 million to those with revenues below $720 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.