In the first half of 2026, the marketing industry experienced significant transformation. Artificial intelligence continued to demand substantial investment, putting chief marketing officers (CMOs) under greater pressure to balance output and cost control. Meanwhile, sports and social media remained effective and prominent consumer touchpoints.

The following is a compilation by Marketing Dive of the most impactful and relevant data for marketers in the first half of 2026.

▶ Doing more with less

1.3%

The growth rate of marketing budgets in 2026 compared to 2025 marks the first positive increase since 2022.

In 2026, marketing budgets averaged 7.8% of company revenue, down from 11% in 2020.(Gartner)

Despite relatively stable budgets, rising costs mean marketers still need to accomplish more with fewer resources. Paid media spending has grown 12.5% over the past two years and now accounts for 31.4% of budgets.(Gartner)

Marketing personnel spending rose year over year, with people-related budget share increasing from 21.9% in 2025 to 24.5%. 56% of marketers plan to increase investment in usage-based marketing technology (martech) models, despite some impact on financial stability. However, overall martech budget share fell from 22.4% in 2025 to 19.4% in 2026. Agency spending also declined from 20.7% in 2025 to 19.2% in 2026.(Gartner)

CEO expectations for marketing departments are also rising, with 94% of CMOs saying expectations have increased significantly over the past two years, driven primarily by AI-related demands.(BCG)

▶ AI's reckoning

63%

As of 2026, the share of long-term brand building contributing to large language model (LLM) visibility.

As consumers increasingly use and become familiar with AI, marketers need to ensure they maintain an advantage in the evolving search and discovery landscape. LLM visibility is primarily supported by long-term brand building, with marketing spend driving only 22% of visibility.(WARC)

AI is changing how the marketing industry operates. In 2026, nearly 100% of CMOs said AI is transforming their work, 42% acknowledged using generative AI to assist with human tasks, and only 8% said they have run marketing campaigns involving multiple autonomous agents.(BCG)

An average of 15.3% of marketing budgets is allocated to AI, with 70% of CMOs saying the technology is their top priority.(Gartner)

▶ The creator revolution

67%

The share of consumers who made a purchase in 2026 due to an influencer recommendation.

In 2026, influencers remained a product discovery channel for many consumers. The share of consumers purchasing due to influencer recommendations rose to 73% among millennials and reached 81% among Gen Z.(Sprout Social)

One-third of consumers discover new products through creators at least once a month, and 22% discover new products weekly.(Sprout Social)

In terms of social media following behavior, only 17% of users check an account's follower count before deciding whether to follow. 47% of users consider content topics as the primary factor, while 29% view brand collaborations as the top consideration.(Sprout Social)

Consumers are more inclined to discover products through small and mid-sized influencers, with 36% citing this as the main reason for following such accounts, compared to 32% who follow high-follower head influencers for product discovery.(Sprout Social)

▶ Sports viewership surge

Double-digit growth

The growth rate in viewership for sports such as racing, basketball, hockey, and golf in 2026.

Expansion of broadcast and digital channels drove viewership growth across multiple sports this year, with racing up 44%, basketball up 27%, and golf up 12%.(Nielsen)

NHL regular-season viewership rose 25% year over year, averaging 540,000 viewers per game. The league's TikTok following grew 83% during the 2025-2026 season. The Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) attracted approximately 133,000 viewers for its first national television broadcast on March 28, with 45% being women aged 18 and older.(Nielsen)

Hockey's popularity is primarily driven by cultural relevance. Both the men's and women's hockey teams won gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, boosting attention to hockey. Additionally, hockey-themed programs such as HBO's "Heated Rivalry" and Prime Video's "Off Campus" achieved notable viewership success, further fueling interest in the sport.

▶ The programmatic landscape

47.5%

The share of connected TV (CTV) in advertising spending in Q1 2026.

In Q1 2026, CTV captured the largest share of advertising spending, with online video following at 42.3% and mobile at 8.2% in third place.(ANA)

Entering 2026, ad-supported TV accounted for 63.8% of viewing time among consumers aged 18-49. Of that, 66.7% of viewing time was spent on streaming, with 81.1% of streaming time on ad-supported tiers of platforms like YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Paramount+. The remaining ad-supported streaming time was spent on free ad-supported TV platforms like Tubi.(Nielsen)

Linear TV accounted for 33.4% of ad-supported TV viewing time among those aged 18-49, driven primarily by live sports and news. Cable series and movies also remained significant sources of linear TV viewing.(Nielsen)