{"id":16414,"date":"2026-09-08T15:47:06","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T12:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/re7consulting.ro\/marketing-budget-for-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-09-08T15:47:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T12:47:06","slug":"marketing-budget-for-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/re7consulting.ro\/en\/marketing-budget-for-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Marketing Budget for 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u258cHow much should a company invest in marketing?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This is probably the most common question we get from entrepreneurs and marketing executives: “How much should we spend on marketing this year?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The short answer\u2014”it depends”\u2014is true, but it’s not helpful if you need to present a budget to the board or make a decision this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So let’s give a concrete answer based on data from 2026, not on assumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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\u258cHow much will companies actually spend on marketing in 2026<\/strong>?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The two most frequently cited international studies in this field\u2014the Gartner CMO Spend Survey and The CMO Survey (Deloitte, Duke University, and the American Marketing Association)\u2014provide a solid starting point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the latest Gartner report, marketing budgets reached 7.8% of revenue in 2026, slightly above the 7.7% recorded in 2025. However, the same source highlights an important point: 56% of CMOs (Chief Marketing Officers) say they do not have a sufficient budget to carry out their strategy, and half of all companies are actually operating on budgets of 6% or less\u2014the 7.8% average masks a much wider range of actual figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deloitte reports a slightly higher figure for the share of marketing in the company’s total budget (not as a percentage of revenue), which now stands at 11.4%, up from 10.1% last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key takeaway here: the \u201caverage\u201d percentage in the market matters less than your company\u2019s stage, industry, and goals. A generic percentage applied mechanically is often wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\t

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\u258cKey metric: budget as a percentage of revenue<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most commonly used calculation method remains the percentage of annual revenue. Here are the ranges confirmed by most sources for 2026: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Mature companies with a stable market: 5\u20138% of revenue, which is sufficient to maintain their market position and support current sales.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Companies experiencing active growth: 10\u201320%, to gain market share and build brand awareness.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Startups and companies in the rapid market expansion phase: 15\u201330%, sometimes even higher, because they do not yet have an existing customer base or brand recognition to build on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The SBA (Small Business Administration) recommends that small businesses with revenue under $5 million set aside 7\u20138% of their gross revenue, with a target of 10\u201312% for those seeking rapid growth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    For the local market, a study recently cited in the Romanian business press confirms the same order of magnitude: 7.7% of revenue, in line with Gartner\u2019s international average \u2014 although most small and medium-sized Romanian companies still set their budgets empirically, based on \u201cwhat\u2019s left after other expenses,\u201d rather than through a structured calculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u258cThe budget varies significantly depending on the industry<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There is no “universally applicable” percentage. The differences by industry are significant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The reason for these differences is simple: in industries with long sales cycles and fierce competition for keywords (SaaS, technology), the customer acquisition cost is much higher, and so is the budget needed to maintain a healthy pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    A budget of 1,000 euros may be sufficient for a local business but almost irrelevant in a highly competitive industry. Similarly, a budget of 10,000 euros can generate excellent results or be spent without any real impact if the strategy, message, or sales process isn\u2019t working. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In 2026, the marketing budget should be determined based on the company’s objectives, customer value, competition, and actual acquisition costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u258cWe can no longer calculate budgets using costs from a few years ago<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    One of the biggest mistakes is to start with the idea that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cThree years ago, we were getting leads for 20 lei, so we should be getting the same results now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Online advertising works largely through auction systems. Companies compete for the attention of the same users, for the same search queries, and, often, for the same audiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The more advertisers there are interested in a particular audience or keyword, the greater the pressure on costs can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That is why we track indicators such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    CPM \u2013 cost per 1,000 impressionsCPC \u2013 cost per clickCPL \u2013 cost per leadCPA\/CAC \u2013 cost per acquisitionROAS \u2013 revenue generated relative to the advertising budgetROI \u2013 return on investment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But for a business, CPM or CPC isn’t the end result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You can have a higher CPM and a profitable campaign if the message converts well. Or you can buy very cheap traffic that doesn’t generate any sales. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The important question is: How much does it cost us to acquire a profitable customer?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\t

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    \u258cThree Ways to Set Your Budget<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    1. Percentage of revenue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    It’s easy to calculate and present to the board, but it has one flaw: if sales drop, the marketing budget automatically decreases\u2014exactly when you need more visibility, not less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. A “bottom-up” budget, starting with objectives (pipeline math)<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Instead of starting with a percentage, start with your revenue goal: how many new contracts you need, how many qualified leads (SQLs) you need to generate for each contract, how many marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) for each SQL, and how much a lead costs, on average, across your channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The resulting amount is your justifiable budget\u2014because you can explain exactly what each leu is used for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. Competitive parity<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    You look at what your direct competitors are investing and adjust your budget based on the position you want to hold in the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Useful as an additional reference point, but risky as a sole method\u2014because you never know how efficiently your competitors are actually spending their money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our recommendation: Combine Method 1 as a quick starting point and Method 2 for the final budget presented to management or investors.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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    \u258cHow the budget will be allocated across channels in 2026<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Once the total budget has been set, the next question is, “What should it be spent on?” Here is a suggested breakdown for 2026, applicable to most B2C and e-commerce companies: <\/p>\n\n\n\n