Study

Marketing in Digital Transformation 2026

Marketing Between Efficiency, Automation and Competition

Marketing is undergoing a structural transformation. Companies in the digital sector operate in an environment of increasing demands for impact, efficiency, and control, while budgets remain largely stable. This study shows how marketing organisations deal with this tension, what priorities they set, and what role digitalisation, automation, and regulation play.

The study examines current marketing practices among companies in the digital sector from a microeconomic perspective. It focuses on how marketing budgets are allocated, which measures are prioritised, and the organisational and structural conditions under which marketing is managed today. The analysis is based on an online survey of 180 companies from the digital industry in Germany, conducted between calendar week 44 and week 50 of 2025. While the results are not representative, they provide valuable insights into key trends and tensions shaping marketing practice.

Key Findings of the Study

Marketing budgets remain stable, while priorities are shifting:
Marketing budgets remain stable at an average of 4.1 percent of revenue. The transformation of marketing is driven less by increasing budget shares and more by efficiency gains, automation, and data-driven scaling.
Growth and relationship management shape marketing objectives:
Marketing clearly focuses on business-relevant goals. For the vast majority of companies, acquiring new customers (91 percent), customer retention (89 percent), and building trust (87 percent) are central priorities.
Digital and data-driven measures dominate everyday marketing:
CRM marketing (72 percent), social media marketing (62 percent), and event marketing (60 percent) are the most frequently used instruments. At the same time, a growing shift towards integrated, data-driven approaches can be observed, while event marketing continues to account for the largest share of marketing budgets.
Automation and AI are becoming significantly more important:
76 percent expect marketing automation to become more important in the future. At the same time, 35 percent identify the lack of an AI strategy and 34 percent insufficient integration of AI as internal challenges. 84 percent consider AI the most important influencing factor for marketing in Germany.
Cost pressure and resource constraints are burdening marketing organisations:
54 percent each cite cost pressure and the automation of marketing processes as the greatest internal challenges. 43 percent report increasing resource requirements for content creation and 38 percent for social media.
Regulation and data protection as ambivalent framework conditions:
54 percent see data protection requirements and regulation as the greatest external challenge. At the same time, 64 percent view data protection as contributing to stronger brand trust.