Marketing agencies are caught in the crossfire of 2025’s “cautiously optimistic” economy. Budgets are consolidating, headcounts are shrinking, and yet expectations have never been higher.
Gartner reports that marketing budgets have flatlined at 7.7% of company revenue (Gartner CMO Spend Survey 2025). Only 35% of B2B CMOs anticipate budget growth of more than 5%, while 47% project increases of just 1–4%, effectively a zero-sum game when adjusted for inflation.