70% of marketers are decreasing their MOST important investment

Hey, Paige here!

Before we get into today’s best marketing research… 

In today’s release: 

• 70% of marketers are decreasing brand awareness investment — why it’s a mistake

• Brand awareness strategies you can use today without sacrificing budget

• How to strike the perfect balance between brand awareness and performance marketing

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DEEP DIVE

Performance marketing is great — you get immediate attribution you can report to your C-suite. Everyone wins, right? 

Well… everyone except your brand. Curbing too hard towards performance marketing and away from brand building and awareness leaves you with minimal long-term sustainability. 

Simply put: In today’s digital world, this hard pivot is a big mistake. 

Let’s look at some key stats on why this shift took hold in 2024: 

•  70% of marketers reported shifting their budgets away from brand-building activities and focusing more on performance marketing.

• Nearly 75% of CMOs are feeling increased pressure to demonstrate short-term ROI

• 75% of CMOs are under pressure to “do more with less” 

• 60% of marketers feel they must validate all spending

With smaller budgets, bigger goals, and a focus on short-term ROI, it’s no wonder brand-building initiatives took a hit — these long-term initiatives are harder to track and offer the most value in the long term. 

We’re not suggesting stepping completely away from performance marketing. 

Instead, make sure you keep brand building a top priority in addition to short-term ROI initiatives. 

Here’s why: 

• Strong brands consistently outperform others, with the top 40 global brands delivering nearly double the total shareholder return over a span of two decades.

• B2B companies with strong brands outperform their competitors by 20% in revenue growth over a decade.

• Brands focused solely on short-term tactics risk becoming indistinguishable from competitors, which ultimately kills pricing power and long-term growth (and profitability).

• Focusing too heavily on performance marketing and not enough on brand building can cost you billions in long-term growth. 

The key to success here isn’t cutting out either initiative entirely — it’s about striking the right balance. Fortunately, the data provides a roadmap.

The takeaway: Performance marketing drives results today, but brand building ensures your business thrives tomorrow. Build your content strategy to incorporate both appropriately to ensure your brand resonates beyond the next campaign.

That’s it, ya’ll! Happy creating. 

Paige Peterson
Newsletter Aficionado, Sweet Fish