The 2026 Marketing Data Report


We surveyed 400+ marketers to uncover why AI adoption feels forced, measurement discussions happen without marketing involvement, and data creates a false sense of control.


In this report, you’ll learn how to get your data AI-ready. Download your copy now.

Who’s this report for?

  • Marketing leaders and managers who need to prove impact, make smart AI decisions, and set realistic expectations with leadership.
  • Hands-on marketers working in campaign planning, optimization, reporting, and analysis. You need to deal daily with fragmented data, unclear ownership, and pressure to “use AI” without solid foundations.

Key findings

AI adoption

Lots of AI pressure, little progress


80% of marketers feel pressure to adopt AI

6% have AI fully embedded in their workflow

39% say they lack a clear AI vision and strategy from leadership


Data strategy

Marketers don’t own their data, and it shows


52% say the external data team defines data strategy and measurement

31% say CMO is involved in data strategy

45% still struggling with measurement


ROI

ROI is still the top priority—and the top challenge


45% say ROI is their top KPI

41% justify spending with revenue metrics

40% say proving ROI across channels is the biggest challenge


Data foundation

Why teams struggle to act on data


36% lack of systems integration that enables data activation

34% lack of team skills to do personalization at scale

36% say connecting marketing data is most in need of improvement


Behind the data


The respondents

435 marketing leaders and individual contributors across brand, agency, and ecommerce teams.


Global markets

Marketers from the US, UK, Germany, Australia, and Singapore across multiple industries and company sizes.


Proprietary data

Survey data was combined with Supermetrics’ proprietary platform data, which processes ~15% of global ad spend.


Expert input

We interviewed data scientists, marketers, and solutions engineers to validate findings, add context, and explain the “why” behind the numbers.


Report preview: Why AI hasn’t fixed marketing yet


In last year’s report , we found that most marketers weren’t really using their data. This year, AI promised to change that.

Our research of 435 marketers from brands and agencies globally shows that there's been a bit of a holdup:

  • Most AI experiments happen in silos and without a clear strategy.
  • AI is used where it’s the easiest—not where it creates the most value.
  • While everyone is excited about AI, most marketers don’t trust it.

The problem is that your data foundation is held together with duct tape.

This isn’t your fault. You’ve inherited systems built for a simpler time.

But fixing the problem is more straightforward than you might think.

First, own your data strategy . Second, aim for “good enough” data, not perfect. Third, get your data house in order. AI is only as good as what you feed it.

In this report, you'll learn how to get your data ready for AI analytics, so you can finally stop tinkering and start taking action.

Download the report

Frequently asked questions


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