Seven-figure annual marketing budgets are no longer exceptional in B2B technology as a new report from 10Fold found 90% of B2B technology companies with $100 million now operate with at least $1 million in annual marketing spend.
Furthermore, the company’s 2026 B2B Marketing Budget Blueprint detailed that 49% of companies with $50 million in revenue are also spending $1 million on services and technology for marketing.
This survey of 400 senior marketing leaders across the U.S. and Europe finds that budget size increases with revenue. What’s clear is that marketing is a priority and $1 million is the minimum required to support modern, omni-channel marketing programs for companies that are scaling for an exit or demonstrating growth as a public entity.
10Fold’s Thomas on Budget Priorities
10Fold CEO Susan Thomas observers that marketing leaders are navigating increasingly complex data and higher-stakes tradeoffs as they set budgets
“That’s what makes the consistency in budget priorities across geographies, industries, and company sizes so striking,” said Thomas in a statement. “While lead generation has long dominated spend, the rise of AI-driven discovery is shifting the spotlight. Brand awareness is now central to being found, trusted, and chosen earlier in the buying journey.”
Budget Allocation Convergence
Companies across disparate industries, geographies and revenue levels are unified in their budget priorities: brand awareness, demand generation and product marketing with their marketing budgets. Brand awareness ranks as the top investment priority across every segment, accounting for roughly 15–17% of total marketing spend.
Lead generation and product marketing consistently rank second and third, each receiving approximately 13–15% of budgets. 10 Fold officials indicate the findings signify a broad shift away from short-term, volume-driven demand generation toward foundational visibility and structured go-to-market execution. This is being accelerated by AI and large language models reshaping how buyers discover and evaluate vendors.
While seven-figure budgets are common globally, confidence varies by region. U.S. marketers manage the largest budgets overall, with 27% operating at $10 million+ (excluding salaries), but report the lowest confidence levels. Only 55% expect budget increases in 2026, and 37% anticipate modest cuts, reflecting heightened scrutiny and pressure to demonstrate efficiency.
In contrast, European marketers report significantly higher confidence as 84% of German marketers and 80% of UK marketers expect budgets to increase, the highest confidence levels globally. European respondents reported stronger alignment with senior leadership around the cost and impact of AI, while U.S. marketers report the largest perception gaps between marketing teams and the C-suite.
Industry Dynamics Shape Budget Scale, Strategy
Trust-driven industries command the largest baseline marketing investments. Cybersecurity leads all sectors, with 92% of companies operating at $1 million+ budgets, driven by reliance on brand credibility, PR, and third-party validation like analyst and influencer relations and partner marketing.
Artificial intelligence (AI) companies report the largest budgets overall, with 46% operating at $10 million+. But more than half expect budgets to decline in 2026, signaling a shift from aggressive expansion to ROI discipline. Enterprise technology and DevOps organizations report the broadest year-over-year increases across brand, lead generation, product marketing, customer marketing, and training, reflecting the complexity of their go-to-market motions.
Company size significantly influences where organizations prioritize program budget increases. Mid-sized enterprises (251–500 employees) concentrate their largest increases in training and product marketing, reflecting a discipline-driven investment shift that often emerges around $50M in annual revenue, even though many companies at this size exceed that level. Larger enterprises, by contrast, increased their spend the most toward lead generation and customer marketing, positioning marketing as a revenue and retention engine.
Click here to the view the full findings of 2026 B2B Marketing Budget Blueprint – Part II
