Content Marketing Institute’s annual benchmark of 1,015 B2B marketers finds 45% plan to spend more on AI tools next year and 9% on people. Nearly all use AI already. Barely half say it made the work better.
What the report says
95% of B2B marketers use AI-powered applications, but 68% describe their use as exploratory or still developing. Among users, 87% report productivity gains; 58% say content quality improved. 59% rate their marketing at least somewhat effective, which leaves 41% neutral or negative. Of those who improved, 74% credit a sharper strategy over new technology (51%). For 2026, AI tools top the budget list at 45%, ahead of events and experiential (33%) and owned media (32%). Human resources ranks last at 9%. Manufacturing is 8% of respondents.
Why it matters at the top of the house
This is the cross-industry baseline a manufacturer’s marketing team will be measured against, by the board, by a private-equity sponsor, or by the next candidate you interview. Treat it as a benchmark, not a mirror; manufacturing is a small slice of the sample. The number to watch is the gap between “we use AI” and “the work got better.” The teams closing that gap credit strategy, not tools. That is where the 2026 money goes, and where it gets wasted.
Source: Content Marketing Institute, “B2B Content and Marketing Trends: Insights for 2026,” by Robert Rose, October 8, 2025. The Marketing Table shares the link and a note on why it matters; the report and its copyright belong to the publisher.
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