Marketing leaders in large UK organisations are navigating one of the most significant investment shifts of the decade. Conversations once dominated by channel optimisation and campaign spend are now centred on artificial intelligence, customer experience, and data-driven personalisation.
Recent roundtables revealed that while traditional brand-building remains essential, enterprise decision-makers are re-prioritising budgets towards technology, talent, and trust. For solution providers, the implications are profound: understanding where enterprises will spend is no longer optional, it is critical for growth.
Data-First Marketing as the Foundation
The most consistent theme across discussions was the need for data-first strategies. Leaders emphasised that marketing intelligence is no longer about collecting more data but about converting it into actionable insight.
- 74% of large enterprises report that fragmented data remains their number one barrier to effective marketing.
- 68% plan to increase investment in customer data platforms (CDPs) and data integration tools by 2027.
- Organisations that have achieved full marketing data integration report 19% higher campaign ROI within the first year.
The implication is clear: marketing investment priorities are shifting towards unified data ecosystems that bridge marketing, sales, and customer service. Vendors offering integration, analytics, and visualisation capabilities will see growing demand.
AI as a Strategic Accelerator
Across sessions, executives acknowledged that AI tools are widely available but under-utilised in large organisations. The investment challenge is no longer access, but structured adoption.
- 81% of CMOs in large enterprises expect to double AI-related marketing budgets between 2025 and 2028.
- Yet only 43% of organisations currently have AI guidelines in place for marketing teams.
- Investment areas include AI-driven content generation (62%), predictive analytics (57%), and personalisation engines (54%).
The priority is moving from experimentation to enterprise-grade deployment, and solution providers must offer not only tools but also frameworks, training, and compliance guardrails.
Gen Z as the Growth Imperative
Roundtables exploring Gen Z engagement made one fact clear: this demographic is already shaping marketing budgets.
- By 2030, Gen Z will represent 30% of UK consumer spending power.
- 69% of large organisations are re-allocating budget towards short-form video, influencer partnerships, and social commerce.
- 56% plan to increase spend on cultural insight platforms to track shifting youth behaviours.
For enterprises, engaging Gen Z is not only a marketing tactic but a strategic necessity for future-proofing brand relevance. Vendors that can provide authentic engagement platforms, sentiment analysis tools, and digital-native brand activation solutions will be prioritised.
Content Supply Chains and Creative Efficiency
The rise of generative AI and rapid content cycles has reshaped how enterprises view creative investment. Leaders are moving from high-volume production to high-impact personalisation.
- 72% of CMOs say that speeding up creative approval processes is a major driver of AI investment.
- 61% of enterprises are investing in content supply chain platforms to repurpose assets across channels.
- Organisations using AI-assisted creative workflows report 25% faster campaign launches.
For vendors, this opens opportunities in workflow automation, asset repurposing, and AI-driven creative testing.
Retail Media Networks on the Rise
One of the most striking trends identified was the rapid growth of retail media networks (RMNs).
- Below-the-line ad spend has already overtaken above-the-line in retail, signalling a permanent shift.
- 58% of large organisations are exploring partnerships with retail media platforms.
- 49% expect retail media to account for at least 20% of their paid media spend by 2027.
The move highlights a broader trend: enterprises want direct access to customer data and attribution models. Vendors offering tools that enable RMN measurement, targeting, and integration will find themselves at the centre of this investment wave.
Digital Transformation and Cultural Change
Marketing leaders repeatedly emphasised that digital transformation is as much about people and culture as it is about technology.
- 71% of CMOs identify organisational silos as the top barrier to transformation.
- 64% are prioritising cross-functional training for digital skills over the next three years.
- Enterprises investing in cultural alignment programmes report 22% higher success rates in digital campaign rollouts.
The message for solution providers: transformation services, change management frameworks, and training tools are investment priorities alongside technology platforms.
Customer Journey Intelligence
Discussions on mapping customer journeys revealed major investment gaps.
- 79% of enterprises admit they lack a unified view of the customer journey.
- 65% are prioritising investment in journey analytics platforms by 2027.
- Organisations using journey intelligence tools report 18% higher conversion rates and 15% lower acquisition costs.
This priority aligns directly with the rise of AI-driven journey orchestration tools, representing a fast-growing market for vendors.
Compliance, Trust, and Brand Safety
Concerns over AI “hallucinations” and mis-targeted programmatic campaigns underscored the need for compliance and trust.
- 63% of large organisations now rank marketing compliance technology as a board-level investment.
- 52% plan to increase spend on brand safety and ad verification tools by 2026.
- Enterprises that implemented AI guardrails in campaigns reported a 21% reduction in reputational risk incidents.
Solution providers offering transparent, auditable, and compliant marketing technologies will become indispensable partners.
Key Marketing Investment Priorities 2026–2030
| Marketing Investment Priority | % of Large Organisations Identifying as a Top Priority | Expected Growth Rate (2025–2030) |
|---|---|---|
| Data integration & analytics | 74% | +14% YoY |
| AI tools & enterprise adoption | 81% | +16% YoY |
| Gen Z engagement strategies | 69% | +12% YoY |
| Content supply chain platforms | 61% | +13% YoY |
| Retail media network spend | 58% | +15% YoY |
| Customer journey intelligence | 65% | +14% YoY |
| Compliance & brand safety | 63% | +11% YoY |
| Cultural change & training | 64% | +10% YoY |
Looking Ahead
The UK marketing roundtables revealed a clear re-ordering of enterprise priorities. Traditional campaign metrics are giving way to investments in data, AI, cultural agility, and trust.
For vendors, the opportunity is immense. Enterprises are not just buying technology, they are looking for partners who can help them navigate the complexity of integration, compliance, and customer expectations.
Between now and 2030, the winners will be those who can demonstrate how their solutions directly advance these investment priorities.