Experian says marketers struggle to prove growth impact

Experian has published research suggesting that, while most marketers have more tools and data than ever, few can consistently link marketing spending to business growth. The study surveyed 400 Senior Marketing Decision-Makers across the UK and Ireland.

The findings point to a gap between rising marketing investment and organisations' ability to show commercial returns. While 69% of respondents said their organisations had increased marketing budgets over the past two to three years, only 28% said they could clearly and consistently connect marketing activity and investment to business growth.

At the same time, 76% said they now have more tools and data at their disposal than ever. The report suggests that a larger marketing stack has not, by itself, made it easier for teams to prove business impact.

Experian identified a subset of respondents as "Growth Leaders", defined as organisations reporting annual revenue growth of more than 20% over the previous two to three years. That group made up 13% of the sample.

These higher-growth organisations were more than twice as likely as other respondents to say they could consistently connect marketing investment to business growth, at 61% compared with 23%. They also reported stronger results in customer data activation and better returns on investment from artificial intelligence.

Growth divide

The contrast suggests the difference lies less in the amount of technology available and more in how organisations use the systems and data they already have. Experian argues that marketers should place more emphasis on using customer intelligence in activation, applying AI more selectively, and measuring commercial outcomes rather than campaign metrics alone.

The study covers consumer-facing organisations across the UK and Ireland. It presents associations between reported marketing practices and reported growth, rather than claiming direct causation.

For marketing leaders, the findings reflect a familiar problem. Businesses have continued to invest in platforms, data sources and analytics tools, yet many still struggle to draw a clear line between those inputs and revenue growth.

The issue has become more pressing as boards and finance teams demand stronger evidence that marketing budgets contribute to wider business performance. The survey suggests that, even after several years of increased spending, many organisations still cannot provide that evidence consistently.

"Marketing has never had more data, technology or AI at its disposal, yet many organisations still struggle to demonstrate how those investments contribute to business growth. "What stands out from our research is the difference among Growth Leaders. They have created a connected system for growth where customer intelligence informs marketing activation, AI puts this to work more effectively, and smarter measurement connects activity to real commercial outcomes. That should prompt marketers to think differently about where they focus their efforts. The priority is clear: make existing capabilities work harder together, rather than add more," Colin Grieves, Managing Director, Experian Marketing Services UK&I, said.

Measurement focus

The report's framework centres on three areas: making better use of existing customer intelligence across marketing activity, using AI more strategically, and measuring the commercial impact of marketing rather than focusing only on campaign performance indicators.

That approach reflects a broader shift in marketing management. As data volumes increase and AI tools become more common, competitive advantage may depend less on adopting another platform and more on integrating existing systems to improve decision-making and accountability.

The research was based on responses from 400 Senior Marketing Decision-Makers collected during August and September 2026. It defines Growth Leaders as organisations with annual revenue growth of more than 20% over the preceding two to three years.

The survey adds to a wider debate over whether investment in marketing technology has outpaced organisations' ability to use it effectively. In this case, the strongest-performing organisations were distinguished not by access to more data, but by their reported ability to connect intelligence, activation and measurement to commercial outcomes.

Among the headline figures, the clearest divide remained the gap between widespread access to data and tools and the much smaller share of marketers who said they can consistently show how marketing investment contributes to business growth.