Chief communications officers and chief marketing officers feel more positive about their budgets in the first quarter of 2026 than they did last year, a survey from The Conference Board finds.
Among respondents, 50% of CMOs and 33% of CCOs said their budgets leave them well-equipped to make a difference for the business over the next six months, up from 40% and 23% respectively since the previous survey in June 2025.
“Alongside the sharp improvement in budgets, the latest CMO+CCO Meter found that workload is a growing challenge for marketing and communications,” said Denise Dahlhoff, head of the Research, Marketing & Communications Center for The Conference Board, a nonprofit business-membership and research organization.
“Compared to last June, satisfaction regarding workload fell 6 points among CMOs to 51% and a whopping 20 points among CCOs to just 34% — with AI, expectations, and market conditions all playing a role,” she said.
Other findings from the survey:
- 74% of CMO respondents said their team’s impact on the business grew over the past six months, down slightly from 77% in the previous survey.
- 67% of CMOs surveyed said their CEO’s assessment of the marketing team’s impact grew, up sharply from 55%.
- 50% of CMOs felt their budgets left them well-equipped to face business challenges, up from 40% in June 2025.
- 50% of CMOs surveyed felt well-equipped with their tools, down slightly from 52%.
- Just 42% of CMOs felt well-equipped by their teams, down sharply from 52%.
- 79% of CMOs rated their general satisfaction as “happy” or “very happy,” down slightly from 80% last June.
Credit: InfiniteFlow
