79% of Respondents Cite Move from Consumer Style Creativity to Performance-Drive Campaigns as Social Media, Display, and Audio Emerge as Top Investments Amidst Growing Industry Pressures

Madison Logic, a B2B marketing technology company focused on performance-first strategies, today announced the results of a new The Harris Poll survey of more than 300 U.S. marketing, advertising, communications, and social media decision-makers and found that 84% say modern marketing is now focused on proving ROI, yet nearly half (48%) admit they are still “guessing” which marketing activities are driving purchasing decisions as AI disruption, economic pressure, and audience fragmentation continue reshaping the advertising industry.

“Our industry is going through a significant reset,” said Keith Turco, CEO of Madison Logic. “The brands and agencies that win will be the ones that can connect data, intent, and pipeline impact in real time.”

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As AI accelerates content saturation and marketers face mounting pressure to do more with less, the findings point to a broader shift away from traditional creativity-first marketing and toward more measurable, performance-driven strategies. Nearly eight in ten respondents (79%) said marketing is moving in a more performance-focused direction, while 90% believe marketers who cannot clearly demonstrate business impact will struggle to justify budgets in the future. Recent third-party research from Deloitte has similarly found that organizations are rapidly shifting from AI experimentation toward measurable business execution as pressure mounts to prove ROI and operational impact.

Still, marketers are not abandoning creativity altogether. More than nine in ten respondents (91%) said modern marketing success now depends on balancing data precision with human storytelling, signaling that the future of advertising will require both creative instinct and measurable execution.

The survey also revealed that gaining visibility into increasingly fragmented buying journeys has become a major business priority, with 84% saying improving visibility across channels will be a top focus over the next 12 months. Social media, display advertising, and audio also emerged as leading investment channels for driving pipeline conversion as marketers continue shifting toward more measurable and flexible media strategies.

Recent third-party research from Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has similarly highlighted how advertisers are increasingly prioritizing measurable performance, cost efficiency, and accountability as AI rapidly reshapes the advertising industry.

“Today, being ‘geeky’ about intent data is the only way to be effective and stand out to buyers,” added Turco. “The future belongs to marketers who understand performance, data, attribution, and how to turn insights into action. Data is no longer sitting in the background of marketing strategy. It is the strategy.”