Digital channels now account for 61.1% of total marketing spend, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. This digital dominance is reshaping strategies across industries, with seven out of 10 sectors dedicating more than 60% of their budget to online channels.

The annual Gartner 2025 CMO Spend Survey of 402 CMOs and other marketing leaders in North America, the United Kingdom and Europe between February and March 2025 found that paid online channels lead the digital mix, accounting for 69% of total digital spend (see Figure 1).

Gartner experts presented the findings during the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo, which is taking place here through Wednesday.

Paid search is the leading digital channel, increasing its share year-over-year from 13.6% to 13.9% of total digital spend. Digital display advertising has overtaken social advertising for the second spot, growing by 17% year-over-year (YoY) to 12.5%. Social advertising maintains its budget share at 12.2%, reflecting its continued importance in the digital mix.

Despite the growth in digital channels, budget allocations to owned and earned channels have decreased 9% YoY, with email being the exception. Email marketing remains resilient, experiencing a marginal increase and accounting for 7.4% of total digital spend for 2025.

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“The increasing allocation towards digital channels reflects a strategic pivot as CMOs recognize the need to adapt to rapidly changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements,” said Ewan McIntyre, VP Analyst and Chief of Research in Gartner Marketing Practice. “With Google’s postponement of cookie deprecation, the rise of GenAI, and uncertainties surrounding TikTok’s future, marketers are navigating a dynamic digital landscape to keep their strategies effective and impactful.”

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Navigating the Impact and Spend of Advertising Channels

CMOs recognize the importance of evaluating channel impact alongside spend (see Figure 2):

• Search advertising stands out as a high spend/high impact channel, particularly for conversion and pre-purchase touchpoints.
• Video and streaming have slipped in impact rankings due to platform saturation and targeting challenges.
• Retail media networks have emerged as a significant player in the digital advertising landscape, surpassing video and streaming to become a key channel for marketers seeking targeted reach and engagement. As the abundance of platforms continues to grow, retail media networks offer a focused approach that addresses audience choice overload and enhances advertising effectiveness.
• Linear TV, while attracting mid-high spend, ranks lower in perceived impact. However, industries with significant allocations to linear TV view it as an effective awareness generator.
• Email marketing remains a workhorse, ranked as the fifth most impactful channel overall and the top channel for customer loyalty.

“As CMOs maneuver the evolving channel landscape, strategic implications of multichannel plans become paramount. Budget challenges and channel volatility will continue to shape priorities, emphasizing the need for performance-driven strategies,” said McIntyre.