State of Marketing: H1 2026 report

How advertisers grew through the first half of 2026. More spend, cheaper clicks, and returns that held. And what it signals for the year ahead.

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Some of the findings

Advertisers increased spend while getting cheaper clicks

The typical advertiser spent around 18% more on paid media, yet paid roughly 11% less for every click.

Advertisers started investing in new channels

Search still anchors most plans, but its share of investment eased by close to five points as money moved up the funnel and into newer channels.

Both eCommerce and Leadgen realised positive numbers

eCommerce advertisers grew efficiently with rising returns and flat acquisition costs, while lead-gen advertisers won nearly 50% more clicks at a fifth lower cost per click.

The market rewarded conviction. The hard part was knowing where to place it.

When clicks get cheaper and the market keeps spending, a flat budget is a quiet cut, fewer customers for the same euros. H1 2026 rewarded the advertisers who leaned in, spread across more channels, and scaled volume as costs fell. But conviction only pays off when you can see what each euro actually drives, and that’s exactly what we built Billy Grace to show you.

THE FULL BRIEF

Read the full State of Marketing H1 report

The benchmarks, the channel shifts, and what the second half of 2026 is likely to ask of your budget. Free to download.

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