Over Half of B2B Firms Are Ramping Up Brand Building, Marketing Week Finds
Marketing Week's State of Brand in B2B 2026 shows 58.4% of B2B firms increased their brand-building focus this year — yet only a fraction commit to genuinely long-term brand strategy.
What the data shows
Marketing Week's State of Brand in B2B 2026 survey (300 respondents) finds that 58.4% of B2B firms increased their focus on brand building over the past 12 months. And 71.2% of B2B CMOs say their business values brand marketing — yet only 8.5% prioritise long-term brand strategies.
Smaller firms (250 staff or fewer) were more likely to increase brand focus (61.5%) than large companies (54.9%). Meanwhile 54% cite growing sales revenue as their main marketing task, with 59.7% equally focused on lead generation.
The say-do gap at the heart of B2B
The numbers expose a familiar tension. B2B marketers increasingly believe in brand — the theory that most buyers aren't in-market today, so mental availability built now pays off later. But belief hasn't translated into commitment: only 8.5% actually prioritise the long term, while lead generation still dominates the day job.
Our read: the gap between "we value brand" (71.2%) and "we prioritise long-term brand" (8.5%) is the single most important number in the survey. It's where budgets get quietly raided for the next quarter's pipeline, and where competitive advantage is won or lost.
How to close the gap
First, make the long-term case in the language finance respects. The reason brand loses to lead generation isn't disbelief — it's that lead gen is easier to measure this quarter. Pair brand investment with agreed, longer-horizon metrics so it survives budget season.
Second, exploit the incumbency gap. If more than nine in ten of your competitors aren't seriously prioritising long-term brand, sustained investment becomes a genuine differentiator rather than table stakes. The scarcity of commitment is the opportunity.
Third, right-size the ambition. Smaller firms are already leaning in hardest — proof that brand building isn't only for big budgets. Consistent distinctive assets and a clear category story often beat a bigger, less coherent spend.
Quick FAQ
How many B2B firms are increasing brand-building focus?
58.4%, per Marketing Week's State of Brand in B2B 2026 survey of 300 respondents.
What's the say-do gap?
71.2% of B2B CMOs say their business values brand marketing, but only 8.5% prioritise long-term brand strategies.
How can B2B marketers act on this?
Tie brand investment to longer-horizon metrics, exploit the scarcity of long-term commitment as a differentiator, and build consistent distinctive assets.
The stat that matters isn't that B2B firms are talking about brand — it's that only 8.5% actually commit to the long term. That gap is where budgets get raided every quarter for pipeline. If most of your competitors won't hold their nerve on brand, holding yours is the cheapest advantage on the table. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
In B2B, everyone values brand but almost no one commits long-term — that scarcity of nerve is exactly where a durable advantage is waiting.
Does your B2B brand investment survive budget season — or get raided for next quarter's pipeline?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: Marketing Week (State of Brand in B2B 2026).
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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