Every statistic, every source.
If a number appears anywhere on Eline — homepage, solutions pages, blog, sales materials — it ties back to here. Methodology, sample size, year, and a link to the original report. The page a CFO can verify before booking the demo.
Connects with what you already use
The CFO/CMO trust gap
- [01]
79% of B2B CFOs say there are no reliable metrics tying brand marketing to revenue growth.
- Source
- Transmission · Closing the CMO–CFO brand value gap in B2B
- Methodology
- Survey of 414 B2B organizations across North America, Europe, and APAC. 212 CFOs / finance VPs and 202 CMOs / marketing VPs at companies with $20M–$1B+ revenue. Conducted with Savanta, May 2023, refreshed 2024.
- Sample
- n = 414
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://transmissionagency.com/b2b-brand-cmo-cfo-report/
Verified pull-quote from sourceVerified 2026-05-09“79% of B2B CFOs state there are no reliable metrics to clearly tie brand marketing to revenue growth.”
Confirmed verbatim against transmissionagency.com. - [02]
67% of CMOs have difficulty proving the commercial value and ROI of brand marketing. 72% of CFOs agree.
- Source
- Transmission · Closing the CMO–CFO brand value gap in B2B
- Methodology
- Same survey: 414 B2B organizations, 212 CFOs and 202 CMOs.
- Sample
- n = 414
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://transmissionagency.com/b2b-brand-cmo-cfo-report/
- Note
- Both sides agree the ROI proof problem is real — neutralizes the "marketers complaining" framing.
- [03]
71% of marketing leaders without a unified system say disconnection between ad tech and martech has limited their ability to prove marketing's value.
- Source
- Advertiser Perceptions / Perion · Marketing Dive coverage, Sept 2025
- Methodology
- Survey conducted by Perion and Advertiser Perceptions Aug 28–Sept 10, 2025. 167 US / Canada senior-level marketers with $1M+ annual ad spend. 46% VP-level or above.
- Sample
- n = 167
- Year
- 2025
- Read original
- https://www.marketingdive.com/news/the-cmo-cfo-relationship-heres-what-the-numbers-say/806122/
Verified pull-quote from sourceVerified 2026-05-09“71% [of marketing leaders] said that disconnection between ad tech and martech systems has at least somewhat limited their ability to prove marketing's value.”
Confirmed verbatim against www.marketingdive.com. - [04]
70% say there is still a gap, and 7% are unable to track holistic performance across platforms.
- Source
- Advertiser Perceptions · Bridging The Divide: Solving Fragmentation Between Marketing and Finance
- Methodology
- 167 senior US/Canada marketers with $1M+ ad spend, Aug–Sept 2025.
- Sample
- n = 167
- Year
- 2025
- Read original
- https://www.marketingdive.com/news/the-cmo-cfo-relationship-heres-what-the-numbers-say/806122/
The collaboration breakdown
- [02]
Less than half of marketing and finance leaders conduct joint planning and review sessions.
- Source
- Google · Project X Initiative · NewtonX — Profitable Growth Survey
- Methodology
- 250 CMOs, CFOs, and direct reports in DE/UK, 2024.
- Sample
- n = 250
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://business.google.com/us/think/future-of-marketing/marketing-finance-collaboration-growth/
- [03]
63% of marketing leaders report increased pressure from CFOs in 2025, up from 52% in 2024.
- Source
- The CMO Survey · 34th edition (Christine Moorman)
- Methodology
- Ongoing survey since 2008. Fall 2024 edition referenced here.
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://cmosurvey.org/cmosurvey_results/The_CMO_Survey-Highlights_and_Insights_Report-2025.pdf
- [04]
63% of marketing leaders believe they drive long-term business growth — only 35% of finance leaders agree.
- Source
- The Drum · 2025 industry research summary
- Methodology
- Referenced as 2025 cross-industry survey reporting; full primary source per The Drum coverage.
- Year
- 2025
- Read original
- https://www.thedrum.com/news/2025-was-the-year-marketing-reclaimed-its-value-and-2026-will-be-about-protecting-it
- Note
- Nearly 2× perception gap on whether marketing creates long-term value.
Strategic priorities mismatch
- [01]
62% of CMOs want to invest more in brand over the next 12–24 months. Only 31% of CFOs agree.
- Source
- Transmission · Closing the CMO–CFO brand value gap in B2B
- Methodology
- 414 B2B organizations; 212 CFOs and 202 CMOs.
- Sample
- n = 414
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://transmissionagency.com/b2b-brand-cmo-cfo-report/
- [02]
26% of B2B CFOs believe brand marketing should be given a higher priority during economic uncertainty.
- Source
- Transmission · Closing the CMO–CFO brand value gap in B2B
- Methodology
- 414 B2B organizations.
- Sample
- n = 414
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://transmissionagency.com/b2b-brand-cmo-cfo-report/
- [03]
84% of CFOs believe B2B buyers will purchase the best solution, product, or price — not the best brand. 71% of CMOs agree.
- Source
- Transmission · Closing the CMO–CFO brand value gap in B2B
- Methodology
- 414 B2B organizations.
- Sample
- n = 414
- Year
- 2024
- Read original
- https://transmissionagency.com/b2b-brand-cmo-cfo-report/
Budget waste and inefficiency
- [01]
26% of marketing budget is wasted on average — rises to 30% for organizations whose metrics are "frequently misleading."
- Source
- DemandScience · 2026 Marketing Intelligence Report; convergent with Rakuten Marketing survey via eMarketer 2024
- Methodology
- DemandScience: 750 senior marketing leaders at companies with $100M–$5B+ revenue. Convergent with Rakuten survey via eMarketer.
- Sample
- n = 750
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://demandscience.com/
- Note
- Pair with the 87% unreliable-intent finding for the full waste picture.
- [02]
87% of organizations report that their marketing investments produce unreliable or inflated intent signals.
- Source
- DemandScience · 2026 Marketing Intelligence Report
- Methodology
- 750 senior marketing leaders at $100M–$5B+ revenue companies.
- Sample
- n = 750
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://demandscience.com/
Verified pull-quote from sourceVerified 2026-05-09“87% of organizations report unreliable or inflated intent signals.”
Confirmed verbatim against demandscience.com. - [03]
Only 33% of martech stack features are utilized.
- Source
- Gartner Marketing Technology Survey (cited in DemandScience and Deep Marketing analyses, 2026)
- Methodology
- Gartner annual martech survey; figure consistent across recent editions.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.deepmarketing.it/en/blog/marketing-budget-waste-data-mirage-2026
- [04]
Only 26% of intent signals convert into qualified opportunities.
- Source
- DemandScience · 2026 Marketing Intelligence Report
- Methodology
- 750 senior marketing leaders, $100M–$5B+ revenue.
- Sample
- n = 750
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.deepmarketing.it/en/blog/marketing-budget-waste-data-mirage-2026
- [05]
30–40% of early-stage B2B SaaS marketing budget is wasted on unqualified or low-intent traffic.
- Source
- SaaS Hero · SaaS Marketing Budget Allocation: Startup Guide 2026
- Methodology
- Industry analysis with reference to multiple early-stage SaaS benchmarks.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.saashero.net/strategy/saas-marketing-budget-allocation-2026/
Attribution and measurement state
- [01]
The dark-funnel gap averages 38% of B2B pipeline; PLG motions hit 51%.
- Source
- Digital Applied · Marketing Attribution Statistics 2026: 140 Data Points
- Methodology
- 1,200+ B2B teams tracked, April 2026.
- Sample
- n = 1,200+
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.digitalapplied.com/blog/marketing-attribution-statistics-2026-multi-touch
- [02]
Multi-touch attribution adoption reached 47% in 2026, up from 31% in 2023. MMM adoption hit 26%, up from 9%.
- Source
- Digital Applied · Marketing Attribution Statistics 2026
- Methodology
- 1,200+ B2B teams tracked, April 2026.
- Sample
- n = 1,200+
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.digitalapplied.com/blog/marketing-attribution-statistics-2026-multi-touch
- [03]
90% of B2B marketers either ignore anonymous visitor behaviour or fail to unify it.
- Source
- RevSure · 2025 Marketing Attribution Analysis Report
- Methodology
- B2B marketing team survey, 2025.
- Year
- 2025
- Read original
- https://whitehat-seo.co.uk/blog/attribution-reporting-improved-marketing-results
- [04]
B2B sales cycles average 92 days with buying committees of 10–13 stakeholders.
- Source
- Whitehat SEO compilation, 2026 (industry-standard figure)
- Methodology
- Compilation of industry sources; aligned with widely-cited B2B benchmarks.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://whitehat-seo.co.uk/blog/attribution-reporting-improved-marketing-results
- [07]
CMOs list data reliability as their #1 barrier to attribution improvement.
- Source
- Marketing LTB · Marketing Attribution Statistics 2025
- Methodology
- 2025 CMO survey synthesis.
- Year
- 2025
- Read original
- https://marketingltb.com/blog/statistics/marketing-attribution-statistics/
Marketing budget benchmarks
- [01]
B2B SaaS marketing budgets average 9.4% of revenue in 2025, up from 7.7% in 2024.
- Source
- Data-Mania · B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks 2026
- Methodology
- Multi-source budget benchmark synthesis, 2026.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.data-mania.com/blog/b2b-marketing-budget-benchmarks-2026-spend-ranges-allocation-templates/
- [02]
69% of marketers expect budget increases in 2026, with spending rising from 9% to 10% of revenue.
- Source
- Data-Mania · B2B Marketing Budget Benchmarks 2026
- Methodology
- 2026 budget benchmark report.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.data-mania.com/blog/b2b-marketing-budget-benchmarks-2026-spend-ranges-allocation-templates/
- [03]
58.8% of B2B marketers are being asked to deliver more with fewer resources.
- Source
- Averi.ai · 2026 Marketing Budget Reality Check
- Methodology
- 2026 B2B marketer survey.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.averi.ai/blog/the-2026-marketing-budget-reality-check-how-to-justify-every-dollar-in-the-age-of-ai
- [04]
83% of B2B marketing decision-makers expect increased investment in 2026.
- Source
- Averi.ai · 2026 Marketing Budget Reality Check
- Methodology
- 2026 B2B marketer survey.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.averi.ai/blog/the-2026-marketing-budget-reality-check-how-to-justify-every-dollar-in-the-age-of-ai
- [05]
Mature B2B SaaS marketing budget allocation: People 45–55%, Demand gen 15–20%, Content 5–7%, Software 4–6%.
- Source
- Xander Marketing · How Much Should Your SaaS Marketing Budget Be in 2026?
- Methodology
- 2026 mature SaaS marketing benchmark report.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.xandermarketing.com/how-much-should-your-saas-marketing-budget-be-in-2026/
- [06]
Average B2B marketing budget across all stages: 8–10% of ARR. Early-stage 20–40%. Mature 5–15%.
- Source
- Rocket SaaS · 2026 marketing budget benchmark
- Methodology
- 2026 SaaS budget benchmark synthesis.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://rocket-saas.io/blog/saas-marketing-budget/
Channel and conversion benchmarks
- [01]
Average conversion rates by channel: email 3.9%, organic 5.0%, paid search 3.6%, referral 4.1%, social 1.9%.
- Source
- Ruler Analytics · 2025 attribution + conversion benchmarks
- Methodology
- 2025 cross-channel conversion-rate benchmark report.
- Year
- 2025
- Read original
- https://www.ruleranalytics.com/blog/insight/marketing-attribution-stats/
- [02]
B2B SaaS companies allocate 28% of digital ad budget to LinkedIn. LinkedIn delivers $200–250 cost per company influenced with 113% ROAS.
- Source
- SaaS Hero · 2026 SaaS marketing benchmark
- Methodology
- 2026 SaaS marketing channel performance review.
- Year
- 2026
- Read original
- https://www.saashero.net/strategy/saas-marketing-budget-allocation-2026/
How we choose sources
Three rules.
- Real research, real methodology. Every stat here has a sample size, a date, and a link to the original report. Vendor-published “X% of CMOs” numbers without methodology don’t make this list.
- No Frankenstein composites. We never combine stats from different surveys to build a stronger-sounding number. If two findings come from different studies, we cite them separately.
- Year is always visible. A 2023 stat in 2026 is fine if it’s labeled 2023. A stat without a year is cherry-picked.
See a stat we should add — or one we should remove? Email us.