Brand marketing has an accountability challenge. Not because it doesn't work, but because too many organizations lack the measurement infrastructure to prove that it does.
This isn't a new tension. But it's getting worse. Over the past two years, budgets have steadily shifted toward performance marketing, not because performance is more effective, but because it's easier to measure. The result: brand investment is being squeezed by a measurement gap, not a strategy gap.
MMA Global and WPromote partnered on this study to answer a straightforward question: what do the marketers who successfully defend brand budgets actually do differently? We surveyed 102 senior marketers across North America and found that roughly half have built what we call "Brand Accountability”, the ability to use measurement to justify and protect brand investment. The other half remain “vulnerable”.
The gap between these two groups isn't about budget size, industry, or company maturity. It comes down to three things: measurement confidence, finance alignment, and the ability to link brand metrics to business results. Brand Accountable marketers aren't just more confident, they're getting more budget, more internal support, and more resilience when cuts come.
This report lays out the data behind that divide and gives you a practical framework for closing it, whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to sharpen what you already have.
