Enterprise CMOs Turn to Hybrid MaaS as Budgets Rise but Teams Hold Flat, New 2X–Avasant Study Finds
Report Finds B2B Marketing Shifting from Tactics to Tech-Enabled Strategy, as CMOs Boost Budgets to Relieve Campaign Execution Bottlenecks and Scale Growth
MALVERN, Pa. and LOS ANGELES , June 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 2X, a leader in subscription-based marketing as a service (MaaS), today released a new report, “Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Execution Reinvention,” in partnership with Avasant, a leading digital transformation consultancy. The new report reveals a strategic shift in B2B marketing execution, as marketers prioritize AI-driven campaigns and focus on personalization to boost performance and ROI—even in a challenging economic climate.
Marketing budgets are rising 5-10%1 this year, while headcount remains flat. Meanwhile, CMOs are being told to spend new money more effectively, avoiding the temptation to focus it solely on payroll. The only scalable levers left are strategic reallocation and AI-enabled productivity. Gartner’s latest CMO Spend Survey highlights this challenge of balancing declining marketing budgets as a percentage of revenue with high expectations for growing ROI. This landscape is driving brands to rethink traditional agency relationships and embrace more flexible, tech-enabled partnerships that accelerate speed, personalization, and innovation.
Key Findings from the Report
- Budget Growth, Flat Teams: There’s an accelerating demand for external capacity. Tech growth is funded by reallocating program dollars, not cutting headcount. Less than 20%2 of the budget goes to technology, with the average budget split amongst 56% personnel and 24%3 non-personnel programs.
- AI Goes Mainstream: 72%4 of CMOs now count AI-driven campaigns among their top priorities.
- Execution Bottleneck: Campaign channels absorb 23% of spend and outsource 56%5 of work, making them the #1 target for hybrid MaaS models.
- Tech Spend Breaks 20% Barrier: One in five marketing dollars now funds technology—double the share of five years ago, sourced from program budgets.
- Outcome KPIs Rule: Net-new revenue, ROI, and CLV top the scorecard, displacing legacy funnel metrics.
- Outsourcing Covering More Marketing Functions: Budgets for outsourcing rose from 39% to 42%6. Core marketing functions (e.g., brand and GTM strategy, budgeting, retention) remain largely in-house (<25%), ensuring strategic control. Specialized areas like campaigns (60.6%) and channel marketing (61.4%)7 are increasingly outsourced to tap into expertise and boost speed.
2X has grown rapidly through strategic investments, acquisitions, and deep partnerships across the B2B marketing ecosystem. As 6sense’s largest implementation partner, 2X is uniquely positioned to help clients succeed on the ABM platform that now leads the category with a 21.8% market share. 2X delivers next-generation marketing performance and capabilities by applying enterprise-grade frameworks, automation, and data-driven strategies, empowering marketing organizations of all sizes to thrive in an increasingly competitive $100B B2B marketing services market.
“The report offers a clear view into how marketers are innovating on their operating model where cost efficiency, smarter execution, and leaner teams are the new mandate,” said Domenic Colasante, CEO and Co-Founder of 2X. “At 2X, we’re committed to helping B2B enterprise marketers lead with operating impact, realize the benefit of AI, and deliver more with increasingly scarce resources.”
“Today’s CMOs face a stark choice: cling to legacy metrics and fragmented teams, or embrace a new era where technology, data, and external expertise converge,” said Swapnil Bhatnagar, Partner at Avasant. “By aligning KPIs to revenue impact and partnering for specialized skills, marketing organizations can move at the speed of the market, delivering measurable value and agility that legacy models simply can’t match.”
Methodology
The report combines survey data and expert interviews to provide a comprehensive view of B2B marketing execution. It focuses on how large enterprises—those with over $250 million—are rethinking marketing outsourcing, defined as leveraging external partners for campaign execution, analytics, and content production. Insights were drawn from responses by 87 senior marketers and in-depth interviews with 11 marketing leaders, analyzed to identify key trends and strategies shaping today’s dynamic marketing environment.
To download the report, please visit https://2x.marketing/avasant-report/.
About 2X
2X is a leading B2B marketing-as-a-service firm that helps marketing leaders achieve greater impact while lowering costs through its managed services delivery model. Servicing over 150 clients including SAP, Ricoh, Docker, Hyland, Seismic, Qlik, and GoTo, 2X provides dedicated and highly skilled FTEs who specialize in marketing operations, martech management, campaign execution, content and creative production, and strategy consulting services. With more than 1,000 team members globally, 2X is backed by private equity firms Recognize and Insight Partners and has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing companies in the US by Inc. and the Financial Times. For more information, visit 2X.marketing or follow us on LinkedIn.
About Avasant
Avasant is a leading management consulting firm that provides digital transformation, sourcing advisory, and governance services to global enterprises. With a focus on innovation and excellence, Avasant helps organizations navigate complex business challenges and achieve sustainable growth. For more information about Avasant and how it can transform your business, please visit https://avasant.com/.
Media Contact
Audree Hernandez
JMAC PR for 2X
2X@jmacpr.com
1 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 14
2 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 12
3 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 24
4 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 15
5 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 12
6 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 31
7 Source: Rethinking B2B Marketing Execution: The Age of Exeuction Reinvention, May 2025, slide 7
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