Discover what 400 marketing decision-makers across the UK and Ireland reveal about the challenges holding back marketing growth, and what higher-growth organisations are doing differently.
Marketers have never had more data, technology and AI. Yet for many organisations, more capability has not resulted in more growth.
Closing the Growth Gap uncovers a striking disconnect: 76% of marketers report having more data and technology than ever before, but only 28% can clearly and consistently link marketing activity to commercial outcomes.
However, a different pattern emerges among Growth Leaders, the 13% of organisations achieving annual revenue growth of more than 20%. Their success is not driven by more capability or greater investment, but a stronger ability to transform the capability they already have into activation, measurement and commercial impact.
Drawing on these findings, this report provides a practical blueprint for CMOs to close the growth gap, highlighting how to convert existing marketing capabilities into sustained business growth.
How can marketers close the Growth Gap?
The report explores three priorities for marketing leaders:
Make your customer intelligence work harder
Improve, connect and enrich customer data to build a more complete, addressable view of customers and inform relevant marketing activation.
Turn AI from a productivity tool into a growth engine
Focus AI investment on decisions and
activations that can be connected to measurable commercial outcomes.
Measure outcomes, not just performance
Connect marketing activity to customer and commercial outcomes to inform more effective investment decisions and prove marketing’s contribution to growth.
A sneak peek into...
Closing the Growth Gap: How high-growth brands are turning marketing investment into commercial outcomes
What does the research reveal?
Growth is getting harder.
43% say delivering sustainable growth is more difficult than two to three years ago, while only 26% say marketing is fully prepared to maximise growth during their organisation’s most important trading period.
Customer intelligence is underused.
82% agree that campaigns using first-party customer data for activation perform better, yet organisations report using only 36% of their available first-party data for key marketing activities.
AI drives productivity more than growth
81% say pressure to prove marketing contribution to growth has increased, yet only 19% report real commercial growth from AI.
Measuring impact on growth remains a challenge
86% say they can measure marketing activity more easily than they can prove its impact on business growth and only 28% can link marketing activity to real commercial outcomes.
Want to read the full report?
Closing the Growth Gap: How high-growth brands are turning marketing investment into commercial outcomes
Discover how Growth Leaders are making greater progress across these areas, where the biggest challenges lie across different industries, and what CMOs can prioritise to strengthen marketing’s contribution to commercial growth.
Download the full report to explore the findings and recommendations.
Further reading
First-party data isn’t the problem… activation is
Unlock more value from your first-party data by turning customer intelligence into scalable activation
Are you actually reaching the right people?
Discover the signs your B2B targeting data is out of date and how better data quality can improve email deliverability, engagement, and pipeline results.
Redefining audience intelligence: can AI really deliver on its promise?
AI is reshaping audience intelligence for UK marketers, raising critical questions around trust, data quality, identity and human oversight in decision‑making.
Turning visibility into value with smarter OOH planning for JCDecaux
The partnership between Experian and JCDecaux is reshaping how out-of-home (OOH) is planned and evaluated by embedding consumer insight directly into planning and measurement workflows.
Targeting risk before it strikes: DFRS’s data-led prevention model
Learn how Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service built a data‑led Risk Stratification Index using Mosaic to prioritise fire safety visits across 500,000+ homes.
The confidence gap: Employment screening in the age of AI
93% of UK safeguarding leaders have suspected a ‘ghost candidate’. New Experian research reveals the Confidence Gap in employment screening, and how to close it.
How accurate B2B data shortens sales cycles
Accurate B2B data helps sales teams reduce dead ends, improve targeting and shorten sales cycles by reaching the right contacts faster.
Why high-quality B2B data is the foundation of email performance
Investing in accurate, comprehensive B2B data creates a foundation that improves every email you send, and every digital interaction that follows.
The hidden cost of untrusted data at AI scale
Uncover the hidden cost of untrusted data at AI scale and learn how operationalising data quality and governance can unlock reliable, AI-driven outcomes.
Small business funding: Guide to accessing SME credit
Explore our comprehensive guide to UK SME funding. Compare the pros and cons between loans and grants, as well as where and how to apply.