---
title: "Chemical Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027: survey data"
publisher: Altitude, a B2B marketing agency serving the chemical and industrial companies
source_url: https://altitudemarketing.com/chemical-marketing-trends-report
fielded: August 2026
respondents: 152 marketing leaders at chemical manufacturers
data_csv: chemical-marketing-trends-2026-data.csv
license: Free to quote and cite with attribution to Altitude and a link to the source URL.
---

# Chemical Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027: survey data

Altitude Marketing surveyed 152 marketing leaders at chemical manufacturers in August 2026. This file contains the aggregate results for every published question. Full report and analysis: https://altitudemarketing.com/chemical-marketing-trends-report

**How to cite:** Altitude, "Chemical Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027" survey (n=152, August 2026), https://altitudemarketing.com/chemical-marketing-trends-report

## About the data

- 152 respondents. 72% hold director, VP or CMO titles.
- Aggregate results only. Results cannot be split by role, revenue, sector or team size.
- "Select all that apply" questions add up to more than 100%.
- Question 14 is not part of the published results.
- Percentages are shares of respondents who answered the question.

## Key findings

- **Improving lead quality is the top 2027 goal.** 46 of 152 respondents ranked it first, and it has the highest average priority score (3.38 of 5).
- **AI search / GEO leads 2027 investment.** 34.2% plan to put their largest share of budget there, ahead of ABM (23.7%). Half (50%) plan to outsource AI search / GEO.
- **ABM produced the most qualified leads in 2026** (31.6%), followed by AI search / GEO (27%) and organic SEO (17.8%). Tradeshows and events were named by 7.9%.
- **Budgets and teams are growing.** 90.1% expect their 2027 marketing budget to increase and none expect a decrease. 86.8% expect their department to grow.
- **Agencies take a meaningful share.** 54.6% plan to spend 10% to 25% of their budget on agencies in 2027, and 85.6% expect outsourcing to increase.
- **AI is part of the daily workflow.** 59.9% use AI tools daily. 54.2% of AI users save 5 to 10 hours a week. Analyzing data delivers the most ROI (40.3%).
- **AI implementation is the biggest single challenge** (25%), just ahead of proving ROI (23%).
- **Buyers want proof.** 58.6% saw higher demand for proof and ROI in 2026, rising to 61.2% expected in 2027.
- **Distribution is nearly universal.** 96.7% sell through distributors or channel partners. 79% fund sales enablement materials for them and 69.1% fund co-op programs.

## Results by question

### Q1. Which best describes your role?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Marketing | 54.6% | 83 |
| Marketing Manager | 15.1% | 23 |
| Product Marketing | 13.2% | 20 |
| CMO | 8.6% | 13 |
| VP of Marketing | 8.6% | 13 |

### Q2. What is the size of your marketing department currently?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 team member (fractional employee) | 0% | 0 |
| 1 team member | 0.7% | 1 |
| 2-5 team members | 7.2% | 11 |
| 6-10 team members | 44.7% | 68 |
| 11-15 team members | 25% | 38 |
| More than 15 team members | 22.4% | 34 |

### Q3. Looking ahead, how do you expect the size of your marketing department to change in 2027?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Increase significantly | 28.9% | 44 |
| Increase slightly | 57.9% | 88 |
| Stay the same | 13.2% | 20 |
| Decrease slightly | 0% | 0 |
| Decrease significantly | 0% | 0 |

### Q4. Which source generated the most qualified leads in 2026?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Account-based marketing (ABM) | 31.6% | 48 |
| AI search / GEO | 27% | 41 |
| Organic SEO | 17.8% | 27 |
| Tradeshows / Events | 7.9% | 12 |
| Paid social | 7.2% | 11 |
| Paid search | 5.3% | 8 |
| Trade publication advertising | 2% | 3 |
| Display advertising | 1.3% | 2 |

### Q5. How has buying behavior changed in 2026 compared to previous years?

n = 152, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Higher demand for proof / ROI | 58.6% | 89 |
| Longer buying cycles | 44.1% | 67 |
| Increased interest in sustainability | 40.1% | 61 |
| Increased price sensitivity | 39.5% | 60 |
| More stakeholders involved in decisions | 39.5% | 60 |
| Greater reliance on digital research | 38.2% | 58 |
| Increased interest in compliance | 38.2% | 58 |
| Preference for known vendors | 27% | 41 |

### Q6. Looking ahead, how do you expect buying behavior to change in 2027?

n = 152, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Higher demand for proof / ROI | 61.2% | 93 |
| Greater reliance on digital research | 45.4% | 69 |
| Increased interest in sustainability | 44.1% | 67 |
| Longer buying cycles | 40.1% | 61 |
| Increased interest in compliance | 39.5% | 60 |
| More stakeholders involved in decisions | 35.5% | 54 |
| Preference for known vendors | 33.6% | 51 |
| Increased price sensitivity | 30.9% | 47 |

### Q7. How are you prioritizing the following marketing goals in 2027?

n = 152, ranked 1 to 5. Average score: higher means higher priority (5 max).

| Goal | Avg score | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improving lead quality | 3.38 | 46 | 37 | 21 | 25 | 23 |
| Building trust / credibility | 2.99 | 27 | 34 | 29 | 35 | 27 |
| Brand awareness | 2.91 | 27 | 26 | 40 | 25 | 34 |
| Lead generation | 2.91 | 23 | 30 | 39 | 30 | 30 |
| Thought leadership | 2.80 | 29 | 25 | 23 | 37 | 38 |

### Q8. What is your single biggest marketing challenge right now?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| AI implementation | 25% | 38 |
| Proving ROI | 23% | 35 |
| Sales & marketing alignment | 13.8% | 21 |
| Lead quality | 13.2% | 20 |
| Martech gaps | 11.2% | 17 |
| Staffing / bandwidth | 7.2% | 11 |
| Budget constraints | 6.6% | 10 |

### Q9. What percentage of your marketing budget do you plan to spend on outsourced marketing agencies in 2027?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| None | 0% | 0 |
| Less than 10% | 5.3% | 8 |
| 10% - 25% | 54.6% | 83 |
| 26% - 50% | 28.3% | 43 |
| More than 50% | 11.8% | 18 |

### Q10. What is your primary reason for outsourcing to a marketing agency?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Better audience reach | 29.6% | 45 |
| More expertise | 29.6% | 45 |
| Increased speed | 17.1% | 26 |
| Cost savings | 15.1% | 23 |
| Additional bandwidth | 8.6% | 13 |

### Q11. In 2027, which marketing tactics do you plan to outsource to agency partners?

n = 152, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| AI search / GEO | 50% | 76 |
| Account-based marketing (ABM) | 38.8% | 59 |
| SEO | 29.6% | 45 |
| Video development | 29.6% | 45 |
| Content creation | 28.9% | 44 |
| Website development | 25% | 38 |
| Paid search | 24.3% | 37 |
| Market research | 23.7% | 36 |
| Marketing technology | 23.7% | 36 |
| Paid social | 23.7% | 36 |
| Tradeshows / Events | 23.7% | 36 |
| Display advertising | 21.7% | 33 |
| Email marketing | 21.1% | 32 |
| Organic social | 17.1% | 26 |
| Graphic design | 15.8% | 24 |
| Trade publication advertising | 15.1% | 23 |

### Q12. How do you expect your use of outsourced marketing to change in 2027?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Greatly increase | 17.8% | 27 |
| Increase somewhat | 67.8% | 103 |
| Stay the same | 14.5% | 22 |
| Decrease somewhat | 0% | 0 |
| Greatly decrease | 0% | 0 |

### Q13. Where do you plan to invest the greatest percentage of your marketing dollars in 2027?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| AI search / GEO | 34.2% | 52 |
| Account-based marketing (ABM) | 23.7% | 36 |
| Content creation | 11.8% | 18 |
| Display advertising | 5.3% | 8 |
| Email marketing | 4.6% | 7 |
| Marketing technology | 4.6% | 7 |
| SEO | 4% | 6 |
| Graphic design | 3.3% | 5 |
| Market research | 2.6% | 4 |
| Paid social | 2.6% | 4 |
| Paid search | 1.3% | 2 |
| Trade publication advertising | 0.7% | 1 |
| Video development | 0.7% | 1 |
| Website development | 0.7% | 1 |
| Organic social | 0% | 0 |
| Tradeshows / Events | 0% | 0 |

### Q15. Looking ahead, how do you expect your total annual marketing budget to change in 2027?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Increase greatly | 25% | 38 |
| Increase somewhat | 65.1% | 99 |
| Stay the same | 9.9% | 15 |
| Decrease somewhat | 0% | 0 |
| Decrease greatly | 0% | 0 |

### Q16. Which external factors do you expect to have the greatest impact on your company as a whole in 2027?

n = 152, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Increased automation adoption | 42.8% | 65 |
| Increased regulatory or compliance requirements | 38.2% | 58 |
| Cost inflation (materials, logistics, energy, etc.) | 36.2% | 55 |
| Global or regional economic conditions | 36.2% | 55 |
| Competitive pressure | 28.3% | 43 |
| Supply chain disruptions | 28.3% | 43 |
| Capital investment constraints | 24.3% | 37 |
| Workforce availability | 22.4% | 34 |
| Trade policy | 17.8% | 27 |

### Q17. How often do you use AI tools?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | 59.9% | 91 |
| Weekly | 32.9% | 50 |
| Monthly | 2% | 3 |
| Less than monthly | 0% | 0 |
| Never | 5.3% | 8 |

### Q18. Which use of AI delivers the most ROI for you?

n = 144, single response, 8 skipped

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Analyzing data | 40.3% | 58 |
| Generating original content | 20.8% | 30 |
| Generating images or illustrations | 11.8% | 17 |
| Finding information | 11.1% | 16 |
| Repurposing existing content | 11.1% | 16 |
| Creating video | 4.9% | 7 |

### Q19. How many hours per week are you personally saving by using AI?

n = 144, single response, 8 skipped

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 hour | 0% | 0 |
| 1-4 hours | 22.2% | 32 |
| 5-10 hours | 54.2% | 78 |
| 11-20 hours | 18.8% | 27 |
| More than 20 hours | 4.9% | 7 |

### Q20. What is your total annual marketing budget for this year (fiscal or calendar)?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Less than $10k | 0% | 0 |
| $11k - $50k | 4.6% | 7 |
| $51k - $100k | 27% | 41 |
| $101k - $500k | 34.2% | 52 |
| $501k - $1M | 15.1% | 23 |
| More than $1M | 19.1% | 29 |

### Q21. Do you sell through distributors or channel partners?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 96.7% | 147 |
| No | 3.3% | 5 |

### Q22. Which of the following distributor/channel support does your marketing budget currently fund?

n = 152, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Sales enablement materials | 79% | 120 |
| Co-op marketing programs | 69.1% | 105 |
| Distributor portal development / maintenance | 56.6% | 86 |
| Training or onboarding content | 51.3% | 78 |

### Q23. What best describes the sector(s) your company operates in?

n = 152, select all that apply

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial | 67.1% | 102 |
| Pharmaceuticals | 36.8% | 56 |
| Food & nutrition | 21.1% | 32 |
| Agriculture | 11.8% | 18 |
| Energy | 11.8% | 18 |

### Q24. What is your organization's approximate annual revenue?

n = 152, single response

| Answer | Percent | Count |
|---|---|---|
| <$10M | 2.6% | 4 |
| $10M - $50M | 19.7% | 30 |
| $51M - $250M | 52.6% | 80 |
| $251M - $1B | 19.1% | 29 |
| $1B+ | 5.9% | 9 |

### Buying behavior shift, 2026 to 2027

n = 152, select all that apply

| Change | 2026 | 2027 expected |
|---|---|---|
| Greater reliance on digital research | 38.2% | 45.4% |
| Preference for known vendors | 27% | 33.6% |
| Increased interest in sustainability | 40.1% | 44.1% |
| Higher demand for proof / ROI | 58.6% | 61.2% |
| Increased interest in compliance | 38.2% | 39.5% |
| More stakeholders involved in decisions | 39.5% | 35.5% |
| Longer buying cycles | 44.1% | 40.1% |
| Increased price sensitivity | 39.5% | 30.9% |

---

Source: Altitude, Chemical Marketing Trends Report 2026-2027 survey. https://altitudemarketing.com/chemical-marketing-trends-report