Marketing in our industry is constantly evolving. Brands are consistently looking for new ways to build exposure, be it through media, events, a combination of the two – all the while, the pressure to deliver a return on investment is continuing to mount.
For media buyers, this constant evolution can present a number of challenges, but also a number of opportunities to innovate.
So, how are practices evolving in 2026? And what do media buyers actually value?
The SBC Insights Media Marketing Buyers Survey sought to measure a range of factors that are relevant to media buying habits across the industry, including:
• Media as a means of achieving core KPIs
• Measuring ROI on media solutions
• Multiple touch points – perceptions of print, event and digital campaigns
• Barriers to media buying (e.g. budgeting pressures, ROI, internal resources, etc.)
• Future outlook – how respondents expect marketing practices to evolve
This report cuts through opinion and surfaces real preferences, real spend behaviour, and real priorities across print, digital, podcasts, events and more.
Why it matters
If you sell marketing solutions, this report shows you what your buyers are actually looking for. If you buy media, it benchmarks your strategy against your peers.
Either way, it gives you a clearer view of what cuts through the noise – and what gets ignored.
