The latest IPA Bellwether Report offers encouraging news for the marketing industry, with UK marketing budgets recording their strongest growth in more than two years.
The Q3 2026 report highlights increasing investment across marketing channels, reflecting renewed confidence among businesses. But as spending rises, the challenge for marketers isn't simply reaching more people. It's ensuring that investment delivers meaningful results.
In a recent article for Performance Marketing World, Mobsta COO David Graham shares his perspective on why understanding audiences and identifying the right opportunities is becoming increasingly important.
As David explains:
"As spending increases across digital channels, simply reaching more people isn't enough."
While greater investment presents new opportunities, brands need a clearer understanding of where those opportunities exist, which audiences matter most and when consumers are most likely to act.
With AI continuing to reshape the marketing landscape, the focus is increasingly shifting towards how brands can use intelligence to make more informed decisions.
More investment doesn't automatically mean better outcomes.
As marketing budgets increase, brands need to ensure their spending is informed by meaningful audience understanding rather than focusing solely on greater reach.
Understanding audience behaviour is essential.
Real-world behavioural intelligence can help brands identify changing consumer needs, motivations and opportunities for engagement.
Relevance and timing matter.
Reaching the right audiences at moments when their mindset and intent align with what a brand has to offer can help make marketing investment more effective.
Ultimately, the opportunity for brands lies not simply in spending more, but in using better intelligence to understand where, when and how to connect with consumers.
Read more in Performance Marketing World: IPA Bellwether — AI is supercharging media quality and performance at the same time.
Want to explore how geo-behavioural intelligence can support smarter media planning and activation? Get in touch with Mobsta.