Cost of Chaos Report | Chapter 1

Right now, marketing leaders are wasting millions, losing deals, and burning credibility.

They aren't bad at their jobs; the system is broken.
So, what is the impact for marketers? Not only are they losing 15% of potential revenue but the sales cycle is 30% longer (Forrester) and the customer acquisition costs are 36% higher (McKinsey). That’s not bad luck. That’s a broken model.

Whether it’s unguided marketing, siloed teams, or service-level metrics, the research shows that 
the majority of marketers (53%) agree their work environment feels chaotic. This is significant, given the scale and complexity of modern marketing functions.

This sentiment is echoed by Claire-Louise Green, Vice President of Marketing 
at Adobe EMEA, around the level of chaos the marketing sector is facing:

What's driving chaos?

B2B marketing didn’t collapse into chaos overnight. Complexity has been building for years, accelerated by global shocks, buyer evolution, and internal inertia.

Chaos in marketing isn't sporadic, it's the default context. Geopolitical instability is driving volatile budgets, economic uncertainty is forcing CFOs to squeeze every cent, or AI disruption is rewriting the rules overnight (Forrester, Gartner, 6Sense, Deloitte). These external pressures have been building for some time.

But internal challenges have also muddied the waters for marketers. Data silos blocking a single customer view, teams running in parallel instead of in sync, and measurement gaps leaving marketing’s value unproven have all culminated in chaos. The bottom line? The world’s moved on, but operating models haven’t.

External disruption is unavoidable. Internal chaos is optional. And preventable.

The result? 

Fragmented environments over unified focus. Reactive priorities over 
proactive planning. Urgency over strategy. Short-term fixes over long-term goals.

The hard cost of 
chaos on the business

Our data shows that chaos is impacting business performance, with missed opportunities (32%), stalled deals (29%) and inconsistent quality of work (33%) and all cited by approximately one in three marketers.

In terms of wider business impact, Gartner discloses that 77% of B2B buyers describe their most recent purchase as “very complex or difficult” and 80% experience some form of post-purchase regret (Gartner). Insight from The B2B Institute reveals the biggest problem is agreeing on a decision, as more than 40% said deals get stuck due to lack of consensus. All of this translates to lost revenue, slower growth, and negative influence on consumer trust.

How do you experience chaos?

The cost to wellbeing cuts deep

The effects of chaos aren’t just operational; they impact teams emotionally. Stress and fatigue dominate the landscape for marketers.

In the US, 40% say chaos is causing burnout or fatigue. Meanwhile in the UK, 
over a third of respondents (34%) cite heightened stress as a consequence 
of chaos.

And the coping mechanisms tell their own story. Marketers are working extra 
hours (38%), missing breaks (39%), and deprioritising long-term activities (34%). These behaviours point to a culture of overwork and focus on the short term, with little time for reflection or strategic planning for incoming priorities.

How are you responding to chaos across the organisation?

Chaos impacts wellbeing too. Over a third of marketers (35%) rate their quality of sleep as poor. Sleep deprivation has serious fallout, affecting creativity, decision making and resilience, which are all critical for success.

How do you rate your quality of sleep?

The human cost of chaos is not just an HR concern; it’s a strategic risk. 
In a sector where agility and creativity drive growth, chaos undermines both performance and culture.