The Q1 2026 survey highlights a mixed outlook for the sector. While overall optimism among agencies remains positive at +11%, expectations for marketing spend for 2026 have weakened, with the sentiment index falling to 46 (down from 68 in November 2025), indicating continued pressure on client budgets. 

Despite external pressures, confidence remains strong. Agencies report positive sentiment around new business acquisition, employee recruitment, and turnover growth. Expansion of services (47%) has emerged as the leading opportunity for growth, followed by technology and innovation (37%) and creativity/differentiation (32%). 

However, structural challenges persist. Agencies cite concerns over the cost of doing business and regulatory compliance, with attention focussed on regulations related to consumer brands (83%), public sector procurement (72%), AI and copyright (49%), influencers/social media marketing (46%), and public sector procurement (72%). 

Siobhán Masterson CEO of Iapi said: “The latest Pathfinder Pulse Survey results highlight how agencies continue to adapt despite a more challenging investment climate, and underline their readiness to embrace technology and innovation to seize new growth opportunities, including the expansion of services.” 

Iapi’s Pathfinder will continue to be published quarterly, forming part of Iapi’s broader commitment to evidence-led leadership, data-driven advocacy, industry visibility, and evidence-based policy engagement. It establishes a consistent benchmark for sector sentiment and serves as a trusted barometer offering timely insights into both industry sentiment and the broader business environment. 

About the Pathfinder Pulse Survey / Methodology: 

The third Iapi Pathfinder Pulse Survey was an online survey of CEOs from Iapi members. The questionnaire was designed in collaboration with Iapi and over 50% of Iapi Member CEOs took part in the research, representing two-thirds of member agencies. 

Investment in the commercial creativity industry (advertising, communications and marketing) is closely tied to business confidence. When businesses anticipate growth, they are more likely to invest in brand-building, customer acquisition, and strategic communications. Conversely, when uncertainty or financial strain takes hold, marketing budgets are often the first to be constrained. Because of this sensitivity, shifts in agency workloads, client budgets, and project pipelines captured by Pathfinder offer a real-time signal of changing economic sentiment across the business landscape. 

The diversity of Iapi’s member base, ranging from brand strategy and media planning to digital, PR, and experiential marketing, means that the survey captures input from firms serving multiple sectors, including retail, finance, tech, healthcare, and government. This breadth makes Pathfinder a uniquely valuable cross-sectoral indicator. 

As a quarterly tracker, it enables both the industry and external stakeholders—government departments, economic advisors, investors, and the media—to detect inflection points and track the trajectory of confidence, competitiveness, and innovation in the wider Irish economy.