Customer-acquisition media budgets are growing faster as marketers race to adopt artificial intelligence, according to new findings from Gartner reported by Marketing Dive.

The research signals a shift in where marketing dollars go: brands are pushing spend toward winning new customers rather than defending existing relationships, and the acceleration coincides with broad industry investment in AI-powered marketing technology.

What does the trend mean for media budgets?

Gartner's data, as surfaced by Marketing Dive, points to acquisition-focused media taking a larger share of spend. The driver is straightforward: AI tools promise cheaper targeting, faster creative production and better conversion modeling, which lowers the perceived cost of chasing new customers.

For operators, that translates into:

• Rising competition and pricing for acquisition-oriented ad inventory
• Continued budget pressure on retention and brand-building channels
• Faster procurement cycles for AI-enabled campaign tooling

Who is spending, and on what?

The Gartner findings arrive amid a wider industry pattern: marketers are reassigning budget from conventional media line items toward technology and data capabilities, with AI as the stated justification. Marketing Dive's coverage frames the acceleration as part of that broader reallocation rather than an across-the-board budget boom.

The report lands at a moment when marketing leaders face dual pressure — boards want AI adoption plans, and finance teams want measurable acquisition returns. The Gartner data suggests the acquisition side is winning that tug-of-war inside budget meetings.

What should marketers watch next?

The open question is efficiency. Higher acquisition spend justified by AI capability only holds if cost-per-customer actually falls. If inventory prices climb faster than AI-driven efficiency gains, the acceleration could flatten quickly.

Watch for follow-up Gartner releases tracking whether acquisition spend growth sustains through subsequent quarters, and whether AI adoption delivers measurable cost advantages at scale.

This article is based on Marketing Dive's coverage of Gartner's findings.