Marketing compliance is moving faster than ever.
How are organizations staying ahead?
Where are compliance teams hitting the biggest roadblocks?
How are marketing and compliance teams working together to minimize risk?
What impact is technology having on compliance efficiency?
The 2025 State of Marketing Compliance Report answers these pressing questions and more.
Here are the key marketing compliance trends you need to know.
- Small compliance teams are managing big responsibilities
- Manual compliance processes are slowing teams down
- Collaboration between marketing and compliance still needs improvement
- Compliance technology is top area of investment
- Automated and comprehensive compliance programs often lead to increased confidence
- Social media and email marketing are the most challenging channels to monitor for compliance
Small compliance teams are managing big responsibilities
Despite the critical role compliance plays, many organizations still rely on small teams of five or fewer.
This often leads to stretched resources and challenges such as:
- Keeping up with rapidly changing regulations
- Tackling manual, tedious review processes
- Maintaining comprehensive oversight across multiple channels
Given limited staff, it’s no surprise that manual processes remain a sticking point for many.
Manual compliance processes are slowing teams down
Many organizations still rely heavily on manual compliance workflows.
Time-consuming, manual methods create bottlenecks and increase the risk of human error. Our data shows that:
- 56% of respondents spend at least six hours per week on manual compliance monitoring
- 25% dedicate more than 20 hours each week to these tasks
Manual reviews not only slow compliance efforts but also create friction between teams. Without a more efficient process, approvals become a roadblock, delaying campaigns and increasing frustration across departments.
Collaboration between marketing and compliance still needs improvement
The good news is that many organizations have a structured process in place for marketing compliance review and approvals.
The bad news is that, despite collaboration efforts, these processes are still inefficient—56% of respondents describe their review process as time-consuming, requiring multiple rounds of approval.
Some common collaboration pain points include:
- Multiple approvers: Each stakeholder adds a layer of review, slowing time-to-market
- Growing content volume: As more marketing assets are produced, inefficiencies compound
- Communication gaps: Marketing wants speed, but compliance demands thoroughness
Compliance technology is top area of investment
To address inefficiencies, more organizations are prioritizing compliance technology over traditional solutions like additional staffing or consulting services.
In fact, investment in compliance technology now outpaces spending on headcount and legal services.
This marks a shift from previous years, where employee costs and legal services were the top compliance expenditures. Organizations are recognizing that technology can enhance oversight while reducing reliance on manual processes.
For those planning to increase their compliance budgets this year, technology is the top priority, followed closely by employee salaries and benefits.
But simply investing in technology isn’t enough—it’s how organizations implement and integrate compliance technology that truly impacts their success.
The difference between a fully automated, comprehensive compliance program and a semi-automated or manual approach is reflected in confidence levels among compliance teams.
Automated and comprehensive compliance programs often lead to increased confidence
The data shows a correlation between the perceived maturity of the compliance program (automated and comprehensive vs. semi-automated or basic and manual) and the level of confidence in these programs.
For those with automated and comprehensive programs, 60% of respondents reported high confidence, rating their programs a 9 or above.
In contrast, for those with basic and manual compliance programs, 64% of respondents expressed only low to moderate confidence in their programs.
As organizations expand their marketing efforts across multiple channels, maintaining consistent compliance oversight becomes even more complex.
Social media and email marketing are the most challenging channels to monitor for compliance
On average, organizations are using six different marketing channels, with email marketing, social media, print materials, and paid advertising.
But, respondents say that social media and email marketing pose the greatest compliance risks due to their high volume and real-time nature.
Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and TikTok allow for rapid content creation and engagement, making it difficult for compliance teams to review every post before it goes live.
Email marketing presents similar challenges, especially with personalized campaigns, third-party senders, and automated workflows.
Ensuring every email meets compliance standards and disclosure requirements—while keeping up with regulations like CAN-SPAM—can be overwhelming.
Using influencers and affiliates further complicates oversight, as companies don’t have direct control over the messaging. Even if content is reviewed and approved ahead of time, there’s no guarantee that it won’t get edited or changed before being published.
PerformLine: Your partner in marketing compliance
The current state of marketing compliance demands a smarter approach. PerformLine delivers a strategic solution designed to transform how organizations manage marketing compliance.
Our platform alleviates your biggest compliance headaches:
- Cut manual review time by hours each week
- Prevent costly compliance mistakes
- Get marketing campaigns approved and out the door faster
- Monitor social media, email marketing, affiliates, and other channels effortlessly
Marketing moves fast. Regulatory changes move faster. PerformLine ensures you stay ahead of both, protecting your brand while keeping your marketing momentum going strong.
Gianna Kennedy 
