Global ad market prospects upgraded following social media windfall
Why a second-quarter social media surge has compelled analysts to lift global ad spend forecasts—and what it means for digital marketing’s big players
Growth forecasts for advertising spend have been upgraded this year (+1.2pp to +7.4%) to $1.17trn the first uprating in more than 12 months.
Alphabet, Amazon and Meta are set to take a combined market share of 55.8% excluding China this year equivalent to $524.4bn rising to 56.2% in 2026.
Nine in ten dollars of ad market growth are going to online-only platforms.
Global ad market growth is expected to accelerate to 8.1% next year to a total of $1.27trn equivalent to $150 per capita.
A rise of 7.1% is predicted in 2027, with a market total of $1.36trn double that of the pandemic hit year of 2020.
WARC Global Ad Forecast Q3 2025 update: Pre-tariff windfall boosts 2025 growth
A new study from WARC, the experts in marketing effectiveness, has found that global advertising spend is now on course to grow 7.4% this year to $1.17trn, a marked upgrade of 1.2 percentage points (pp) from WARC’s June forecast due to an exceptional second quarter performance. A further rise of 8.1% is forecast next yea…
