The global advertising market is expected to grow by £38.6 billion year-on-year to close 2024 at £609 billion, according to Dentsu’s latest global ad spend forecast.
This increase would mark growth of 6.8% compared to 2023, having been recently upwardly revised following the return of digital ad spend to double-digit growth (+10.7%), the impact of sporting and political events, and improved outlooks across the US, UK, Brazil, and France.
Growth in ad spend is expected to cool slightly in 2025 however, expanding at a slower 5.9% – though still predicted to outpace the global economy by 2.7 percentage points.
The Americas is set to remain the most active region into 2025, with expected growth of 6.3% (accounting for 47% of total global spend), followed by Asia-Pacific (+5.8%, 31.0%) and EMEA (+5.0%, 22.0%).
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“Our 2025 forecast underscores the pivotal role of media in today’s economy. Data-driven and digital-first media investment strategies continue to reshape how brands connect with consumers,” said Dentsu global practice president – media, Will Swayne.
“The surge in algorithmic media capabilities will drive fresh opportunities for brands to engage meaningfully and effectively with existing and new customers. Media investment strategy is key to transformation and growth as brands keep pace with evolving consumer behaviours,” he added.
According to the global agency’s report, retail media will continue to play a leading role in 2025 – with the sector expected to grow by a considerable 21.9%. Paid social (+8.7%) and paid search (+6.7%) will also benefit from an increased spend.
As this momentous international election year draws to a close, political ad spend is unsurprisingly expected to fall sharply, with finance set to lead the way as the fastest growing sector in 2025 (+6.4%), followed by travel and transport (+5.5%).
