Global ad spend to rise faster than expected amid digital boom: WARC

Global ad spend to rise faster than expected amid digital boom: WARC

A “pre-tariff windfall” of activity and burst of spending on social platforms led to a surprise upward revision of the researcher’s 2025 forecasts.

Global ad market forecast upgraded as social media spend surges

Global ad market growth projections have been upgraded for the first time in over a year, with new data from WARC forecasting advertising spend will rise 7.4% to $1.17 trillion in 2025. The figure is 1.2 percentage points higher than June’s outlook, buoyed by a second quarter windfall for social media platforms. The WARC Global Ad Forecast Q3 2025 now predicts global ad spend will accelerate a further 8.1% next year, reaching $1.27 trillion, bef…

Global Ad Market Prospects Upgraded Following Social Media Windfall

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 to…