Tag: WARC

Global ad market prospects further downgraded as retailers, automakers cut ad budgets and Chinese brands redirect spend due to US trade tariffs

Stuart Mitchell

A new study from WARC, the experts in marketing effectiveness, has found that global advertising spend is now on course to grow 6.2% this year to $1.16trn, a downgrade of half a percentage point (pp) from WARC’s March forecast due to growing market volatility. Key sectors such as retail (-6.1%) and automotive (-4.0%) are set to cut ad spend this year, while ad spend growth across technology and CPG brands is muted compared to previous rates. James McDonald, Director of Data, Intelligence & Forecasting, WARC, and author of the research,…

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Amazon retail media ad revenue to exceed $60bn this year as it becomes a leading platform for full-funnel activation

Stuart Mitchell

Unlike its Big Tech peers, Amazon’s advertising revenue claims only a small share of total company earnings. Paid search formats remain the core of Amazon’s ad offering, but the company has achieved incremental growth through upper-funnel ad spend and is seeing ad revenue, set to exceed $60bn in retail media alone this year, outpace its overall growth, finds WARC. Alex Brownsell, Head of Content, WARC Media, co-author of the report, says: “E-commerce giant Amazon offers more than retail media advertising—it’s quickly becoming a leading platform for full-funnel activation, with streaming…

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Grand Prix winners for the WARC Awards 2025 go to India, Netherlands, Spain and USA

Stuart Mitchell

The highest accolades of the The WARC Awards for Effectiveness 2025, in association with LIONS, are announced. The awards honour the best marketing campaigns from across the globe that deliver strategic brilliance and effective impact to drive commercial success. Five Global Grands Prix have been awarded following a rigorous judging process and much deliberation by the Grand Prix awarding jury, made up of all five regional jury chairs and other jury members, representing Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Latin America and North America.  Selected from 20 regional gold-winning entries,…

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AI accelerates advertising measurement, but advertisers still lack a complete view of ROI

Stuart Mitchell

As measurement continues to evolve, WARC, the global authority on marketing effectiveness, has today released The Future of Measurement 2025, a report that explores the latest emerging trends in media and creative measurement. It focuses on three key areas: the growth of marketing experiments, the price measurement gap, and the rise of AI-powered creative testing.  Paul Stringer, Managing Editor Research and Insights, WARC, says: “Once considered the preserve of more advanced advertisers, the next 12 months in marketing measurement will be defined by a growing democratisation of tools and methods.…

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UK Advertising records £42.6bn spend in 2024

Stuart Mitchell

The latest Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report, published today, shows that the UK’s ad market recorded a 10.4% increase in investment to a total of £42.6bn in 2024. The latest dataset shows online formats, when combined, grew 13.2% last year with £4 in every £5 of ad budgets now spent online.  New AA/WARC forecasts show advertising is expected to rise by 6.3% to reach £45.2bn in 2025. Further growth is forecast for 2026, with an anticipated rise of 5.6% lifting the UK ad market’s value to £47.8bn next year. April’s forecasts have seen…

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