Tag: WARC

UK Advertising Investment Rises 9.3% to £11.7BN in Q1 2026

Stuart Mitchell

The Advertising Association and WARC have recently published the latest quarterly advertising Expenditure Report, revealing that UK advertising investment increased by 9.3% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, reaching a total of £11.7 billion. The latest report – drawn from a survey of media owners and the industry bodies that represent them – highlights a diverse media landscape where advertisers are actively investing across a variety of established and emerging formats. The Q1 2026 figures show broad-based growth as businesses make the most of the full breadth of the…

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Global consumer agentic AI spending will soar to $3.35trn in 2030

Stuart Mitchell

Marketing is operating in an age of abundance. Today’s consumers face more content and choices than they have the attention or means to manage. AI agents are emerging as fundamental tools to help consumers cut through the noise and make decisions faster. New research by PHD in partnership with WARC reveals how quickly they are reshaping the customer journey.  The study finds that total agent-facilitated consumer spending will triple from $944bn this year to $3.35trn in 2030. While consumers will still make most purchase decisions on their own in the…

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YouTube is worth $40bn to advertisers but revenue growth is decelerating

Stuart Mitchell

YouTube has become one of the world’s most powerful advertising ecosystems, now competing directly with linear TV for living-room attention. It has around 2.6 billion monthly users and annual revenue exceeding $60bn in 2025, of which more than $40bn is attributed to advertising, according to WARC Media.  However, the platform’s ad business growth is slowing, and it finds itself under pressure from rivals such as Netflix and TikTok.   WARC Media’s Iatest Platform Insights report examines YouTube’s ad revenue trajectory and competitive position, how and where audiences are consuming content, and…

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The brands creating the strongest creative outcomes are combining the power of AI with the power of community

Stuart Mitchell

Creativity has entered a new era. Generative AI is transforming how marketing ideas are developed, adapted, and scaled. But real advantage comes from creative that is most relevant, resonant, and connected to the people it is designed to reach.  The brands creating the strongest creative outcomes are increasingly combining the power of AI with the power of community. They’re using participation as intelligence, turning cultural signals into activation, and building creative systems that continuously learn from the audiences they serve. This creates an “intelligence loop” that gives brands a compounding…

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New outlook shows Gulf Crisis still threatens $94bn of incremental ad investment worldwide over next 18 months

Stuart Mitchell

A new study from WARC, the experts in marketing effectiveness, has found that a prolonged conflict in the Gulf region could threaten $39.6bn of global advertising growth this year, and $93.7bn over the next 18 months.   James McDonald, Director of Data, Intelligence & Forecasting, WARC, and author of the research, says: “As the Gulf Crisis stretches into its fourth month, global markets are now in damage limitation mode as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz acts like a tax on consumers, lifting prices and squeezing real spending power.   “If…

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