Canadian ad spend is expected to grow by 2.3 per cent this year, a faster increase than any other global market, according to biannual forecasts just released by Dentsu Aegis Network, an international digital advertising group. In 2017, Canadian ad spends remained flat.
Digital, especially mobile advertising, is driving the growth as smartphones are becoming Canadians’ primary access point to services and content. More than half, 52.2 per cent, of all online traffic comes from mobile devices according to Statista. Driving this trend is the widespread availability of high-quality digital video. And so, mobile will represent a quarter of global ad spend, 25.2 per cent, this year.
Worldwide digital media spend will increase by 12 per cent in 2018. This is more than three times the rate of all media, 3.9 per cent. Online video (+24.6 per cent) and social media (+21.6 per cent) are particularly strong. Paid search continues to account for the largest share of digital (39 per cent).
TV ad spend down
This year, for the first time ever, brands will spend more on digital ads, 38.4 per cent, than on TV, 35.5 per cent, according to the Dentsu Aegis Network forecast.
So it’s clear that paid media is playing an increasingly important role in brand communications. Yet many corporate campaign strategies are still overly reliant on traditional PR methods and struggle to achieve objectives and demonstrate ROI.
Advice to in-house corporate communications teams: ignore paid at your own peril.
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