Media Buying

Nearly $2 billion in US out-of-home (OOH) ad spend went to billboards in Q2, accounting for about three-fourths of OOH. That said, billboards’ share decreased by 9 percentage points with that money going to transit as commuters return to buses and trains.

Overall digital ad spending in the US is set to grow by 17.8% in 2022, a steep deceleration from 2021’s 38.3% boom but still ahead of 2020’s pandemic-skewed slowdown. Industry-level digital ad spending has mirrored these extreme swings in recent years—with individual highs and lows often spread far apart from the median. Starting this year, however, most industries will settle into more steady spending patterns closer to the national average.

Snap in survival mode: Snap is laying off some of its augmented reality hardware and software talent, stalling years of innovation and putting its leadership position in AR at risk.

Sony’s mobile play: A hoard of portable and console gaming titles positions PlayStation Studios Mobile Division as a key player in a gaming market that could reach $338 billion by 2030.

Allure becomes latest magazine to kill its print edition: A sign of the times—and an opportunity for Condé Nast's beauty pub to focus.

Samsung goes after more CTV ads with streaming revamp: Its ad-supported service gets more channels and shows, but competition looms.

Even The Washington Post feels the ad downturn: Long-standing problems with digital publishing are combining with lower ad spending to create a perfect storm for the industry.

Google and Meta have maintained a steady lead in digital ad revenues worldwide, ahead of the likes of Amazon, Twitter, and Snapchat. But that's not without their own growing pains. Both Meta and Google saw revenues dip by several billion dollars in Q1 of this year. Still, the companies are tens of billions of dollars ahead of triopoly competitor, Amazon, in digital ad revenues.

A controlled implosion is happening at Snap: The mass layoffs result in the loss of two key ad execs to Netflix.

Netflix’s ad-supported tier should cost $7 to $9: As questions are being answered, new ones are being asked about the customer experience.

Google looks to take a bigger cut of the digital OOH market: Programmatic is especially hot, and brands are taking notice.

Healthcare delivery went digital in 2020, and so did healthcare and pharma ad budgets. In fact, 2020 was the only year in which healthcare and pharma overindexed the overall market digital ad spending growth.

Amazon looks to increase awareness for its sports offering: Its Prime Video is partnering with DirecTV to bring Thursday Night Football to bars and restaurants.

On today's episode, we discuss who is most likely to win the short-video race, the significance of Lyft's new media division, the potential of Apple's ad business, whether buy now, pay later is too good to be true, Chewy's new insurance and wellness service CarePlus, an unpopular opinion about retail media, who's buying all the electric vehicles, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analysts Ross Benes, Blake Droesch, and Max Willens.

Twitter employee departures accelerate as Musk drama wears on: Uncertainty over company direction and stalled growth initiatives could be a turnoff to advertisers as well.

AI art can help and hurt advertisers: Several AI image generators have gained traction, but ethical problems could harm marketers who jump on board.

Potential privacy catastrophe: Oracle is accused of creating dossiers on billions of users and their personal information and making billions off the list in what could be a massive privacy violation.

Google’s new announcements should help the Connected TV channel grow: Purchasing CTV ads is getting easier and a little safer for buyers.