In 2020, advertising spending in Mexico is expected to amount to 78.1 billion Mexican pesos. That would signify a drop of 7.7 percent compared to the spending of 84.62 billion recorded in 2019. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

In light of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak many industries had to revise basic market indicators and adjust their future outlooks. And so the global media spending is projected to amount to 691.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 - some 20 billion dollars lower than previously expected for this year. Following this change the future forecasts are also adjusted downwards by roughly the same amount.

In April 2020, advertisers and marketers in the United States were asked about which of selected issues caused by the coronavirus outbreak were major drivers of their decision to either increase o decrease advertising spending. According to 42 percent of respondents, change in media consumption behavior influenced their decision to increase ad spend, while 56 percent said that changes in consumer spending behavior steered them to decease their ad expenditures.

In North America, internet advertising spending grew by approximately 33 percent in 2021, compared to 2020. Up until 2020, the internet had been the fastest growing ad medium in North America. Cinema advertising growth remained consistent between 2012 and 2019 and it is expected to return to quite similar levels by the end of 2023, after rebounding from a significant decrease due to COVID-19 in 2020.

North American ad spending

In 2021, North America invested a total of over 296 billion U.S. dollars in advertising. The continent’s total ad expenditures have been increasing steadily since 2009. Over the coming years, after the drop in spending resutling from the coronavirus impact, the figures are expected to reach about 378 billion U.S. dollars in 2024.

North American media ad spending

Based on market data, various media are employed for advertising purposes in North America. The continent spent approximately 190 billion U.S. dollars on internet advertising in 2021, the largest and fastest-growing medium. In contrast, advertisers in North America have spent less on newspaper promotion with each consecutive year, spending just over 8 billion U.S. dollars in 2021.

About 44 percent of Italian professionals working in the advertising industry estimated the ad spending to decrease by more than 30 percent over the first semester of 2020, a survey revealed. According to 31 percent of them, the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) will result in a decrease between 20 and 30 percent of the spending in advertising.

After the coronavirus outbreak in Sweden, spending on cinema advertising significantly fell in the Scandinavian country. While the cinema ad spending grew by more than 50 percent in January 2020 compared to the same period a year earlier, in May and June 2020, expenditures on this medium decreased by 100 percent. Afterwards, the market seemed to slowly recover again and the decline rate amounted to 82.6 percent as of September that year. In the last three months of 2020, the rates dropped again and amounted to minus 100 percent in December.

The first case of the coronavirus in Sweden was confirmed on February 4, 2020. As a result of the situation, theater performances, museums, concerts, as well as cinemas were forced to close or be canceled as of March 27, 2020. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Fact and Figures page.

Chinese media advertising market would very likely experience the slowest growth in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Print ads would suffer the most as the market demand fell during the lockdown period in the country. In comparison, digital ad spending was estimated to reach 81 billion U.S. dollars in China in 2020, with a slightly lower growth rate at 13 percent.

During a survey carried out in Mexico in November 2020, approximately 22 percent of responding advertisers stated they increased their advertising spending in 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, 64 percent of interviewees said their ad spending decreased in 2020. A June 2020 forecast projected that total advertising spending in Mexico in 2020 would fall by 22 percent compared to the value reported in 2019.

Over the course of the next two weeks from mid-February 2021, consumers in the United States intended to increase their spending on groceries and food for home by nearly 20 percent and household supplies by roughly four percent. Shoppers stated that they expected to decrease their spending for most product categories. Spending on jewelry and accessories was expected to be reduced the most over the measured period.

How was shopping behavior influenced by the pandemic?

Over the many weeks and months since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began, consumers around the world and in the United States had exhibited changes in their shopping behavior. In early 2021, specifically, an estimated 85 percent of American shoppers reported that the crisis impacted their usual shopping habits. Some of the changes seen over the past year included reduced spending, an increased interest in online shopping, the use of home delivery options, as well as a decreased convenience store shopping frequency.

What industries were hit the hardest?

During the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, consumers had spent far less than usual on all kinds of items, including out-of-home entertainment, apparel, jewelry, and accessories. Between March and May 2020, related sectors, such as motor vehicles and parts dealers as well as clothing and accessory stores, had seen a heavy decline in sales in contrast to the previous year. By the end of 2020 and the first months of 2021, however, many of the industries had once again experienced positive sales growth numbers.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

It was calculated that the total advertising expenditure in North America in 2021 amounted to about 297.5 billion U.S. dollars. However, the spending increased by nearly 19 percent that year, after decreasing by just above one percent in the previous year due to the impact of the coronavirus. Advertising spending in the United States The United States is the largest advertising market in the world, with ad spending amounting to 250 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. Looking at breakdowns of expenditures by medium, in 2021 and 2025, approximately 153 billion U.S. dollars were directed towards internet ads in 2021, which is estimated to increase even further in 2025. This was followed by over 72 billion U.S. dollars spent on ads on TV in 2021 and is expected to increase by roughly 10 billion in 2025. Advertising spending in Canada The advertising market in Canada is also following the global growth trend. Media spending in Canada has been steadily growing since 2012, reaching 11.8 billion U.S. dollars in net ad spend in 2019. Unsurprisingly, in 2020, when the global advertising market was affected by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, the Canadain market also suffered. That year ad spend in the country fell to 10 billion U.S. dollars. Nonetheless, once the industry returns to normal, data on specific media expenditures in Canada suggest that the rise of the digital channels is evident in the country, as the advertising dollars are being directed towards the internet, while traditional media such as magazines and newspapers will be seeing less and less investments in the near future.

In April 2020, the majority of survey respondents expected the volume of the advertising market in Russia to decline in the second quarter of 2020 by 30 to 40 percent in comparison with the same period in 2019. Another 10 percent of respondents believed that the decline would be as high as 80 percent. The global ad spend was estimated to decrease by 20 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

As of early March 2020 sources predict that the advertising industry in the United States will experience losses of 26 billion U.S. dollars in revenue. This figure represents a decline of 10.6 percent according to market analysts. For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.

The net ad-spend in Romania for every medium was lower after COVID-19 estimations compared to the estimations made before the impact of the pandemic. For example, net radio advertising expenditure was expected to amount to 31 million euros and dropped to 20 million euros as a consequence of the coronavirus.

In April 2020, advertisers and marketers in the United States were asked how they perceived the decrease in ad spend caused by the coronavirus outbreak would impact their business in the upcoming quarters. According to 86 percent of respondents cuts in ad spend were going to have a major impact on business in the second quarter of 2020, but only six percent said the same about the first quarter of 2021, which means industry professionals seem rather optimistic about the future of advertising despite the rough start into the year.

About 30.7 percent of Italian professionals working in the advertising industry estimated the marketing spending to decrease by more than 30 percent over the first semester of 2020, a survey revealed. The marketing activities included consultancy, use of marketing digital technologies, and market research. According to another 30.7 percent, the lockdown imposed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) will result in a decrease between 20 and 30 percent of the spending in advertising.

Almost half of Americans cut their spending due to concerns about the economy as a result of COVID-19. A further 15 percent did so, because of concerns over the stock market. The coronavirus pandemic caused over 150,000 deaths worldwide as of April 2020, as well as many job losses and stock market losses.

A report from May 2020 estimated the change of ad spending on specific categories due to coronavirus worldwide, using data from companies across 96 markets as well as investment data and earning releases. Comparing the predictions made in 2019 pre-pandemic, the ad spending on i.e. telecoms and utilities went from an original 8.5 percent to 4.3 percent growth. Other categories are believed to experience an even stronger drop in growth, such as financial services for which the ad spend growth predictions declined from 11.8 percent to -18.2 percent.

In 2023, media advertising spending decrease by 1.2 percent in Sweden. During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the expenditure decreased by 4.5 percent.

As of May 31, some 49 percent of respondents in the United States stated that they spend less than usual on clothing due to the pandemic. Have a look at the statistic on products and services people spend more on due to the COVID-19 pandemic from the same survey.

The advertising industry in the United Kingdom (UK) will be impacted hard by the coronavirus outbreak in 2020. Forecasts from WARC and the AA predict a 16.7 percent decline in total advertising expenditure growth, although some media will come out of 2020 in an even worse situation. Cinema could see negative growth of 33.6 percent in 2020.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.