The advertising market closed 2025 with clear signs of recovery and a more optimistic outlook for the coming years, both globally and in the Spanish market. This is reflected in the latest industry reports, which point to a short-term stabilization of investment and a new growth cycle driven mainly by digital advertising and major technology platforms.
At a global level, advertising investment grew by nearly 9% in 2025, reaching approximately $1.19 trillion. This growth was led by the strong performance of companies such as Google, Amazon, and Meta, which together account for more than half of global advertising investment outside China. The influence of these major technology players is expected to continue increasing in the coming years, setting the pace for the market and capturing the bulk of incremental growth.
This global momentum contrasts with a more subdued 2025 in Spain, where marketing and advertising investment showed weaker performance during the first half of the year. Nevertheless, data from the Trend Score, produced by the Spanish Association of Advertisers (AEA) and Scopen, point to clearly positive expectations for 2026.
According to this barometer, a growing share of advertisers plan to maintain or increase their budgets this year, while the number of companies anticipating cuts is declining. Specifically, nearly three in ten advertisers expect to increase their investment, reinforcing the perception that the market has bottomed out and is preparing for a gradual recovery.
Both globally and locally, digital advertising continues to be the main driver of growth. Formats such as social media, online video, display, and search account for the bulk of investment, driven by their strong measurement capabilities, targeting options, and performance orientation. In addition, areas such as retail media, e-commerce, and the use of data- and artificial intelligence–based technologies are gaining prominence in advertisers’ strategies.
By region, the United States continues to lead the global advertising market, while Europe shows solid performance, with notable growth in countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Italy. In this context, Spain ranks among the markets with the greatest growth potential, with performance aligned with the positive international trend.
Looking ahead to 2026 and 2027, forecasts are even more favorable: the global advertising market is expected to maintain a sustained growth pace, surpassing $1.3 trillion in 2026 and consolidating a new expansionary scenario after years of uncertainty. This is an environment in which digitalization, investment concentration, and data efficiency will continue to shape the direction of the industry.