Advertising Markets

Aron · January 8, 2026, 8:18pm

I=5
Dentsu forecasts global advertising spend will grow 5.1% y/y in 2026, with U.S. ad spend growing 5.0%

It forecasts digital advertising will grow 6.7%, with retail media ad spend growing 14.1%, online video at 11.5% and social at 11.4%.
According to Forrester, Dentsu manages $27 billion in media global billings.

moritz · January 12, 2026, 3:22pm

Do any of those new releases change your estimates and calculations in the valuation model?

Aron · January 12, 2026, 3:35pm

No, they align with my revenue estimates.

Aron · January 22, 2026, 2:31pm

I=6
WPP raised their global ad spend growth rate forecast for 2025 to 8.8% in December from 6% in June

WPP said in December that they expect global ad spend (excluding U.S. political advertising) to grow 8.8% y/y in 2025 to $1.14 trillion, raising its forecast from 6% predicted in June.
It forecasts global ad spend to grow 7.1% in 2026, up from 6.1% predicted in June.
WPP said AI is driving ad spend since some businesses are championing cost savings from ad creation into new ad buys.
WPP is one of the largest advertising and marketing services companies. In 2024, it generated a revenue of £14.7 billion, with 85% of revenue coming from Global Integrated Agencies which include media placements and creative services.