Brands and marketers spend hundreds of billions of dollars on digital advertising each year, and their budgets continue rising. Since 2019, annual spending on search, video, banner, and influencer ads has more than doubled, pushing the five-year total to impressive highs. According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, brands and companies have spent over $3 trillion on digital ads in the past five years.
Search Ads Make Over 40% of Total Five-Year Spending
Over the years, the total spending on digital ads has outgrown the GDPs of some of the world`s developed economies, proving the shocking amount of money poured into this market each year. For instance, according to Statista Market Insights, brands and marketers will spend over $740 billion on digital advertising in 2024, 9% more than last year and more than the GDP of Poland, Argentina, or Sweden. Most of that value will go to one of the three largest players in the digital advertising landscape: Google, Meta, and Amazon, which generate over 60% of total market revenue.
While the $740 billion spent on digital ads is huge, it is still just a small portion of the money paid to digital advertisers in the past five years. Statistics show that since 2019, brands and marketers worldwide have spent a whopping $3.03 trillion on digital ads. Of this, 41% or over $1.2 trillion, was spent on search advertising, making it the top revenue stream. Video ads and banners followed, with over $700 billion in revenue each.
All other market segments were far below in total five-year spending. For instance, statistics show that brands and marketers spent over $130 billion on influencer ads since 2019, making it the fourth-largest revenue stream. Classifieds and audio advertising follow, with $101 billion and $43 billion, respectively.
In a global comparison, the United States has the largest digital advertising industry and the highest share in total ad spending. Statistics show that US companies generated $1.2 trillion, or 40% of the total market revenue, in the past five years. Far below, China and the United Kingdom follow with $770 billion and $184 billion, respectively.
Brands to Spend Another $3.5 Trillion on Search Ads by 2028
With digital advertising budgets rising and companies spending more and more on this type of promotion, the total ad spending will skyrocket in the following years. Statista expects brands and companies to spend another $3.5 trillion on digital ads by 2028, or half a trillion more than in the past five years.
The United States will keep its 40% market share, generating $1.45 trillion in total ad spending by 2028, 20% more than in the past five years. Statistics show the total ad spending in the Chinese market will grow by 16% in this period and hit almost $900 billion by 2028.
