Digital Ad Spend Surpasses 50% of Total Ad Spending in the U.S.

Published on
October 9, 2018
Contributors
Greg Swiszcz
gregswiszcz@vicimediainc.com

With over 19 years in advertising sales, and working with many agencies, Greg is very experienced with working with clients of all sizes. He has also seen our services work first hand. Having the exact same real life experience selling digital advertising as our clients, he brings his ability to relate to everyone. Working with our partners allows him to continue to help sales teams and agencies grow their business, and at the same time, supporting the growth efforts of the end client. Greg is Google Analytics Certified.

Subscribe to our newsletter
Read about our privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Earlier this year, eMarketer, Marketing-Interactive, and CNBC all predicted that digital ad spend would surpass 50% of advertising dollars in the U.S. Turns out they were right

Currently, according to MAGNA, digital ad spend in the U.S. will surpass 51%, 51.5% to be exact. That equates to about $160 billion dollars! That’s a lot of money

Leading the digital ad spend is mobile advertising, making up about 2/3 of that dollar amount, a 30% increase year over year. Maybe that has to do with how advanced mobile advertising is getting, and how capable businesses are able to reach their potential market. With our Mobile Conquesting product, our clients are able to start their campaign targeting any geographic area they want, targeting potential customers based on behavioral categories or based off of their location. In addition, they also have the ability to geo-fence their competitors, giving them an opportunity to advertise directly to their competition’s customers while they are there. Clients also use our geo-retargeting product to continue to target individuals who have been to their competitors’ locations



Joining mobile near the top of the list is social media and online video advertising, which both grew by 38 and 27 percent respectively. With Facebook’s tens of thousands of ways to target, their introduction of advertising in Messenger, their Audience Network, and their Custom Audience campaigns that they have the ability to run, Facebook is constantly reinventing itself to keep advertising fresh and new. Video advertising is continuing to gain momentum with the introduction of connected TV

So, why does it matter how much money is being spent in digital? The answer is because for businesses that want to compete, be relevant, and grow, digital is a great place to be. Consumers are spending more and more time online every single day. When they’re online, they are going to see an ad for someone. Why not have that ad be yours?

Related Posts

Tips, guides, industry best practices, and news.
Category Link
TikTok: Why Brands Can’t Afford to Skip the Scroll
TikTok has over 1 billion monthly active users globally. TikTok emphasizes quick, engaging, and easily shareable content, making it ideal for viral trends.
Jennaya Sullivan
September 24, 2025
Category Link
Faith-Focused Schooling, Data-Driven Results
This multi-level strategy has not only built a reliable pipeline of engaged families but also delivered results well above industry benchmarks!
Vici Team
September 18, 2025
Category Link
Why Now Is the Time for Beauty Brands
This policy shift is your cue. If you've been waiting to push that aesthetic, or raise the branding bar for beauty mavens, this is it.
Dan Charon
September 16, 2025