Digital ad spend growing 3X faster than overall ad spend. Advertising has evolved in the last few years as peoples’ content consumption preferences has changed. It has evolved from print to television (starting from 1990s) to digital platforms (from 2008 onwards). Advertising has typically lagged the user interest by a few years as advertisers wait for the medium to reach a critical mass before using it for advertising.
Over $14 Bn were spent on advertising in 2018, which is growing with ~10% CAGR. Digital advertising, which was 12-15% of overall ad spend in 2015 is growing at 3 X pace (~30%) accounting for 20-25% in 2018. Digital ad spend is expected to account for 32-35% of overall ad spend by 2021, which will create an additional ~$3.3 Bn spend on digital. There are multiple drivers of growth for the digital ad industry:
Growth Drivers
• Ever-growing engaged user-base
• Ability to target specific segments
• Low entry barrier for advertisers compared to TV
These growth drivers are likely to propel the digital ads industry to become a ~$7 Bn opportunity by 2021.