Based on data from the end of October of this year, it is estimated that digital ad spend will reach $248.72 billion by the end of 2022 in the US. This is an increase of 12.5% over last year, about one-third of last year’s increase of 37.2% from the pandemic. Digital ad spend is expected to comprise almost 72% of total ad spend for 2022. 

Although the economic climate has changed significantly from last year, there are some predictions about how digital ad spend will play out.

• Video will account for almost one-third of digital ad spend. Banners as a display ad format have been overtaken by video, primarily due to connected TV (CTV).
• As CTV grows, it will claim more of mobile ad spend – currently 68.4% of total digital while CTV is only 8.5%. It is anticipated that by 2026, CTV’s share will increase to 11.3%, while mobile’s share will decrease to 66.6%.
• While search is expected to account for just over 40% of digital ad spend in 2022, its growth will decrease over the next two years, with growth dropping from just under 17% this year to 7.4% in 2023.

The economic challenges of 3Q 2022 affected the performance of Big Tech, as did Apple’s AppTracking Transparency and the overall pall of uncertainty. While the largest share of display ad spend in the US goes to Meta, that share is expected to drop to 30.4% in 2024, down from 39.4% in 2021. Dollars formerly going to Meta will head to Amazon, TikTok and CTV.