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The news: Linear TV—already struggling amid the rise of digital—is at risk as US leaders across parties push for a crackdown on the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical ad market. Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pursuing policies that would require advertisers to disclose drug side effects more transparently or risk losing the ability to deduct ad spending from their taxes, per Bloomberg. Our take: Restrictions on pharma advertising would isolate linear TV from omnichannel budgets and put it at a greater disadvantage against more data-rich platforms, accelerating the shift to digital.

Australia’s digital landscape is evolving fast, driven by shifting consumer behaviors, increasing ecommerce adoption, and changing media habits. Recent data reveals trends shaping digital spending, retail sales, and more.

The news: As the 2025 economy tightens under the pressure of tariffs, AI disruption, and shifting global trade policy, brands are embracing adaptability. Retail growth forecasts have been slashed, inflation-wary consumers are scaling back, and even luxury sentiment is weakening. Our take: Resilient brands are leaning into agile planning, reallocating media spend to ROI-focused channels like search and digital out-of-home, and anchoring value in trust and quality—not just price. As emotional volatility shapes consumer decisions, marketers who show relevance and reassurance will lead. The brands that win won’t wait for stability—they’ll build strategies that succeed amid constant change.

Platform maturity can speed up adoption, as seen in China's dominance, which is fueled by the close integration of digital payments and ecommerce. Despite having a smaller market share, the US is gaining ground thanks to delivery services, supermarkets, and bargain stores, which suggests that brands are pursuing niche but highly motivated consumers.

ROAS is a widely used metric for advertisers to understand the effectiveness of their campaigns, and newly added data to Industry KPIs shows YoY changes in ROAS by industry. We recently added several important metric benchmarks to Industry KPIs, including cost per click (CPC) and ecommerce ad spend.

The news: Pinterest is partnering with Instacart to allow advertisers to power their campaigns using the latter’s first-party data—a move that will enhance the value of both companies’ ad platforms while advancing Pinterest’s shoppable ambitions. Our take: Pinterest’s ability to engage the all-important Gen Z cohort, along with its role as a source of inspiration and product discovery, is making it a more strategic asset for brands and retailers. As economic uncertainty drives companies to be more careful with their ad dollars, Pinterest’s ability to reach audiences at every stage of their customer journey—now bolstered by access to Instacart’s first-party data—positions it as an even more valuable partner.

Ultimately, Amazon’s ad platform appeal lies in its capabilities: full-funnel attribution, real-time optimization, and access to high-intent shoppers, all anchored by rich first-party data and integrated tools. This allows brands to precisely target, measure, and convert across channels, often generating double-digit gains in sales and efficiency.

Incrementality has always been the holy grail of retail media. But lately, it’s taken on greater importance as ad budgets are squeezed and retail media networks (RMNs) fight for their share of ad dollars.

Nearly $30 billion in ad spend will skip the ad triopoly: Meta, Google, and Amazon will see pullbacks as advertisers explore other options

That will be more than ad spending on all RMNs besides Amazon and Walmart, which will grow a still-healthy 33.2% over the same period. While some of this growth will come from incremental spending among advertisers, most commerce media networks are currently vying for shopper marketing budgets that RMNs have claimed with little competition.

Retailers looking to capitalize on retail media’s growth opportunities need to understand the market developments, formats, and challenges shaping ad spending in Latin America.

Social commerce is gaining momentum in the UK—with sales set to double by 2028—as major brands join TikTok and as more people shop on social platforms.

Retail has come off its lengthy run of outperforming overall US ad spending growth. While growth will dip below the average for all industries in 2024, the pace is set to pick up again in 2025 and 2026.

An example of the latter is Amazon Prime Video targeting using shopping history on the ecommerce platform. Additionally, retailers are opening their media networks to non-endemic buyers (brands that don’t usually sell through the retailer property but offer related products that appeal to certain user behaviors). In-store ad inventory also represents a growing opportunity.

As retail media’s share of digital ad spending continues to grow, brands that have not yet sorted out how their national, trade, and shopper dollars fit together will fall behind their competitors. Smaller RMNs will have to get better at telling their story. Small- and midsize advertisers remain open to experimenting with RMNs.