Brands Increase Media Spending In Final Months Of 2026
Advertisers are boosting media spending in the final months of 2026, driven by social platforms and retail media, according to Digiday. This trend may continue despite potential political shocks.
Original reporting · digiday.com
Original: “Media Buying Briefing: Brands push toward retail and social while buyers ponder storm clouds”
Read “Media Buying Briefing: Brands push toward retail and social while buyers ponder storm…” at Digiday →How this was written. Awesome B2B wrote this article with a language model from Digiday’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Digiday’s report
- Brands are increasing media spending in the final months of 2026, driven by social platforms and retail media.
- Agency holdcos such as Omnicom, Havas, and Publicis have reported positive growth in Q3.
- The growth in media spending is expected to continue, with a focus on performance and measurable results.
- Advertisers are prioritizing channels that can be directly tied to sales and revenue.
- Despite positive trends, there are concerns about potential external threats, including the midterm elections and consumer confidence.
Advertisers are increasing their media spending in the final months of 2026, with a focus on social platforms, video, and retail media channels. This shift is driven by the desire to reach consumers during the holiday season. Digiday reported that agency holdcos such as Omnicom, Havas, and Publicis have reported positive growth in Q3.
The growth in media spending is expected to continue, with Publicis Groupe CEO Arthur Sadoun predicting similar growth in the fourth quarter. The company reported 5% organic growth in Q3, while Omnicom charted 7.3% organic growth. Havas also reported positive growth, with 2.4% organic growth in Q3.
The increase in media spending is largely driven by social media, video, and search, with social media spend growing 21.3% in Q3. This trend is expected to continue, with brands prioritizing performance and measurable results. Advertisers are focusing on channels that can be directly tied to sales and revenue.
The quarterly IPA Bellwether survey found that 25.6% of marketers had raised their budgets in Q3, with spending on digital video and direct marketing increasing. This trend is expected to continue, with brands competing for market share during the crucial final quarter of the year.
Agency executives are seeing a surge in spending on social video and performance channels, with clients seeking to drive sales and revenue. The focus on measurable results is driving the growth in social media spending, with brands seeking to tie their ad spend directly to sales.
Despite the positive trends, there are concerns about potential external threats, including the midterm elections and consumer confidence. Advertisers are keeping a close eye on these factors, which could impact consumer spending and confidence.
Questions and answers
What is driving the increase in media spending?
The increase in media spending is driven by the desire to reach consumers during the holiday season, with a focus on social platforms, video, and retail media channels.
Which channels are seeing the most growth in media spending?
Social media, video, and search are seeing the most growth in media spending, with social media spend growing 21.3% in Q3.
What are the potential risks to the growth in media spending?
Potential external threats, including the midterm elections and consumer confidence, could impact consumer spending and confidence, and slow the growth in media spending.
