At the beginning of 2025, the IAB Outlook Study 2025 was published, a comprehensive report on advertising expenditure forecasts, key challenges, and market development strategies in the USA. The analysis is based on a survey conducted among decision-makers on the brand and agency side, presenting both opportunities and threats that will shape the industry in the coming months.

The American market has been shaping global advertising trends for years – the changes observed across the ocean often reach Europe, including Poland, with a slight delay. Therefore, it is worth examining the latest findings to better prepare for the market’s evolution in our region.

Key Trends and Changes in 2025

– Continued growth in advertising expenditure, but at a slower pace.

  In 2025, advertising budgets in the USA will grow by 7.3% year-on-year, indicating a slowdown compared to 2024 (+11.8%), when expenditures were driven by cyclical events such as the presidential elections and the Olympic Games.

– Digital channels leading the growth.

  The highest investment increases are observed in:

  – CTV (connected TV): +16.3%
  – Social media: +13.1%
  – Retail media (advertising on e-commerce platforms): +12.5%

– Strong focus on performance marketing and customer acquisition.

  Brands in the USA prioritize efficiency and quick returns on investment – as many as 62% of companies prioritize acquiring new customers. This will translate into further increases in spending on performance marketing at the expense of branding activities.

– Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) is permanently integrated into advertising strategies.

  As many as 80% of marketers actively use or test AI tools for campaign planning and optimization. Artificial intelligence is becoming the standard, but its implementation requires caution – half of the companies have introduced quality control and human oversight mechanisms to mitigate the risk of errors and misinformation.

– Measuring campaign effectiveness – the biggest challenge for the industry.

  Advertisers in the USA struggle with issues related to measuring cross-platform effectiveness. 41% of companies point to the lack of consistent measurement standards across different channels as a key problem, with particular challenges in the video advertising sector.

What Does This Mean for the Polish Advertising Market?

Since advertising trends in the USA often precede European markets by a few years, similar changes can be expected to gradually become visible in Poland as well.

– Continued growth in digital advertising spending, especially in CTV and retail media.
– Greater emphasis on performance marketing and quick returns on investment.
– Widespread use of AI for campaign planning and optimization.
– Growing need for better cross-platform measurement tools.

For Polish advertisers, this means the necessity of thoughtful budget allocation and implementing advanced analytical tools. The advertising world is changing dynamically – it is therefore worth following the American market and drawing inspiration for future actions.

Below, we present details on the key trends observed in the American market as presented in the report.