2025 Advertising Budget Shifts: CTV, Data-Driven, Influencer Media Surge as Legacy Media Continue Decline -- What Sales Leaders Need to Know
The Myers Report’s latest benchmark study, which surveyed media professionals responsible for future budget allocations, reveals insightful trends for 2025 media investments. Respondents were asked to estimate whether budgets for various media categories were increasing significantly, increasing somewhat, stable, decreasing somewhat, or decreasing significantly. The survey results are reported with a 90% confidence level, ensuring robust accuracy in the data, and are crucial for understanding shifting priorities across the advertising landscape.
This analysis identifies the top ten media categories experiencing growth and decline, based on the combined percentages of respondents reporting increasing significantly or somewhat and decreasing significantly or somewhat. Categories with the highest percentage of significant changes -- whether growth or decline -- are highlighted and explained in detail. Detailed charts for 20 media categories are shared below. Detailed reporting for The Myers Report subscribers and partners are aslo avaialbe, please email info@mediavillage.com for the detailed report.
Top 10 Growth Media Categories (Increasing Significantly/Somewhat)
- CTV/Streaming/OTT Video:
- 75% increasing: (24% significantly, 51% somewhat)
- CTV/Streaming/OTT Video leads all categories with the highest growth, driven by the shift to digital content consumption and the increasing availability of connected TV devices.
- 1st Party Data-Based Decisions:
- 64% increasing: (21% significantly, 43% somewhat)
- As privacy regulations grow, 1st party data continues to gain importance, allowing brands to personalize ads while respecting consumer data rights.
- Influencer Media:
- 63% increasing: (16% significantly, 47% somewhat)
- Social media and influencers remain powerful tools for brand engagement, particularly among younger audiences, leading to sustained investment in this category.
- Digital Video:
- 61% increasing: (14% significantly, 47% somewhat)
- The growth of online platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Stories supports strong demand for digital video content.
- Social Media:
- 60% increasing: (16% significantly, 44% somewhat)
- Social media remains a vital channel for brands to reach consumers, with platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn being used for both brand building and direct response.
- Diverse Owned/Operated Media:
- 59% increasing: (16% significantly, 43% somewhat)
- Increasing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion is prompting more brands to invest in media platforms owned by diverse creators and communities.
- Retail/Commerce Media:
- 59% increasing: (23% significantly, 36% somewhat)
- The rise of e-commerce and direct-to-consumer strategies is pushing retail and commerce-related media investments to new heights.
- Programmatic Advertising:
- 57% increasing: (15% significantly, 42% somewhat)
- Programmatic continues to evolve with better targeting and AI integration, leading to ongoing investment.
- Multicultural Media:
- 56% increasing: (12% significantly, 44% somewhat)
- As brands continue to target diverse audiences, multicultural media grows in importance, necessitating additional budget allocations.
- Advanced/Addressable TV:
- 55% increasing: (13% significantly, 42% somewhat)
- The precision and flexibility of addressable TV advertising, allowing targeted messaging, are driving budget increases in this space.
Top 10 Declining Media Categories (Declining Significantly/Somewhat)
- Editorial/Print Originated Content:
- 36% decreasing: (26% significantly, 10% somewhat)
- Print media continues its sharp decline, overtaken by digital and streaming formats that provide more measurable engagement.
- Linear Broadcast TV:
- 44% decreasing: (13% significantly, 31% somewhat)
- As more audiences migrate to on-demand streaming services, linear TV is rapidly losing advertising dollars.
- Linear Cable TV:
- 43% decreasing: (15% significantly, 28% somewhat)
- Similar to broadcast TV, cable is seeing shrinking investment due to competition from more flexible digital video platforms.
- Out-of-Home/Place-Based Media:
- 28% decreasing: (6% significantly, 22% somewhat)
- Although outdoor advertising has seen some resurgence, particularly in digital formats, traditional out-of-home media is still facing a decline.
- Digital Display:
- 21% decreasing: (3% significantly, 18% somewhat)
- As advertisers shift focus to video and social media, digital display ads are seeing less budget allocated.
- Audio/Radio:
- 29% decreasing: (5% significantly, 24% somewhat)
- Despite the growth of podcasts, traditional radio formats are experiencing declining ad budgets as digital audio platforms gain traction.
- Sponsorships/Branded Content:
- 16% decreasing: (4% significantly, 12% somewhat)
- Brands are favoring more measurable, performance-driven marketing strategies, resulting in reduced spending on sponsorships.
- Search:
- 12% decreasing: (2% significantly, 10% somewhat)
- While search remains critical for many brands, growth is slowing as digital advertising shifts towards visual and social formats.
- Gaming/Metaverse/e-Sports:
- 13% decreasing: (3% significantly, 10% somewhat)
- Though once viewed as the next frontier of advertising, gaming and metaverse platforms are still in their infancy for brand engagement, resulting in moderate declines.
- Innovation:
- 11% decreasing: (1% significantly, 10% somewhat)
- Despite the focus on AI and advanced technology, investment in “innovation” as a specific media category has experienced a slight downturn as brands focus on proven formats.
Analysis of Trends
The most notable trend is the continued dominance of digital media formats such as CTV/Streaming/OTT, social media, and digital video, all benefiting from increased user engagement and the ability to target ads precisely. This shift is reflective of broader industry analyses from eMarketer and MoffettNathanson, which confirm that streaming and digital platforms are poised for sustained growth.
Conversely, traditional formats like print, linear TV, and radio continue their downward trajectory as consumers gravitate towards on-demand, interactive, and personalized media experiences. This mirrors insights from industry giants like GroupM and IPG Mediabrands, which have reported similar declines in traditional media investment.
Overall, the data from The Myers Report reinforces the importance of digital transformation and the growing role of data in shaping advertising decisions. Brands that prioritize digital-first strategies, especially in high-growth categories like CTV and 1st Party Data, are likely to stay competitive in an increasingly fragmented media environment.
The Myers Report’s 2025 media investment survey highlights critical shifts in advertising priorities. The strong growth in digital media categories reflects broader industry trends that emphasize the value of data-driven, flexible advertising solutions. Meanwhile, the decline in traditional media channels signals a permanent shift in how brands allocate their budgets, favoring formats with greater targeting capabilities and measurable ROI. The clear winners are CTV, 1st Party Data, influencer media, digital video, and social media.
Disclaimer
The results presented in this report are based on a survey conducted by The Myers Report in June 2024, involving 3,462 advertising professionals. Individual media category spending forecasts were assessed by 143 to 606 respondents based on their responsibility for each category. While the respondent base is representative of the media advertising community, it is important to note that the results are influenced by the characteristics of those who volunteered to respond to the survey request. Participation was incentivized with offerings such as contributions to continuing education or college loan relief, an Oculus Quest, and $50 gift certificates. The survey responses are subject to self-selection bias, meaning those who chose to participate may differ in significant ways from those who did not. As a result, the findings may not fully represent the views and experiences of the entire industry. The incentives offered for participation may have influenced the respondent pool, attracting individuals who were motivated by these rewards. While efforts were made to ensure a diverse and representative sample, caution should be exercised when generalizing these results to the broader population of media advertising professionals. The data collected is based on self-reported information, which can be subject to inaccuracies or biases inherent in self-reporting. The Myers Report aims to provide valuable insights into the media advertising community through regular reports. However, readers should consider these limitations when interpreting the findings and making decisions based on this report.
