The story of the economic K-shaped recovery from the pandemic was driven by a huge surplus in consumer spending, and that has translated to a big rebound in growth for digital advertising. Covid was a brief pause that slowed digital spending upward growth trend only a little, and 2021 came roaring back with 35% growth, the highest growth since 2006. The industry is sitting at $189 billion and would easily surpass $200 billion in the next year if it keeps pace. The fastest-growing category was podcasts and streaming ads as they grew by almost 60%. Most firms are pushing to be where consumers are making the most transactions and that’s been digital. Consumer spending stalwarts like Walmart and CVS have made more avenues for digital ads and more ways to reach consumers with better data channels.
