1、A Snapshot of U.S.Ad Spend,Opportunities,and Strategies for GrowthJanuary 20262026 Outlook StudyCHANGE PICForeword03Key Insights04U.S.Ad Spend:Direction,Channels&Goals05The AI&Agentic Ad Opportunity11Recap&Whats Next16Appendix:Methodology&About IAB17Contents23 3The 2026 Outlook Study provides a defi
2、nitive snapshot of projected ad spend,opportunities,and challenges for the year ahead.The report delivers 2026 ad spend projections for the market overall and at the channel level,while offering insights into how media buyers are recalibrating growth strategies to navigate the adoption of AI and age
3、ntic AI,shifting consumer behavior,and rising performance pressure.With these insights,the ad industry can strategically prepare for 2026,benchmark their performance,and identify new opportunities to navigate a year where the industry finds itself transitioning from AI experimentation to AI being th
4、e core infrastructure powering media campaign execution.Foreword401Ad spend will post more growth in 2026(+9.5%)than we saw in 2025(+5.7%),accelerated by major cyclical events including the midterm elections,Olympics,and World Cup;removing the events lowers growth to a range of 7.1%-7.8%.Key Insight
5、s 405Led by double-digit increases in social media(+14.6%),CTV(+13.8%),and commerce media(12.1%),every digital channel will experience growth while linear TV will see less of its usual dip due to the major cyclical events.04Customer acquisition remains the top investment goal,but its priority is dec
6、lining.As spend grows overall,buyers are shifting toward repeat purchases driven by rising media costs and the need for profitable growth.03However,AIs expanding capabilities present buyers greatest challenges including adapting to AI-driven consumer behavior,understanding agentic AI ad buying,and a