INFOGRAPHIC

Quarterly Global Advertising Spend Trends: Q3 2025

Q3 2025 Advertising Trends By Industry Vertical

PubMatic’s Quarterly Ad Spend report was created to provide both publishers and advertisers with insights into the changing trends of the advertising industry. Here are the key digital trends from Q3 2025’s advertising spend data.

AD SPENDING CHANGE BY ADVERTISER CATEGORY

Q3 2025, YoY

Overall programmatic ad spend remained stable YoY, with spend rising slightly, +1%, while total paid impressions grew +8% YoY signaling modest efficiency gains. Video was a driver of this growth, with Connected TV (CTV) driving even stronger momentum — underscoring the continued shift in audience and advertiser migration from static formats toward streaming-focused environments. Family & Parenting, News, and Pets categories all posted robust year‑over‑year gains, building on already exceptional growth in Q1 and Q2. Seasonal slowdown: Home & Garden and Food & Drink dipped in Q3, with an expectation of a Q4 rebound as holiday campaigns ramp up.

LARGEST ADVERTISER AD SPEND INCREASES DURING Q3, BY CATEGORY

Careers advertising rebounded meaningfully within the quarter up — despite remaining down YoY. The late‑quarter lift mirrors the charted upward trend, indicating renewed activity in hiring campaigns and job platforms after a subdued first half in 2025. Pets maintained one of the strongest growth trajectories across categories, with strong inter‑quarter and YoY growth. Steady spend escalation through Q3 highlights advertiser confidence in this consistently high‑performing, and uniquely resilient vertical. Arts & Entertainment showed strong inter‑quarter surge alongside moderate YoY gains, signaling a rebound from earlier softness as brands leaned into cultural and live‑experience marketing during late Q3.

SMALLEST ADVERTISER AD SPEND INCREASES DURING Q3, BY CATEGORY

Family & Parenting saw an exceptional 4x YoY increase but a steep inter‑quarter decline, as advertisers pulled back after record spikes earlier in the year. This late‑quarter drop indicates budget normalization following unusually high Q1 and Q2 growth levels. Home & Garden remained under pressure throughout 2025, posting consistent YoY declines each quarter and continued to cool during Q3, reflecting persistent softness in consumer remodeling and décor spending. Food & Drink remained largely stable, posting a modest inter‑quarter decline, consistent with typical late‑summer seasonal patterns, before the category’s expected double‑digit rebound in Q4 as holiday and year‑end promotional activity ramps up.

MORE INSIGHTS

Explore the latest trends in video ad inventory, or check out our rolling 4 quarter lookback on select categories for seasonal trends.

PubMatic’s data analytics team analyzes over 1 trillion global advertiser bids on a daily basis, utilizing the company’s best-in-class analytics capabilities. This snapshot is based on PubMatic-sourced operational data. Advertiser category definitions are aligned to IAB’s content taxonomy categories​

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