Media's Tomorrow Unveiled: Key Highlights from Day 1
The annual event "The Future of Media" by Adwanted kicked off today, bringing together industry leaders to discuss the evolving media and advertising landscape. One of the key discussions revolved around the growth of the digital advertising sector, with Omdia's Max Signorelli predicting that by 2029, the online ad market will constitute around 80% of global ad spend.
Within the online advertising space, several media channels are projected to have significant shares. Pure-play digital advertising is expected to dominate, accounting for about 73.2% of global ad revenue in 2025, a figure that is expected to rise to around 81.6% by 2030. Retail media, one of the fastest-growing digital segments, is projected to grow from $169.6 billion in 2025 to $252.1 billion by 2030, making up 18% of all ad revenue by the end of the decade.
User-generated content platforms, such as TikTok, YouTube, Kuaishou, and Instagram Reels, are also rapidly expanding their share. Creator-generated advertising revenue is expected to double from $184.9 billion in 2025 to $376.6 billion by 2030. Search advertising remains a major segment, with revenues expected to grow by 7.3% in 2025 to reach $226.2 billion. Streaming TV advertising is another significant growth channel, set to increase from $41.8 billion in 2025 to $71.9 billion by 2030.
In contrast, traditional media channels such as print and radio advertising are expected to decline or remain flat through this period.
The event also saw the launch of Origin, a cross-media measurement tool by ISBA, which aims to provide real-time campaign data across YouTube, Meta, and linear TV. ISBA's Phil Smith and The Media Leader's Omar Oakes discussed the launch during the keynote session.
Graeme Douglas, from Bicycle, shared insights into how Papa John's is competing against Domino's despite having a £32m smaller advertising budget. Instead of focusing on traditional metrics like reach, frequency, and impressions, Papa John's focuses on incrementality, multi-audience planning, attention-grabbing stunts, event-driven relevance, and AI-driven creativity.
Tim Miles, SVP at Global Sync, Warner Music Group, held a popular session discussing how brands can use music for storytelling, driving consumption, and attracting larger audiences. Miles asserted that people react 17% faster to sound than visuals, making music a powerful tool for storytelling.
The discussions at the event are focused on media effectiveness and media measurement, with the aim of helping businesses navigate the changing landscape of media and advertising.
- The digital advertising sector, which is projected to dominate the online ad market, includes segments like retail media, user-generated content platforms, search advertising, and streaming TV advertising.
- Fashion-and-beauty, food-and-drink, and lifestyle industries may benefit from the growth of creator-generated advertising revenue, as platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Kuaishou, and Instagram Reels continue to expand their share.
- Travel and other industries might find it challenging in the evolving media and advertising landscape, as traditional media channels such as print and radio advertising are expected to decline or remain flat, while businesses navigate the changing landscape using tools like Origin, a cross-media measurement tool.
