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Report
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Despite a challenging economic backdrop in 2025 – slow GDP growth, 6.5% unemployment and US tariffs dampening exports – digital ad spend in Canada demonstrates surprising resilience. Industry consolidation, such…
Canada
Marketing and Advertising
simple
Canada Digital Advertising Market Report 2025
"The Canadian digital ad landscape is adapting to regulatory changes, AI innovation and shifting consumer preferences. Focusing on transparency, social first-strategy and multicultural engagement is necessary to stay competitive."
Candace Baldassarre, Senior Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
What you need to know
Outlook for digital advertising – Canada
Opportunities
Culturally-led growth strategy
Rebuilding digital trust at scale
Winning the multi-screen moment
THE MARKET
Consumers and the economic outlook
Market factors
Canadian identities have become more racially diverse
Graph 1: population by race, 2001 vs 2021
Graph 2: proportion of racialized population, 2001 vs 2021
Content and regulatory changes afoot in Canada
A path toward responsible gaming advertising
Streaming services double down on content
Omnicom-IPG merger rocks the ad world
Ads on the horizon for Gemini
DST and Online Streaming Act vex neighbours to the south
TELUS alleges that Rogers engages in anti-competitive behaviour
Bell and Tubi partnership gives way to advertising opportunities
THE CONSUMER
General feelings toward online advertising
Ads are a useful tool for Canadian consumers
Clearing up confusion
The paradox of personalization
Making ads feel less intrusive
Graph 3: “I find ads less intrusive when they match the content I’m viewing (eg seeing an ad for running shoes while reading an article about marathon training tips)” (% agree), by age, 2025
Where consumers are encountering ads
Social media use surges among Black and South Asian consumers
Graph 4: daily social media usage, by race, 2025
Older consumers are sticking to what they know (traditional media)
Graph 5: content seen/heard (any see/hear), by age, 2025
Platform diversification is essential when targeting 18-24 year olds
Graph 6: daily social media usage, by age, 2025
Digital ad recollection
Consumers are not cognizant of all the ads they are seeing
Pop-ups pop out to all ages
Graph 7: has seen/heard pop-up ad in past seven days, by age, 2025
Social media stands apart from the pack
Graph 8: online ads seen/heard in past seven days, 2025
Black and South Asian consumers’ preferences are pronounced
Graph 9: “I prefer when digital ads…” (select), overall vs Black vs South Asian consumers, 2025
How Canadians are responding to digital ads
Consumers are just as likely to report/block an ad as they are to make a purchase
Ads are more effective on younger Canadians’ actions
Graph 10: actions taken in response to online ads seen/heard in the past seven days, by age, 2025
Graph 11: have made a purchase and/or are considering a purchase because of an online ad seen/heard in the past seven days (NET), by age and gender, 2025
New to Canada, but not to QR codes
Graph 12: “I am willing to follow QR codes from ads” (% agree), overall vs consumers living in Canada fro less than five years, 2025
Making CTV advertising more data driven with QR codes
Trusted ad channels
Traditional media remains gold standard for trusted ads
Not all ad channels stack up the same
Graph 13: trust in ads seen/heard on forms of digital content (NET), 2025
Age has everything to do with it
Graph 14: any trust in ads seen/heard on forms of digital content (select), by age, 2025
Newcomers’ openness and trust is notable
Graph 15: any trust in ads seen/heard on forms of digital content (select), overall vs consumers living in Canada for less than five years, 2025
Digital ad preferences
Give it to me straight
Younger and middle-aged consumers expect more
Graph 16: “I prefer when digital ads…” (select), by age, 2025
Celebrities’ and influencers’ core audience: 18-34-year-old men
Black and South Asian consumers seek authentic content
Graph 17: “I prefer when digital ads…” (select), overall vs Black vs South Asian consumers, 2025
Expanding language offerings
Graph 18: “I prefer when digital ads…” (select), by language spoken in the home, 2025
Who delivers the ad matters most to multicultural consumers
Graph 19: “If I like the person delivering the ad (eg influencer, podcaster), I’m more likely to consider the product/brand” (% agree), by race, 2025
Aversion to AI-generated content
How can brands adapt as AI redefines advertising?
Inclusion and diversity in digital advertising
Multicultural consumers demand diversity in digital ads
South Asian and Black consumers seek representation in advertising
Graph 20: “I prefer when digital ads show someone who looks like me”, by race, 2025
YouTube expands multi-language features
Spell it out for younger consumers…literally
Graph 21: “I prefer when digital ads have captions” (% agree), by age, 2025
INNOVATION AND MARKETING
Innovation and marketing
The best car to have sex in
Coca-Cola appeals to Filipino Canadians
Ringing in the holidays with Kimsmas Live
Cineplex makes theatre ads an easier process
HP is bringing ads directly to your laptop screen
Social media sites up their ad game
FAANG innovation and marketing
Meta (formerly Facebook)
Apple
Amazon (and Twitch)
Netflix
Google (and YouTube)
APPENDIX
The consumer
Consumer research questions
Consumer research methodology
Canada generation groups
Abbreviations and terms
Canada Digital Advertising Industry – Trends and Insights
Despite a challenging economic backdrop in 2025 digital ad spend in Canada demonstrates surprising resilience. Industry consolidation, such as the Netflix-WBD and Omnicom-IPG mergers, is shifting market dynamics and redefining scale, supplier relationships and audience access in both content and buying power.
Consumer views on online advertising are paradoxical: while 72% find online ads helpful for brand and product discovery, 55% trust digital ads less than traditional media. This skepticism, paired with headline regulatory changes – DST, CanCon, privacy reforms – is pushing brands to pursue greater transparency, ethical practices and data stewardship, fundamentally altering campaign strategy.
The largest upside for brands lies in multicultural-first, data-driven creative that capitalizes on newcomers’ higher receptivity to digital engagement and channels like social media. However, tightening regulatory controls and persistent trade frictions represent the biggest threats, risking cost inflation and possible ad supply shortages. Navigating this duality calls for agility, innovation and an unwavering commitment to compliance and representation.
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