2025
8
Canada Digital Advertising Market Report 2025
2026-01-11T14:01:27+00:00
REP525EE011_3C7F_4085_9EE0_113C7FA085FC
3695
190307
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Report
en_GB
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

Candace Baldassarre, Senior Analyst

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.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Where consumers are encountering digital ads
  • Consumer perception and recall of ads
  • Actions driven by advertising
  • Trust levels associated with media channels
  • Consumer preferences for ads and personalization
  • Attitudes around diversity and inclusion in ads
Collapse All
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
    • Ads particularly impact younger men’s purchasing patterns
    • 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
  4. 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)
  5. APPENDIX

    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Canada generation groups
    • Abbreviations and terms

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