With global ad spend rising by ~10.7% year on year and exceeding $1tn in 2024, it is becoming increasingly important for investors to pay attention to. Over the years, we have observed sustained client interest in ad spend data and revenue metrics. In this article, we review the different investment use cases in this space and summarise the alternative data products on the market – from the widely adopted to the untapped.

Today, advertising holds more economic weight than ever, representing between 0.5% and 1% of GDP across several countries. Studies suggest that investors prefer stocks of well-known companies. Brand familiarity tends to be driven by advertising budgets, impacting the number of stockholders across listed companies.