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Nielsen's 2025 Annual Marketing Report

On May 21, 2025, Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, released its seventh annual marketing report. This year’s report focuses on the power of data-driven marketing and examines the behaviors of marketers adapting to changing market trends while integrating evolving technologies like AI and shoppable ads.

The report, which targets leading marketers worldwide, outlines three key advertising trends and provides crucial insights to navigate an uncertain and constantly shifting market landscape.

Key Trends in Marketing

1. Connected TV (CTV) and Retail Media Networks:
Marketers are increasingly identifying business opportunities within CTV and retail media networks. About 56% of marketers plan to increase their investments in over-the-top (OTT) CTV spending, reflecting a 3% rise compared to the previous year. Furthermore, nearly two-thirds (65%) believe retail media networks will play an increasingly significant role in their media strategies this year. Despite an overall budget decline, many marketers intend to expand traditional media budgets this year, with 16% of businesses planning to increase their outdoor advertising budgets by over 50%.

2. Revenue Growth vs. Brand Awareness:
The report highlights the crucial balance marketers need to strike between driving revenue growth in the lower funnel and enhancing brand awareness in the upper funnel. Marketers in North America and the Asia-Pacific region show an almost equal distribution between prioritizing brand awareness (48% and 50%) and revenue growth (47% and 52%). In contrast, European marketers prioritize revenue growth (59%) over brand awareness (37%), while Latin America reports a split of 46% and 41%, respectively.

3. Measurement of Success:
A significant challenge for marketers is integrating both digital and traditional channels into a comprehensive measurement framework. Currently, just 32% of marketers globally report effectively measuring media spending across both channel types, with even lower rates observed in Latin America (29%) and Europe (23%). Additionally, determining the ROI of cross-media campaigns presents various challenges, such as data-related issues, lack of robust tools, excessive vendor choices, and insufficient transparency in new channels like retail media networks. This complexity can make new channels appealing but also more troublesome.

Marketer Insights

Allison Jensheimer, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Nielsen, stated, "Our latest annual marketing report demonstrates that despite operating in economically opaque and challenging circumstances, marketers are quick to adopt new touchpoints like retail media networks and CTV, optimizing their media mix and leveraging AI in their strategies. To truly capitalize on these advancements and align media investments with objectives, reliable and comprehensive measurement becomes imperative. Nielsen offers measurement solutions tailored to address the complexities of modern cross-media advertising, supporting growth now and in the future."

This is Nielsen's seventh annual marketing report and the fourth to cover a global perspective. It leverages survey responses from marketing professionals across various industries focusing on media, technology, and measurement strategies. The report is based on an online survey conducted among 1,400 marketing professionals worldwide from February 25 to March 6, 2025. Respondents include marketers at a manager level or above from global brands, all engaged in operations with a minimum annual marketing budget of $1 million, and two-thirds work with budgets exceeding $10 million.

About Nielsen

Nielsen is the world’s leading provider of audience measurement, data, and analytics. We empower clients by delivering independent actionable intelligence that helps them engage with audiences worldwide across all channels and platforms, both now and in the future. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com, and connect with us on social media platforms such as X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.