In First Year-Over-Year Pandemic Comp, U.S. Ad Spending Surges 22% In March

In the first month to reflect a year-over-year comparison with the beginning of the COVID-19-related ad recession, national ad spending expanded 22% in March vs. the same month last year.

The data, which is derived from Standard Media Index’s core database representing 90% of U.S. national ad spending, is a significant lagging indicator that the U.S. ad industry is back on a firm footing, and then some. March’s 22% expansion compares with a 13% contraction in March 2020, which was the first month to reflect U.S. lockdowns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a rapid halt to ad spending in many ad categories.