Will Canada’s ad market see a quick or cautious recovery?

Experts from SMI share what 2020 ad spend trends say about the market and what advertiser confidence will be like in 2021.

To understand where the industry might be going, it helps to look at where it’s coming from.

Advertising in Canada was hit hard when the pandemic arrived in early 2020, much more than its Anglo counterparts like the U.S., U.K., Australia and New Zealand, according to Standard Media Index (SMI). Ad spend declined a whopping 58% in April, the most pronounced drop compared to the other markets. Now, the research firm (which assesses advertising expenditure and pricing data) is releasing its Q4 report, showing how far the Canadian market has come in terms of recovery.