Brian Wieser revises ad forecast downward as U.S. ad market grows wary

The world feels more unmoored than ever, and, predictably, the ad dollars are pulling back in kind.

Marketers have been murmuring about it for weeks. The whiplash of trade tariffs, the slow grime of inflation and the lingering chill of last year’s rate hikes have left them wary, hesitant to commit dollars in a landscape that seems to shift by the day.

The data reflects their hesitation. U.S. ad spending, once projected to grow at a modest clip, is now expected to contract more than previously forecasted. According to Brian Wieser, principal at Madison and Wall, the latest forecast, published today (March 18), places non-political ad spending growth at 3.6% for the year, a notable step down from the 4.5% growth forecast just a few months ago.

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