YouTube Advertising Benchmarks, Insights and Trends
What 5,000 Top Advertisers and $14.3B in Ad Spend Reveal About Performance For 2025
You’re about to see inside $14.3B of YouTube ad spend data. You’ll see benchmarks for CPMs, campaign durations, creative strategies, and performance metrics by spending tier based on data from February 2024 to January 2025.
US YouTube Advertising: Market Overview
Analysis based on data from February 2024 to January 2025
Quarterly Spending Patterns (2024)
| Period | Display Spend | Video Spend | Total Spend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 2024 | $38.8M | $3.91B | $3.95B |
| Q2 2024 | $40.7M | $4.10B | $4.14B |
| Q3 2024 | $32.1M | $3.23B | $3.26B |
| Q4 2024 | $31.5M | $3.18B | $3.21B |
Ad Format Distribution
Video Format
Display/Banner Format
Top Advertisers by Spend
| Rank | Advertiser | Spend | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | click2cart.com | $502.75M | 3.51% |
| 2 | peacocktv.com | $388.26M | 2.71% |
| 3 | samsung.com | $353.42M | 2.47% |
| 4 | bell4mo.com | $287.78M | 2.01% |
| 5 | dominos.com | $272.18M | 1.90% |
Advertiser Spending Tiers
Analysis of market concentration and spending patterns by tier
Market Concentration
Market Insight
Within the analyzed dataset of top advertisers, just 218 advertisers (those spending over $10M) control over 70% of the YouTube ad spend, highlighting significant market concentration at the top.
| Spending Tier | Advertiser Count | % of Total Spend | Total Spend ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| >$10M | 218 | 70.15% | $9,490.82 |
| $1M-$10M | 965 | 22.90% | $3,097.75 |
| $100K-$1M | 2,595 | 6.32% | $854.61 |
| $10K-$100K | 1,221 | 0.63% | $85.27 |
Small-to-Mid-Size Advertiser Breakdown
| Spending Tier | Advertiser Count | % of Small-to-Mid Spend | Total Spend ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500K-$1M | 536 | 40.83% | $383.76 |
| $250K-$500K | 764 | 28.54% | $268.23 |
| $100K-$250K | 1,295 | 21.56% | $202.61 |
| $50K-$100K | 1,012 | 8.14% | $76.46 |
| $10K-$50K | 209 | 0.94% | $8.80 |
Growth Patterns by Spending Tier
Growth Patterns
The average growth data shows an interesting trend where the smallest advertisers ($10K-$50K tier) are showing positive average month-over-month growth at +2.02%, while larger advertisers are reducing spend, potentially indicating different strategic approaches across tiers.
Overall Growth by Tier
| Spending Tier | Average MoM Growth |
|---|---|
| >$10M | -2.81% |
| $1M-$10M | -2.23% |
| $100K-$1M | -1.21% |
| $10K-$100K | +0.15% |
Small-to-Mid Tier Growth
| Spending Tier | Avg. MoM Growth | % Growing |
|---|---|---|
| $500K-$1M | -1.24% | 40.54% |
| $250K-$500K | +0.03% | 46.04% |
| $100K-$250K | -1.96% | 41.92% |
| $50K-$100K | -0.29% | 45.23% |
| $10K-$50K | +2.02% | 45.63% |
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Campaign Duration and Timing Analysis
Analysis of temporal aspects of YouTube advertising campaigns
Campaign Duration by Spending Tier
Duration Insight
Higher-spending advertisers maintain significantly longer campaign timeframes, with top advertisers running campaigns 3 times longer than those in the lowest tier (126.4 days vs 41.5 days).
| Spending Tier | Average Campaign Duration | Median Campaign Duration |
|---|---|---|
| >$10M | 126.4 days | 118 days |
| $1M-$10M | 94.7 days | 87 days |
| $100K-$1M | 62.3 days | 57 days |
| $10K-$100K | 41.5 days | 34 days |
Campaign Duration Distribution
Campaign Duration Distribution
| Duration | % of Campaigns |
|---|---|
| Less than 2 weeks | 14.2% |
| 2-4 weeks | 27.6% |
| 1-3 months | 29.8% |
| 3-6 months | 18.3% |
| 6+ months | 10.1% |
Campaign Launch Timing
Peak campaign launch periods occur during:
- January: 14.7% of annual starts
- April: 12.3% of annual starts
- September: 13.9% of annual starts
- November: 15.8% of annual starts
These peaks align with key retail seasons (post-holiday, spring, back-to-school, and holiday) and typical budget refresh cycles.
Performance by Campaign Duration
Duration Performance
Medium-length campaigns (30-180 days) show better average month-over-month growth performance (+1.14% and +0.87%) than both very short (<30 days: -0.78%) and very long campaigns (>180 days: -1.32%).
| Campaign Duration | Avg. MoM Growth | % of Advertisers Growing |
|---|---|---|
| <30 days | -0.78% | 43.2% |
| 30-90 days | +1.14% | 51.7% |
| 91-180 days | +0.87% | 49.2% |
| >180 days | -1.32% | 38.6% |
Creative Refresh Impact
Campaign creative refresh frequency correlates with performance:
- <14 days between refreshes: +1.67% avg. MoM growth
- 14-30 days between refreshes: +0.42% avg. MoM growth
- >30 days between refreshes: -0.95% avg. MoM growth
High-growth advertisers refresh creatives approximately every 18.2 days on average.
Flight Strategy Analysis
Flight Strategy Distribution
| Flight Strategy | % of Advertisers | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous | 43.7% | Present in all months |
| Pulsed | 37.2% | Alternating on/off periods |
| Seasonal | 19.1% | Present only in specific seasons |
Flight Strategy by Tier
| Spending Tier | Continuous | Pulsed | Seasonal |
|---|---|---|---|
| >$10M | 72.4% | 21.6% | 6.0% |
| $1M-$10M | 58.7% | 31.4% | 9.9% |
| $100K-$1M | 42.3% | 39.5% | 18.2% |
| $10K-$100K | 22.1% | 46.3% | 31.6% |
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The campaign duration analysis reveals a clear pattern—continuous campaigns dominate among top-tier advertisers (72.4% of >$10M advertisers use continuous campaigns), while pulsed and seasonal approaches are more common in smaller tiers.
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Creative and Campaign Strategies
Analysis of creative formats, campaign structures, and strategic patterns
Creative Format Distribution
Format Distribution
While YouTube is primarily a video platform, advertisers still have the option to use display ads. The data shows advertisers overwhelmingly optimize for video creatives (98.3%), with very limited use of banner formats despite their lower CPM ($3.44 vs $9.29 for video).
| Creative Format | % of All Creatives | Number in Sample |
|---|---|---|
| Video Creatives | 98.3% | 4,917 |
| Banner Creatives | 1.7% | 83 |
Creative Format Performance
Average CPMs by format:
- Video-only advertisers: $9.29
- Display-only advertisers: $3.44
- Mixed format advertisers: $8.73
Video commands significantly higher CPMs but dominates the platform's usage, indicating advertiser preference despite the premium pricing.
Campaign Structure Analysis
Top Advertisers by Campaign Count
| Advertiser | Campaign Count |
|---|---|
| amazon.com | 117 |
| click2cart.com | 82 |
| attach.mikmak.tv | 72 |
| target.com | 66 |
| walmart.com | 57 |
Industry Campaign Structure Patterns
E-commerce & Retail:
- Highest campaign counts (amazon.com: 117, click2cart.com: 82)
- Strong representation in top campaign count (5 of top 10)
- 84.6% using both display and video formats
Streaming Services:
- High campaign counts (disneyplus.com: 35, hulu.com: 32)
- Higher video-only percentage (21.3% vs market avg 14.0%)
- Strong presence in top spending tier (peacocktv.com: $388.26M)
Creative Volume by Spending Tier
Creative Testing Patterns
There's a clear correlation between spending level and creative diversity, with higher spending tiers deploying significantly more creative variations. Top advertisers run nearly 12x more creatives than those in the lowest tier.
| Spending Tier | Average Unique Creatives per Advertiser |
|---|---|
| >$10M | 37.4 |
| $1M-$10M | 14.2 |
| $100K-$1M | 6.8 |
| $10K-$100K | 3.1 |
Growth Leaders and Their Creative Approaches
Growth Leader Strategy
The top 10 fastest-growing advertisers deploy distinctive creative and campaign strategies compared to their peers, including 47% more creative variations, 37% more campaigns, and higher multi-format adoption rates.
Top Growth Leaders
| Advertiser | MoM Growth | Spend |
|---|---|---|
| bushnellgolf.com | +180.17% | $287.42K |
| soundcloud.com | +163.96% | $149.21K |
| trafalgar.com | +159.19% | $802.64K |
| expressvpn.com | +151.58% | $39.86K |
| contentful.com | +146.02% | $511.01K |
Growth Leader Strategic Patterns
Small-to-Mid Advertiser Analysis
Detailed examination of advertisers in the $10K-$1M spending range
Distribution and Market Share
Small-to-mid size advertisers ($10K-$1M spending) account for 3,816 advertisers with a combined spending of $939.86 million (6.56% of total market spend).
Distribution Pattern
There's an inverse relationship between tier size and advertiser count—the higher spending tiers have fewer advertisers but account for a larger share of small-to-mid spending.
| Spending Tier | Advertiser Count | % of Small-to-Mid Spend | Total Spend ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500K-$1M | 536 (14.0%) | 40.83% | $383.76 |
| $250K-$500K | 764 (20.0%) | 28.54% | $268.23 |
| $100K-$250K | 1,295 (33.9%) | 21.56% | $202.61 |
| $50K-$100K | 1,012 (26.5%) | 8.14% | $76.46 |
| $10K-$50K | 209 (5.5%) | 0.94% | $8.80 |
Growth Patterns Within Small-to-Mid Advertisers
Growth Dynamics
The smallest spending tier ($10K-$50K) shows the strongest average month-over-month growth at +2.02%, while the $250K-$500K tier maintains slight positive growth at +0.03%. All other tiers show modest declines.
| Spending Tier | Avg. MoM Growth | % Growing | % Declining |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500K-$1M | -1.24% | 40.54% | 59.46% |
| $250K-$500K | +0.03% | 46.04% | 53.96% |
| $100K-$250K | -1.96% | 41.92% | 58.08% |
| $50K-$100K | -0.29% | 45.23% | 54.77% |
| $10K-$50K | +2.02% | 45.63% | 54.37% |
Growth Consistency
Despite varying average growth rates across tiers, a consistent 40-46% of advertisers are showing positive growth in each tier. This suggests:
- The magnitude of growth/decline, rather than the number of growing advertisers, drives tier averages
- All tiers contain a significant population of successfully growing advertisers
- Even in tiers with negative average growth, many individual advertisers are finding success
Top Performing Small-to-Mid Advertisers
| Advertiser | MoM Growth | Spend ($K) | Format Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|
| bushnellgolf.com | 180.17% | $287.42 | Display & Video |
| soundcloud.com | 163.96% | $149.21 | Display & Video |
| trafalgar.com | 159.19% | $802.64 | Display & Video |
| expressvpn.com | 151.58% | $39.86 | Display & Video |
| contentful.com | 146.02% | $511.01 | Video only |
Industry Diversity
The top performers span diverse industries: golf equipment, music streaming, travel, VPN services, content management, nasal care, education, animal health, e-commerce tools, and creative assets. This suggests opportunity across many verticals rather than concentrated in specific sectors.
Channel and Device Strategy
Multi-Platform Approach
Small-to-mid advertisers show strong preference for diversified approaches, with 84.46% using both display and video formats, and 88.84% targeting both desktop and mobile devices. Very few limit themselves to single platforms or device types.
Channel Distribution
| Channel Strategy | % of Advertisers |
|---|---|
| Display & Video | 84.46% |
| Video only | 14.02% |
| Display only | 1.52% |
Device Distribution
| Device Strategy | % of Advertisers |
|---|---|
| Desktop & Mobile | 88.84% |
| Desktop only | 5.79% |
| Mobile & Desktop (alt. ordering) | 3.14% |
| Mobile only | 2.23% |
CPM Analysis for Small-to-Mid Advertisers
Pricing Efficiency
Small-to-mid advertisers pay an average CPM of $8.15, which is 12.3% below the market average CPM of $9.29 for video formats. This suggests either targeting efficiency or potential optimization opportunities for these advertisers.