Kantar Media’s U.S. Media Reactions Report finds people overall are being more receptive toward advertising. Nearly half (47%) of people surveyed say they have a positive feeling towards ads in general. That is a marked improvement from 2016, when 19% said the same, with Kantar tracking a consistent upward trajectory since 2020.
Kantar says it is seeing improvement across the board, with newer channels — such as online video and games — having a more pronounced improvement on ad receptibility. Only 28% of consumers were positive towards online video ads in 2012. That number is now up to 54%. Similar gains were recorded for gaming ads, which have more than doubled — rising to 54% from 25% earlier.
Kantar Media says U.S. marketers invested less in all formats of offline advertising in 2024 and intend to continue this trend in 2025. However, the report finds that marketers may be missing the mark since U.S. consumers remain most receptive to offline advertising. It’s not just older consumers either. From Gen Z to Boomers, Kantar says all audience generations have high equity for offline formats.
“U.S. consumers are less trusting of online ads and feel least positive about social media, streaming and online video content,” it says. “In addition, they feel social media feeds and e-commerce sites are excessively targeting ads using personal data. As a result, marketers and publishers must work harder than ever to build trust and credibility with consumers by establishing strong brand safety practices.”
The report also points to a “misalignment” in the way marketers are spending their dollars. Compared to their level of usage, it says both podcasting and AM/FM radio are seen as having a lower priority for marketers based on consumers’ receptivity and positive attitudes toward audio advertising.
“It’s notable that marketer dollars don’t necessarily follow where consumers want to see advertising, nor do they always follow the exposure opportunity,” the report says.
The gap may be closing for on-demand audio. Kantar says nearly a third (31%) of marketers grew podcast ad spending in 2024, and 41% expect they will spend more in 2025.
“Our research shows that 80% of a campaign’s impact on brand predisposition comes from only 20% of paid, owned and earned channels. So, it’s good to focus on those which are most powerful for the brand,” says Nicole Jones, Chief Media Commercial Officer for Kantar North America. “It’s critically important to tailor content to the channel; campaigns that master this contribute 50% more to brand key performance indicators, both in terms of short-term sales and long-term brand equity.”
Kantar’s report also points to what it sees as a “waning” impact of influencers. While influencer content maintains exponential growth, it says consumers are beginning to express influencer content fatigue and a growing skepticism of authenticity.
It reports there is a noticeable gap between consumers’ and marketers’ perceptions of influencer ad effectiveness, with marketers listing influencer content 31.82% higher in advertising receptivity than consumers. Kantar research finds that these types of marketing executions can be incredibly effective driving short- and long-term performance, but it warns that trust is the price of admission.
At the same time, U.S. marketers intend to increase spend on Retail Marketing Networks (RMNs) — the retailer-owned advertising platforms that allow retailers to sell ad space that exists on their own digital channels to third parties.
This year’s study is based on the opinions of around 18,000 consumers covering 384 brands in 27 markets and 1,000 senior marketers around the world. Download the U.S. Media Reactions Report HERE.
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