Google overtakes Facebook in advertising spend

A new report from marketing technology company IgnitionOne reveals the latest trends in digital advertising spend for the final quarter of 2015.

Among its key findings are that Google passed Facebook in growth and conversions, seeing an increase of 37 percent in programmatic display advertising spend and a 34 percent increase in conversions. In comparison, Facebook saw an increase of 22 percent in growth and 17 percent in conversions.

Other findings are that in the US paid search has continued the consistent growth seen over the past several years, with an 18 percent increase year on year. In addition following steady drops seen in the past three out of four quarters, impressions are on the rise, with a year on year increase of 7 percent. This is somewhat unexpected after Q3 2015, which saw them down by 21 percent.

"The overall increase is due in part to the rise in both Google Partner Network activity and impressions from Google shopping ads", says IgnitionOne’s Marketing Content Manager Rachel Peterson writing on the company’s blog. "Google’s shift to shopping ads in a carousel format has led to an overall increase in impressions, but a decrease in CPC (Cost per Click) growth, particularly in mobile, which saw CPCs down by 21 percent".

Cyber Monday continues to drive Thanksgiving shopping trends, seeing an impressive 107 percent increase in spend compared to normal baseline activity. Automotive advertising was strong in the final quarter too, with a 66 percent increase in spend and 58 percent increase in clicks over the previous year.

The full report is available to download from the IgnitionOne website.

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