Products

EMARKETER delivers leading-edge research to clients in a variety of forms, including full-length reports and data visualizations to equip you with actionable takeaways for better business decisions.
PRO+
New data sets, deeper insights, and flexible data visualizations.
Learn More
Reports
In-depth analysis, benchmarks and shorter spotlights on digital trends.
Learn More
Forecasts
Interactive projections with 10k+ metrics on market trends, & consumer behavior.
Learn More
Charts
Proprietary data and over 3,000 third-party sources about the most important topics.
Learn More
Industry KPIs
Industry benchmarks for the most important KPIs in digital marketing, advertising, retail and ecommerce.
Learn More
Briefings
Client-only email newsletters with analysis and takeaways from the daily news.
Learn More
Analyst Access Program
Exclusive time with the thought leaders who craft our research.
Learn More

About EMARKETER

Our goal is to unlock digital opportunities for our clients with the world’s most trusted forecasts, analysis, and benchmarks. Spanning five core coverage areas and dozens of industries, our research on digital transformation is exhaustive.
Our Story
Learn more about our mission and how EMARKETER came to be.
Learn More
Methodology
Rigorous proprietary data vetting strips biases and produces superior insights.
Learn More
Our People
Take a look into our corporate culture and view our open roles.
Join the Team
Contact Us
Speak to a member of our team to learn more about EMARKETER.
Contact Us
Newsroom
See our latest press releases, news articles or download our press kit.
Learn More
Advertising & Sponsorship Opportunities
Reach an engaged audience of decision-makers.
Learn More
Events
Browse our upcoming and past events, recent podcasts, and other featured resources.
Learn More
Podcasts
Tune in to EMARKETER's daily, weekly, and monthly podcasts.
Learn More

Increased Media Consumption During Pandemic May Not Translate to Ad Revenue Growth

With the coronavirus pandemic keeping most people worldwide at home, media consumption is up. But with an economic slowdown crashing markets and supply chains disrupted by the virus, many advertisers are pulling or pausing spend—meaning increases in media engagement aren’t translating into increased ad revenues.

Twitter was among the first major US digital ad publishers to give investor guidance on the new situation. Based on our analysis of Twitter’s Q1 update, the company looks set to see a decrease in revenues of between 9% and 40% during March. Facebook also released information about its engagement and ad revenues, noting that a lot of the increased engagement is on properties or services, such as WhatsApp, that aren’t monetized much to begin with. Reports of consumers spending more time with digital media don’t necessarily mean they are spending more time with media where marketers can reach them.

Even if they are, marketers may not want to. By early March, Integral Ad Science and DoubleVerify were reporting that “coronavirus” and related terms had shot to the top of clients’ brand safety blacklists. News publishers are seeing a surge in traffic, but falling advertiser demand—and prices.

It may be understandable for advertisers to shy from “negative” or “anxious” content like coverage of a pandemic. But March 2020 research from Integral Ad Science suggests those concerns may be misplaced: Just 16% of US internet users surveyed said they would have a less favorable opinion of a brand whose ad was adjacent to coronavirus-related content. Almost eight in 10 respondents said such placement wouldn't change their view of a brand.

Respondents were slightly more likely to say they thought it was “unsuitable” for a brand to advertise next to this content, at 22%. But about one-third said it would depend on the brand. Almost half of respondents said they wanted to see health and pharma-related brands advertising near coronavirus content, for example.

It’s clear that there is public desire—and need—for pandemic-related news. Even if the flurry of developments the US experienced in March begins to slow, people will still be eager for information about their communities, institutional responses and how to keep their families safe. Many marketers are already leaning into branding-focused creative that emphasizes their own roles in these communities. Brands should consider whether one of those roles is sponsoring the information people will need during the crisis.

It’s worth noting that bringing a branding focus to digital campaigns will also help offset the lack of out-of-home advertising, not to mention retail storefronts (many of which are now boarded up in cities like New York and Chicago).