Our newsletterIndustry surveyInteractive Advertising Bureau, Sep 2026
45% of buyers expect to increase focus on contextual ads in 2026
Budget allocation
45%
of U.S. ad buyers expect to focus more on contextual ads in 2026 than 2025
- Reader Note:
- 45% said they will focus more on contextual ads, which places it inside the report's top ten ad types for increased focus rather than at the head of it — creator and influencer ads and cohort-based ads were gaining more, with publisher first-party data alongside. The question asked about intended focus, not budget, so nothing here says how much money follows the intention.
- Evidence:
- Stated intention
- Vendor interest:
- Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
- Sample:
- Email survey of 211 U.S. buy-side ad investment decision-makers, primarily at agencies (52%) and brands (44%); fielded July 17-31, 2026.
Reader Note:
Evidence:
Vendor interest:
Sample:Good for
Reading the mood, and deciding what to test yourself.
Not for
- Predicting what people will actually do. Intentions and behaviour come apart.
- This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
- The source says how much it looked at, but not how any of it was chosen.
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