James McDowell, WARC Data's Managing Editor delves into the story behind the impact COVID-19 is having on advertising spending and consumer purchasing.
'A severe advertising recession is now all but certain in the first half of this year. The current consensus is that we will experience a ‘V’ shaped recovery, with spend returning in the second half of 2020 after sharp reductions in the first....
These trends are playing out worldwide, and it is not inconceivable that the likes of Alphabet, Baidu and Facebook will record their first ever falls in ad income when results are released this month – digital channels are often the easiest to switch off owing to shorter lead times. These platforms also rely heavily on SMEs which are overly-exposed to economic shocks which explains, in part, why Facebook is now offering these companies free ad credits.'
