Marketing investment rises by 2.3% to €34.241 billion in 2025

Advertising, communication, and promotion account for €20.215.7 million, or 59% of the total. Discounts rose by 11% to €3.741.5 million, now representing 10.9% of spending.

The automotive sector recorded the highest increase, with a 14.8% rise and an average promotional benefit of €4.818 per vehicle sold. In the mass consumption sector, price promotions grew by 3.2%.

The brand and customer relationship segment reached €3.657.3 million, a 0.9% increase. Within this, direct actions with customers rose by 3.4%, while pure branding fell by 2.2%.

Market research and consulting amounted to €2.034.7 million, a 3.6% increase. Digital reached €4.541.9 million, with a 4.6% rise, accounting for 72.5% of controlled media buying.

At the round table following the presentation, Gonzalo Ocio from Accenture Song noted that the sector measures what it can measure, not what matters. Córdoba Ruiz from Making Science stated that marketing investment is still considered an expense. Ricardo Zafra from Pernod Ricard argued that any channel, including CTV, can be used to build a brand.

Employment also declined. The number of marketing professionals fell by 0.68% to 129,088, a level lower than in 2010. Companies in the sector increased by 1.3% to 79,842, and salary costs rose by 4.6% to €4.591.5 million.

For 2026, the study forecasts an investment of €35.439 billion, a 3.5% increase, above GDP forecasts, which are between 2.3% and 2.6%. InfoAdex estimates a 3.7% increase in conventional advertising, while IAB-PwC predicts between 6.2% and 9.5% growth in digital.