Digital ad landscape in Italy: surge in new advertisers

In a comprehensive report released on September 27, 2024, AdReport, a leading intelligence and monitoring service for online campaigns, unveiled key insights into Italy's digital advertising landscape for July and August 2024. The data, which covers display advertising, social media posts, and various ad formats, highlights significant shifts in the market, including a notable influx of new advertisers.

According to the AdReport findings, July and August 2024 witnessed a remarkable increase in advertising activity. The report identified over 4,300 active advertisers during this period, with more than 2,900 of these being entirely new to the market or returning after at least 40 days of inactivity. This surge represents a significant portion of the total advertiser base, indicating a dynamic and evolving advertising landscape in Italy.

The report also noted approximately 8,200 active display advertising campaigns, of which about 5,000 were new campaigns. This high number of fresh campaigns suggests a vibrant market with advertisers consistently introducing new content and strategies.

The social media landscape saw equally impressive numbers. AdReport's data shows that 2,600 major brands were active on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger during the two-month period. These brands collectively published just under 77,400 sponsored posts, demonstrating the continued importance of social media in digital advertising strategies.

Top performers in Digital Advertising

Based on AdReport's estimates of impression volumes, the advertisers with the highest intensity of communication were:

1. Banca Montepaone
2. TIM
3. TEMU
4. Poste Italiane
5. Ikea
6. LIUCJO

These brands stood out for their particularly active presence across various digital platforms.

Display advertising format preferences

The report provides insights into the most popular display advertising formats:

1. 300x250 pixels
2. 300x600 pixels

These two formats occupied the top positions in terms of the number of active campaigns. The prevalence of these sizes suggests that advertisers are focusing on formats that offer a balance between visibility and user experience.

Social media post types

In the realm of social media advertising, the report indicates a clear preference for image-based content over video content in sponsored posts. This trend could be attributed to factors such as faster loading times, lower production costs, or higher engagement rates for still images.

Top performers by ad format

AdReport's analysis also revealed the leading advertisers across various ad formats:

• 300x250 format: Microdata Group and IKEA Italia Retail/IKEA Centres Italia
• 728x90 format: IKEA Italia Retail/IKEA Centres Italia and GUD Milano
• 300x600 format: IKEA Italia Retail/IKEA Centres Italia and Multicar Gruppo Amarù
• 970x250 format: Suzuki Italia and IKEA Italia Retail/IKEA Centres Italia
• Video ads: Coop Italia and IKEA Italia Retail/IKEA Centres Italia

Notably, IKEA, GUDMilano, and LIU*JO appeared in multiple format rankings, indicating diverse and comprehensive digital advertising strategies.

Social media leaders

On Facebook and Instagram, the top advertisers by number of sponsored posts were:

1. Shein-ZoeTop Business: 401 posts
2. Grignolio & C: 278 posts
3. BMW: 141 posts

These figures highlight the varying intensities of social media campaigns across different brands and industries.

LinkedIn advertising insights

The report also provided data on LinkedIn advertising activities:

Top companies by number of impressions on LinkedIn:

1. Boehringer Ingelheim Italia: 2,258,000 impressions (157 posts, average 14,382 impressions per post)
2. Amazon Italia Logistica: 2,083,500 impressions (55 posts, average 37,881 impressions per post)
3. BNL: 2,006,000 impressions (53 posts, average 37,849 impressions per post)

Top companies by number of posts on LinkedIn:

1. Coverflex-Evinrude Due: 374 posts (187,000 impressions, average 500 impressions per post)
2. Boehringer Ingelheim Italia: 157 posts (2,258,000 impressions, average 14,382 impressions per post)
3. Philips: 76 posts (407,000 impressions, average 5,355 impressions per post)

These LinkedIn statistics reveal varying strategies, with some companies focusing on high post volume and others achieving high impression counts with fewer posts.

Methodology and data collection

AdReport's findings are based on monitoring approximately 5,000 websites, identifying and tracking the communication activities of major advertisers, their campaigns, and advertising creatives. The service also monitors sponsored posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger for over 1,000 big brands, content published on more than 1,600 YouTube channels of advertisers and brands, and LinkedIn activity for about 1,240 advertisers.

The data is continuously updated throughout the day, providing clients with current information on active and new campaigns across digital and social platforms. AdReport's crawlers and grabbers intercept most communication activities on monitored sites, with subsequent analysis involving exclusion filters and revision processes to focus on relevant brand communications.

Key Takeaways

• Over 4,300 active advertisers in July-August 2024, with more than 2,900 new or returning advertisers
• Approximately 8,200 active display advertising campaigns, including 5,000 new campaigns
• 2,600 major brands active on social media, publishing nearly 77,400 sponsored posts
• 300x250 and 300x600 pixel formats dominate display advertising
• Image-based content preferred over video in social media sponsored posts
• IKEA, GUDMilano, and LIU*JO show strong presence across multiple ad formats
• LinkedIn advertising strategies vary widely among top performers