B2B Ad Spending to Grow 13% in 2018

B2B advertisers will spend $4.07 billion on US digital advertising in 2017, eMarketer estimates. Overall, the B2B digital ad market is growing steadily, and in 2018 it will jump 13% to reach $4.60 billion.

Desktops and laptops attract the majority of digital ad dollars spent by B2Bs in the US—an anticipated $2.54 billion in 2017. Mobile spend, which will reach $1.53 billion this year, is increasing steadily every year and slowly eroding the desktop/laptop share, although no tipping point is in sight yet.

The B2B digital ad market is dwarfed by total digital ad spending (which is more than 20 times larger) and total media ad spending (more than 50 times larger).

While B2C companies still drive the clear majority of spend and will likely continue to do so, at many B2Bs the media mix is evolving, with a stronger emphasis on digital buying and placement than in the past. This change is led mostly by big-spending, high-tech B2B companies.

The data in this article is drawn from eMarketer's new report, "US B2B Digital Advertising: An eMarketer Forecast, and Three Factors Affecting Growth." Aside from the inaugural US B2B digital ad spending forecast and estimates, the report also looks at several of the major factors driving spending—both now and in the near future. eMarketer PRO subscribers can access the full report here. Nonsubscribers can learn more here.

In the latest episode of "Behind the Numbers," eMarketer's Jillian Ryan and Oscar Orozco break down eMarketer's latest B2B digital ad spending figures. This episode is made possible by Criteo.