From the impact of sports marketing on consumer preference to global ad spend projections for 2026, these are the data points we’re paying attention to right now.
36%
The share of U.S. teens who say they use at least one of five major social media platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat) “almost constantly,” according to a new Pew Research Center survey.
53.3
The preliminary University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (MCSI) score for December, down 20.7 points (28%) year over year but up 2.3 points (4.5%) compared to last month.
1.4%
The month-over-month decline in small business retail sales in November, per new Fiserv data. While seasonally adjusted foot traffic increased 1.1%, basket sizes fell by an average of 2.3%, the data shows.
$82.7 billion
The amount (including equity and assumed debt) that Netflix has agreed to pay for Warner Bros. film studio and streaming assets as part of a new deal announced late last week. (On Monday, Paramount launched a hostile takeover bid, offering $108.4 billion for the entire Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio, including its cable networks; stay tuned!)
12
The number of accessible product features shown in Apple’s new “I’m Not Remarkable” hero spot. The longform ad, which supports the brand’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities campaign, has racked up more than 22 million views on YouTube since premiering last week.
55%
The share of sports fans in the U.S. who say that, when considering products of the same quality and price, they’d rather buy from a sponsor brand, according to a new report from Nielsen. Golf fans are especially partial (64%) to brands that participate in sports sponsorships, the research finds.
$1.04 trillion
Estimated 2026 global advertising spend, according to a new Dentsu forecast. This represents a slower rate of growth (5.1%) compared to this year (5.5%) but puts the industry ahead of the overall global economy, which the International Monetary Fund expects to grow 3.1% in 2026.
49%
The share of consumers who say that, when evaluating email offers from competing brands, they’re “more likely to choose the brand with a displayed logo,” according to a new DigiCert survey of 5,000 adults in the U.S., U.K., New Zealand and Australia.
30.1%
The increase in complex brain activity in response to neural-contextual ads compared to keyword-contextual alternatives, according to a new Seedtag white paper based on clinical research by neuroscientist Moran Cerf. Neural-contextual ads typically use AI to match the intent, interest and emotional tone of the surrounding content.
2 in 5
The share of weekly U.S. podcast listeners who fall into the 18-34 demographic, according to a new report from Cumulus Media and Signal Hill Insights. Among major platforms, Spotify has the lowest mean listener age (35.6), followed by Apple Podcasts (41.9) and YouTube (42.6), the research finds.
