Following an initial report published in January 2025, the Union des marques and Kantar Media have released an updated edition of their exclusive study on advertising investments in France, now enriched with 2024 data. The updated study offers a fresh perspective on the French advertising landscape, challenging common misconceptions and highlighting key differences across brand sizes and industries.
A fragmented market behind a false sense of uniformity
The French advertising market is often portrayed as a monolithic bloc, but the data reveals a far more fragmented reality. By segmenting over 80,000 brands into four equal quartiles, each representing 25% of total advertising spending, the study illustrates significant disparities between large corporations and smaller brands, often referred to as the “long tail.”
This segmentation reveals contrasting dynamics over the six-year period from 2019 to 2024. Additionally, Kantar Media’s valuation methods have been harmonized with FrancePub and SRI-UDECAM's digital observatory to present a unified view of both online and offline media investments.
Hervé Navellou, president of the Union des marques, commented: “This updated view of the French advertising market offers a much more accurate and nuanced reading, challenging the often distorted narrative dominating the industry.”
Debunking myths about the French advertising market
The updated study debunks several widely held beliefs:
- Myth 1: Digital investments are a passing trend.
In reality, brands are following audience behavior shifts and diversifying their touchpoints, reflecting changes in consumption patterns rather than temporary hype.
- Myth 2: The market is controlled by a few big players.
While the largest brands dominate in terms of budget, the “long tail” of small brands (over 78,000 brands in 2024) accounts for the vast majority of market participants by volume, though not by financial weight.
- Myth 3: Big brands are abandoning traditional media.
The data indicates that large brands continue to allocate significant portions of their budget to traditional channels, especially TV and print, supplementing rather than replacing them with digital.
- Myth 4: All sectors follow the same advertising evolution.
Sector-specific strategies persist. E-commerce-heavy industries such as fashion and retail have significantly increased their digital spend, while industries like food, health, and automotive maintain robust offline investments.
Key insights from the 2024 update
The July 2025 update confirms previously observed trends and offers deeper analysis on industry behaviors:
- Global growth driven by digital.
Overall advertising investments grew by +28% between 2019 and 2024, with digital increasing by nearly +80%, while traditional media spend remained relatively stable.
- Large brands still rely heavily on traditional media.
In 2024, leading brands allocated over half of their budgets to offline channels, demonstrating continued reliance on TV, press, and radio.
- Television remains a dominant medium.
TV accounts for 64% of food sector ad spending, 79% for household products, and 44% for automotive, highlighting television’s enduring influence among large advertisers.
- Divergent approaches to press.
While small brands reduced press spending by 20% since 2019, industries like banking, energy, and insurance increased investments, likely valuing the credibility and targeting of print media.
- Sector strategies differ sharply.
Retail and fashion sectors have shifted dramatically to digital (56% and 75% of budgets respectively), while automotive, banking, and energy sectors follow a more balanced strategy between digital and traditional media.
A more realistic view of market dynamics
This latest edition of the Union des marques and Kantar Media study underscores the importance of moving beyond market averages. By focusing on brand size and industry specifics, the report reveals the true complexity of media investment strategies in France. While digital continues its ascent, traditional media remains a foundational pillar, particularly for major advertisers seeking reach and impact.
In essence, the study presents a more accurate reflection of market dynamics, showing that the evolution toward digital is far from uniform and varies widely depending on brand size, industry, and strategic priorities.
