IAB Europe has published its latest AdEx Benchmark Study, covering H1 2018, which shows that digital ad spend grew by 10 per cent during the period to €25.7bn (£22.4bn). The study, conducted in collaboration with IHS Markit, also found that mobile ad spending crossed the €10bn line for the first time.

Mobile ad spending is rapidly approaching a 50 per cent share of overall digital ad spend in Europe, and in programmatic display, it already accounts for over half of all spending. Video now accounts for around 30 per cent of the display segment, having grown over four times faster than non-video display during the period.

“The half year AdEx Benchmark Study provides an update on the status of the digital advertising market in Europe,” said Townsend Feehan, CEO of IAB Europe. “It continues to confirm the growth of video and mobile advertising as marketers look to digital as a brand building medium.”

Display advertising growth grew by 12.3 per cent, outpacing search, which rose by 10.2 per cent, although search still accounts for more spending overall, at 46 per cent compared to 40 per cent. Display advertising continues to experience strong growth in Central and Eastern Europe, growing by 17.9 per cent in these areas compared to 11.2 per cent in Western Europe. Indeed, the CEE region helped drive the overall growth with an increase of 17 per cent, whilst the more mature markets in Western Europe experienced growth of nine per cent.

“The latest AdEx study demonstrates an understanding in the market that consumers barely separate their digital and analogue lives, that digital factors into every channel and means of communication,” said Anton Kopytov, chair of IAB Europe Research Committee and partner technology consulting at Mindshare. “The lines between traditional and digital are blurring, driving the growth of cross-channel video strategies and resurgence of audio on multiple platforms, including desktop, smart TV and mobile devices.

“GDPR has had an impact on data-driven activations in the first half of 2018, making key market players cautious, but the general impact has been positive in building trust in the digital industry and we see recovery in the second half of 2018. Overall outlook for the consistent market growth is positive both in the east and west of Europe.”