Mobile ad spend in the U.S. 2010-2022

In 2022, mobile advertising spending in the United States reached an all-time high of 154.1 billion U.S. dollars. This figure marked a growth rate of 14.1 percent compared to the previous year.

Mobile advertising: big bucks for the small screen

The mobile revolution has fundamentally altered the U.S. advertising scene. As internet users switch from desktop to mobile devices and spend more time with their smartphones than ever, advertisers are also allocating larger funds to mobile campaigns. In 2020, the United States was the leading mobile ad market worldwide, but while the country continues to account for the highest share of expenditures, advertisers from other markets are equally ramping up investments in mobile campaigns. So what are the formats with the highest mobile ad spend? As of 2021, search and social media were the most invested-in formats, followed by banner and video.

Mobile video advertising trends

Video is becoming an increasingly vital driver of mobile advertising growth. Roughly 43 percent of U.S. online users stated that they watched their favorite video content on a mobile device in 2020. Among Millennials and Gen Z audiences, user-generated short-form videos were particularly popular that year, with 82 percent of respondents to a nationwide survey claiming to watch these mobile video formats on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok every day. In line with these video consumption trends, programmatic mobile video ad spend in the U.S. increased from 17 billion to approximately 19 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.