Advertising is in the list of France’s innovations. Long before Jean-Claude Decaux pioneered the concept of out-of-home (OOH) advertising in the 1960s, the country’s most famous landmark had temporarily been turned into a giant advertising billboard by car manufacturer Citroën projecting its name on the Eiffel Tower in 1925. Nearly a century after this memorable campaign, France finds itself at the forefront of another fundamental transformation – the
. What are the French market specificities that draw industry professionals into digital?
In France as well, digital is King
Since 2021,
digital has overtaken traditional ad spend. With over 9.5 billion euros worth of ad spend,
digital has grown by nine percent in 2023. Hence, companies seek to serve relevant advertising messages based on audience behavior and preferences. Seeing how rapidly the pandemic has accelerated the demand for digital content and solutions among consumers, it is safe to say that the internet will be the primary advertising playground of the future.
The power trio: search, social and mobile
Search was the
most popular digital advertising format in France in 2023. According to the latest reports, search campaigns drew around 4.1 billion euros in investments. They accounted for roughly 44 percent of total digital ad expenditures that year. Myriad online users embark on their customer journeys via Google each day. Still, even though the platform has become an essential pillar of the digital advertising sphere, European regulators are cracking down on the search giant’s advertising technology and tracking practices.
Another format that has been attracting increased attention from digital ad buyers is social media. Instagram or TikTok serve as one-stop-shops for brand discovery and product recommendations, and this is why, in 2023,
social media ad spending in France increased by 10 percent and reached over 2.47 billion euros. Lastly, when it comes to devices, mobile advertising has been gaining strong traction and is estimated to reach
half of the advertising spend in the country by 2026.
Regulation & digital advertising
As one of the core players in Europe, France dictates policies revolving around advertising. Since June 2023,
influencer marketing in the country has obtained a new, more regulated look. How the new rules will impact investments in digital channels is yet to be observed. However, mixing big money with stricter rules will be interesting for marketing professionals.
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