In 2019, social media will account for 13% of all advertising spending worldwide, predicts Zenith.

Publicis Media-owned media firm Zenith projects that this year’s global social media ad spending will increase 20% to $84 billion. The third-largest advertising channel behind TV and paid search, social media will account for 13% of all global ad spending, according to Zenith’s research.

According to Zenith, social media advertising will surpass print advertising for the first time in 2019, with newspaper and magazine ads bringing in less than $69 billion.

Social media ad growth is being driven by SMBs and digital enterprises. Zenith cites SMBs shifting and increasing spending in order to take advantage of the targeting and localization features provided by platforms like Facebook for the rise across social media ad channels.

According to a research published by Facebook on Friday, more than 140 million businesses use its family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp) monthly “to find new customers. According to COO Sheryl Sandberg, during the company’s first quarter earnings report call earlier this year. According to Sandberg in April, “Our advertiser base is more diverse compared to the same period over last year,” supporting Zenith’s hypothesis that the rise in social media ad expenditure is a result of SMB ad investments.

In the upcoming years, Zenith anticipates a leveling-off of the increase of social ad spend. As it ages, “its growth is slowing,” writes Zenith. According to the business, the growth of social media ad spending would drop from 20% this year to 17% in 2020 and 13% in 2021.

The most money is spent on paid search ads. Social networks’ ad targeting features are sufficient to move them into the top three ad channels, but they still trail paid search. Paid search advertisements will generate $107 billion in revenue in 2019 and account for 17% of all worldwide ad spending, according to a Zenith analysis. Paid search advertising is predicted to produce more than $100 billion this year for the first time, an increase of 8% from the previous year.

29% of all advertising dollars are spent on TV. TV is still the most popular ad channel, but its popularity is waning. According to Zenith, TV ad spending is being impacted by “shrinking ratings in key markets,” and over the next three years, it will decrease by $2 billion, from $182 billion this year to $180 billion in 2021.

what makes us care. The predictions made by Zenith are based on its own client data (previous ad expenditure across channels, projected budgets, and price negotiations with media owners), as well as on competitor campaign analysis and local media market conditions. The statistics from the media agency shows how traditional advertising is waning as digital channels continue to attract more advertising expenditures from SMBs and corporations looking to target specialised audiences.

Social and search platforms have eroded traditional advertising sources by providing advanced targeting options and unmatched reach for organisations of all sizes.