WARC: Global social network advertising reached $17.9 billion in Q1 2019

Social media advertising continued to grow in 2019, albeit at a slower pace than in previous years. Recent data from WARC shows that advertising revenues for major social and messaging apps grew 26.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2019.

WARC calculates data that accounts for a quarter of internet advertising spending and 11% of global media spending. The analysis found that in the first quarter of 2018, advertising revenues grew by 51.6% year-on-year, and the growth rate has steadily declined throughout 2018 and this year. Therefore, the growth rate in the first quarter of 2019 was about half of the same period last year.

Despite the slowdown in revenue growth, the social network's total global advertising revenue reached its second-highest level ever in the first quarter at $17.9 billion, second only to the $20.2 billion in the fourth quarter of 2018. This is because ad spending tends to fall in the first quarter after the year-end peak.

The report also noted that Facebook (including Instagram and WhatsApp) accounted for 83.2% of total social advertising revenue in the first quarter, totaling $14.9 billion. In addition, 48.3% ($7.2 billion) of advertising revenue came from advertisers in North America.

The good news on the advertising front continues for Facebook and its properties, with recent data from Social Media Examiner finding that 6 in 10 marketers (59%) worldwide say they will increase their use of Facebook ads in the next year. The majority of respondents (55%) also plan to increase their use of Instagram ads in 2019. In contrast, Snapchat is losing ground among U.S. teens, and as a result, it only accounts for 1.8% of total ad revenue. That said, Snapchat can take heart in its most recent quarter, when it reported strong user growth.

199IT.com Originally compiled from: WARC. Please do not reprint without authorization