Canada’s ad market is regaining momentum as digital dominates spending. Mobile, connected TV (CTV), and retail media are reshaping budgets even as trade tensions threaten the total macroeconomic outlook.

This is the second installment of our “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the second installment of our “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the second installment of our “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the second installment of our “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

This is the second installment of our “Canada Ad Spending Benchmarks” series, which helps ad buyers and sellers calibrate their spending and revenue mix against the market.

Nike took advantage of the FIFA World Cup by spotlighting its new, soccer-focused X2 collection through community watch parties and in retail spaces. The effort, which ran through June, shows how retail can expand with targeted experiences that match specific fan interests.

CTV has sizable and growing media time in Canada, but ad spending still lags. As viewing habits shift across digital channels, marketers face growing pressure to realign budgets before attention moves further ahead of investment.

A rebound year is taking shape in Canada’s ad market. Growth is shifting toward CTV, retail media, and social. But tighter budgets and economic pressure are forcing advertisers to rethink channel mix and performance priorities.

With AI models like Mythos on the horizon, are they doing enough to defend against emerging risks?

Rapid share gains in India come at the expense of branded drugs, challenging premium pricing models and raising the bar for new entrants.

Uber is expanding premium storytelling through Journey Takeovers, which turn entire rides into narrative canvases—and delivering unusually long, high-quality attention.

Listening patterns from 2025 show how audio fits into everyday moments differently across markets, from commutes to cooking to winding down at night. Spotify’s Wrapped for Advertisers pulls those signals into a clearer picture for 2026 advertising decisions.

Canada’s big banks exceeded expectations for the 2025 fiscal year as capital markets and wealth management carried results. But economic uncertainty loomed over results. Adverse trade policy and a cooling labor market were hot topics, and there are risks of consumer credit stress. Threats to Canada’s economic wellbeing abound, which will trickle down to banks’ businesses. In the meantime, restructuring will likely distract management teams, slowing response to changing business conditions.

40% of global consumers say they’ve gone out of their way to spend less on US products in response to tariffs, with Canadian consumers leading the way, based on July data from Morning Consult.

American Express debuted a co-branded airport lounge at YUL Montréal-Trudeau in partnership with Aspire Executive Lounges, per a press release. All eyes are on Amex as the Platinum card refresh draws near. Amid a steady drip of card teases, it’s no surprise that international locations are getting extra love from the issuer: International consumer card volume increased 15% YoY per Q2 earnings, over double US card volume. Strengthening its rewards to align with international cardholders’ taste has huge return value for Amex.

The news: Klarna is now available in-store at over 400 Walmart Canada locations. Canadian Walmart shoppers can scan a QR code at assisted lane checkouts to choose between Pay in Full or Pay in 4. Only purchases over CAD 50 will be eligible for Klarna’s financing. Our take: Klarna’s partnerships with Walmart in the US and Canada are major coups for the BNPL player. Affirm’s dominance stateside is driven by its strategic partnerships and strong Affirm card adoption. Klarna should continue staking out new tie-ups with major retailers and boost Klarna card use to secure a stronger presence in Canada.

The news: Hims & Hers will soon expand its business to Canada, where it plans to sell generic semaglutide. The bottom line: Novo just gave a massive gift to healthcare companies that are in the weight loss drug market but can no longer sell compounded GLP-1s now that the brand-name versions are available again. We’ll likely see more players in this space that primarily operate in the US expanding north of the border, while others could take advantage of President Trump’s executive order that calls for the FDA to authorize more states to import lower-cost drugs from Canada.