Julia Faria
Research lead covering advertising and marketing
Digital advertising in Italy - statistics & facts
A key European player is increasingly going online but remains mostly reliant on traditional media. Italy is one of the largest digital advertising markets in Europe, coming in behind the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Spain. After a year marked by a fraud scandal surrounding top influencer Chiara Ferragni, the country’s digital advertising arena was greeted with stricter rules for social media transparency.
Video was Italy’s most invested-in digital advertising format, drawing in more than one-third of the country’s total digital ad spending. Online video alone raked in 1.69 billion U.S. dollars in ad spending in 2024. Another display type, banners, made up the second most invested-in ad format with a 30-percent share of total online ad spend. Search attracted 27 percent of the digital nationwide expenditures, while remaining internet ad formats such as classifieds and digital retail media collectively covered eight percent of the total.
Smartphones are an inextricable part of daily life in Italy, with more than 130 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. At more than three billion dollars, Italy’s mobile advertising made up 52 percent of digital ad spending and was expected to reach 60 percent by 2027.
Video and mobile rule the format game
In 2024, advertisers spent more than five billion euros on digital ad campaigns in Italy. Digital covered almost half of the country’s advertising market in 2024 and has been growing every year over the last decade.Video was Italy’s most invested-in digital advertising format, drawing in more than one-third of the country’s total digital ad spending. Online video alone raked in 1.69 billion U.S. dollars in ad spending in 2024. Another display type, banners, made up the second most invested-in ad format with a 30-percent share of total online ad spend. Search attracted 27 percent of the digital nationwide expenditures, while remaining internet ad formats such as classifieds and digital retail media collectively covered eight percent of the total.
Smartphones are an inextricable part of daily life in Italy, with more than 130 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants. At more than three billion dollars, Italy’s mobile advertising made up 52 percent of digital ad spending and was expected to reach 60 percent by 2027.
Consumers find brands through search engines, influencers
Almost half of Italians surveyed in late 2024 said they were often annoyed by ads on the internet. As of 2024, most Italian shoppers discovered brands through search engines and TV commercials. Word-of-mouth, retail websites, and product comparison websites rounded up their top five sources of new products and services, leaving other websites and traditional media with a reach below 25 percent. Nearly half of participants said they bought something promoted by an influencer, while six out of 10 reckoned influencers should explain the benefits of the products and services they endorse. As the Italian ad market increasingly digitizes itself, following online consumers' behaviors will be more and more crucial for the industry's expansion.
