Marketers and consumers are so far apart on the ad platforms they believe are most effective that they might as well be on different planets, despite the fact that consumers’ willingness to accept advertising is on the rise.
So says Kantar’s latest annual Media Reactions report, which is based on interviews with more than 21,000 consumers across 30 markets, representing close to 90% of worldwide media spend, and over 1,000 senior marketers globally.
It reveals that the consumer top five of Amazon, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch and Prime Video is in sharp contrast to YouTube, Instagram, Google, Netflix and Spotify where marketers are ploughing their cash. In fact, while Amazon channels dominate (Amazon, Twitch and Prime Video), not a single platform features on both lists.
Delving deeper into the reasoning behind consumers’ preferences, Snapchat’s ads are seen as fun and entertaining, and less intrusive than they were in 2024, while consumers praised TikTok ads for being particularly attention-grabbing, fun and entertaining.
Kantar global director of media Gonca Bubani said: “Brands need to fight for people’s attention, but marketers are not always reflecting consumers’ ad preferences. Amazon’s ad properties buck the trend by offering a variety of different experiences from its various channels.
“Twitch is a good example: consumers trust ads there more than anywhere else, but many marketers assume that passionate and substantial gaming and live-streaming audiences are niche, narrow groups.”
Meanwhile, marketers’ trust in X has hit an all-time low, with a net 29% of professionals planning to slash their spending on the platform next year and nearly one in eight intending to pull their investment entirely.
Bubani added: “One year after Elon Musk sued brands for pulling their investment in the platform, things haven’t improved. Having failed to make progress on content moderation, marketers have ranked X last among all global brands for trust for the third year in a row.”
As part of its study, Kantar also asked marketers their investment plans for 2026 across ad channels.
Creators and influencers look likely to benefit as 61% of marketers plan to increase their spend on influencer content next year. This coincides with a predicted increase in social commerce investment, where 53% of marketers are planning to raise spend.
Meanwhile, 54% of marketers plan to increase their investment in TV streaming and 19% have indicated TV and online video product placement budgets will rise. This is offsetting the 26% of marketers planning to decrease their spend on linear TV.
Bubani commented: “Creator campaigns demand a departure from traditional ways of working. Creators aren’t actors doing a brand’s bidding, so the value exchange is very different.
“Every dollar spent on an influencer is a dollar over which marketers don’t have complete control. The most successful and authentic creator partnerships depend on flexibility within clear guardrails around a brand’s values, tone and assets.”
Overall, the report is positive about the future. And, for the first time, more than half of people (57%) say they are generally receptive to advertising, jumping ten percentage points from last year.
Even so, trust implications are weighing heavily on consumers, with the number of people bothered by AI-generated ads up to 44% from 41% last year, and 57% concerned about fake GenAI ads.
At the same time, general attitudes towards GenAI are getting more positive among both consumers and marketers, though more marketers use the technology to work more efficiently (70%) than creatively (53%).
Bubani concluded: “AI is most valuable when it’s also embraced as a creative partner. It’s giving marketers new ways to explore ideas, test what resonates, and make smarter decisions faster. The opportunity it presents is huge but that will only come from a mindset of curiosity rather than caution.”
Related stories
Brands axe X but ultimately consumers prefer print ads
Brits crave omnichannel retail but beware the data grab
Brits’ trust in how brands use data ‘lowest in the world’
Brits want personalisation but believe AI is too creepy
Bot rot sets in as Brits crave human CX over robot hell
Marketing AI revolution ‘still three to five years away’
AI investment pours in to UK but privacy fears increase
Be the first to comment on "Marketers are from Mars; consumers are from Venus"