• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, Yesterday

Citing "disruptions to global trade and continued de-globalization pressures," WPP Media this morning released a mid-year update to its annual global ad growth forecast, reducing its outlook for 2025 by 1.6 percentage points to 4.8% from what it has projected in December 2024.

Excluding the effects of political ad spending, WPP estimates global ad spending will fall 1.3 points to 6.0% vs. the 7.7% growth it had projected at the end of last year.

The downgrade wasn't unexpected, following a succession of similar downward ad industry revisions, though Madison and Wall publisher -- and former GroupM and Magna forecaster -- Brian Wieser last week actually upgraded his outlook for U.S. ad spending citing stronger-than expected first half 2025 growth.

WPP revised U.S. ad spending growth, excluding political spending, down to 5.6% from 6.5% in December 2024.

WPP's global ad growth downgrade reduces the Big 3 holding company forecast consensus down to 5.6% this year, down half a point from the 6.1% consensus at the end of 2024.

IPG Mediabrands' Magna unit also is poised to release its mid-year update soon.