• by Joe Mandese , 11 hours ago

Marketer spending on product placements will grow 13.7% worldwide, and 12.8% in the U.S. this year, the greatest rate of expansion since the industry rebounded from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, according to the 2026 edition of PQ Media's Global Product Placement Forecast.

Based on that growth, the global product-placement marketplace will climb to nearly $42 billion this year, fueled by double-digit growth in TV, film, music and digital media.

The U.S. will account for 57% of the worldwide product-placement marketplace, although the report finds the Netherlands is the fastest-growing market, expanding 16.3%.

Following several years of healthy double-digit growth, PQ characterizes the headwinds of the pandemic, as well as writers' and actors' strikes as being in "the read window and the industry is growing annually at double digit rates worldwide" for the foreseeable future.

Among the new and emerging drivers in total spending are the expansion of short-form microdramas, the utilization of AI, and greater acceptance in non-traditional product-placement media, including print.

“Paid product placements have grown substantially over the past 25 years because brands have become more willing to invest in skillful integrations of their logos and products in storylines that will expose their assets in meaningful ways," says PQ President-CEO Patrick Quinn, adding: "This trend will continue going forward due to the popularity of this marketing tactic among the younger demographics that the brands are targeting.”