Global advertising spending hit an all-time high in 2024—approaching $800 billion worldwide. A handful of major companies account for a significant share of that investment. Below we rank the top 10 brands that spend the most on ads in 2024 (mostly large U.S.-based global firms), including their estimated total ad spend across TV, digital, print, outdoor, and more, their industry, and insights into their advertising strategies. These industry giants—from tech and e-commerce to consumer goods and media—are the top advertising companies of 2024. We’ll see how each leverages massive marketing budgets through notable campaigns and trends to maintain their market leadership.

Amazon

• Advertising Spend: $31 billion

Amazon tops the list of advertising spenders for the third year in a row. This colossal budget promotes everything from Amazon’s e-commerce services and fast delivery (Prime) to its growing portfolio of products like Alexa devices and Prime Video streaming. Amazon employs a full-funnel advertising strategy—running ubiquitous online ads, high-profile TV spots (especially around peak retail events like Prime Day and the holidays), and even large-scale outdoor campaigns. Notably, Amazon’s ad strategy emphasizes customer acquisition and engagement at scale; the company markets its Prime ecosystem heavily. Interestingly, Amazon’s own advertising business has grown so large that it now earns more from selling ad space than it spends on advertising. Amazon’s dominance in advertising spending reflects its commitment to driving continual growth and reinforcing its brand presence globally.

L’Oréal

• Advertising Spend: ≈$14 billion

L’Oréal, the world’s largest cosmetics company, is the top spender in the beauty industry. It invests heavily in advertising and promotions, supporting a portfolio of brands—from mass-market Garnier and Maybelline to luxe Lancôme and YSL Beauty—across all channels. A key aspect of L’Oréal’s strategy is its digital and social media focus: over 60 % of its digital ad spend now goes to social platforms, and the company has been a pioneer in influencer marketing and AI-driven personalization (such as virtual try-on tools for makeup). L’Oréal’s advertising emphasizes both product innovation and inclusive beauty ideals, helping the company engage consumers globally.

Alibaba

• Advertising Spend: $12–13 billion

Alibaba, China’s e-commerce titan, pours enormous ad budgets into promoting its platforms like Taobao and Tmall, especially around big shopping events. A hallmark of Alibaba’s strategy is the Singles’ Day Global Shopping Festival, the world’s largest online sale, which it markets through flashy TV galas, celebrity endorsements, and blanket digital advertising. Throughout the year, Alibaba uses digital channels and offline media to maintain its customer base in a competitive market, also advertising services like Alibaba Cloud and AliExpress. By integrating advertising with e-commerce data, Alibaba ensures its online shopping empire remains front-and-center for consumers and merchants alike.

LVMH

• Advertising Spend: $11 billion

LVMH leads the luxury sector in advertising spend, supporting brands like Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Tiffany & Co. Luxury ads prioritize high-end image and brand prestige with artistic visuals and elite celebrity ambassadors. LVMH balances glossy magazine placements and fashion shows with increased digital and social media visibility. By significantly boosting marketing investment during periods of strong sales growth, LVMH reinforces brand heritage and exclusivity, ensuring its labels remain top-of-mind among affluent consumers worldwide.

Procter & Gamble

• Advertising Spend: $10 billion

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is a consumer packaged-goods giant and historically one of the world’s biggest advertisers. Its marketing strategy emphasizes consistent brand-building and broad reach, but with an increasing focus on efficiency and ROI. P&G has shifted budget toward more targeted digital media and data-driven planning while still investing heavily in television, in-store ads, and big creative campaigns. P&G’s notable campaigns often aim for emotional resonance, such as the Always #LikeAGirl empowerment ad. Overall, P&G leverages its massive scale to keep its brands household names while optimizing spend across the right channels.

PDD Holdings (Temu & Pinduoduo)

• Advertising Spend: $10.8 billion

PDD Holdings, parent of the Pinduoduo marketplace and shopping app Temu, has rocketed up the ranks of ad spenders. This surge is largely driven by Temu’s unprecedented marketing blitz, which has included a deluge of social media ads, TV campaigns, and Super Bowl commercials. PDD’s strategy is essentially a brute-force user-acquisition play—saturating consumers with promotions and ultra-cheap deals to gain market share quickly. While costly in the short term, this massive investment has rapidly made Temu a household name in the U.S. and other markets.

Samsung

• Advertising Spend: $9.7 billion

Samsung Electronics promotes its smartphones, TVs, appliances, and other gadgets worldwide. The Korean tech giant’s marketing is known for big-budget product-launch campaigns—particularly Galaxy smartphone ads that often go head-to-head with Apple’s iPhone. Samsung advertises across traditional channels, including major sports sponsorships, and increasingly on digital and social media. Recently, Samsung has been retooling its advertising strategy toward outcome-based marketing by reallocating spend to connected TV and digital targeting to reach Gen Z consumers. Samsung’s enormous ad budget is spread across many product lines and markets but is increasingly managed with a data-driven, portfolio approach emphasizing effectiveness.

Alphabet (Google)

• Advertising Spend: $8.7 billion

Alphabet Inc., parent of Google, spends billions advertising its own products—from Pixel smartphones and Nest devices to Google Cloud and YouTube TV. Google’s campaigns highlight AI features, hardware innovations, and content like NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV. Its strategy involves cross-promoting within the Google ecosystem and using data to target audiences. While Alphabet reduced ad budgets slightly amid cost controls, it recognizes that even a tech giant needs sustained advertising to grow hardware and services beyond search.

Unilever

• Advertising Spend: $8 billion
  

Unilever consistently ranks among the top global advertisers, supporting brands like Dove, Knorr, Axe, and Hellmann’s. The company is known for purpose-driven campaigns—for example, Dove’s long-running “Real Beauty” initiative. Unilever has expanded into sports and live-event marketing to reach mass audiences and is reallocating more ad budget to digital platforms and e-commerce channels. By maintaining an advertising presence across TV, billboards, TikTok, and sports arenas, Unilever ensures its products stay highly visible in the crowded consumer-goods market.

Comcast

• Advertising Spend: $7.5 billion
  

Comcast spreads its large marketing budget across telecommunications and entertainment. It heavily promotes Xfinity internet, TV, and wireless services, while also advertising NBCUniversal content, Universal Pictures films, Peacock streaming, and theme parks. Comcast’s strategy mixes local outreach for cable packages with national campaigns for movies and streaming, aiming to maintain subscriber bases and draw audiences to its content. By investing strongly in advertising across virtually every medium, Comcast remains dominant in both delivering and creating entertainment.

The global ad-spend landscape in 2024 is defined by these top 10 marketing powerhouses. Collectively, the world’s 100 biggest advertisers boosted their advertising and marketing outlays to a record high, demonstrating that major brands continue to bet on advertising as a growth engine. While budgets are huge, the focus is increasingly on how those dollars are spent: top advertisers are shifting toward digital channels, social media, and retail media, demanding more accountability and targeting precision. The rise of new players like Temu shows how aggressive spending can rapidly build brand equity, pushing incumbents to innovate. Ultimately, strong and smart advertising spending remains crucial for sustaining brand leadership in today’s competitive marketplace.

FAQ

Which brand has the highest advertising spending in 2024?

Amazon leads all companies, allocating about $20 billion across TV, digital, print, and outdoor channels to promote its vast Prime ecosystem.

Why do e-commerce firms top the list of brands that spend the most on ads?

Online retailers like Amazon, Alibaba, and Temu rely on aggressive user-acquisition campaigns and year-round promotions to capture market share quickly.

What industries dominate global ad spend in 2024?

Tech/e-commerce, consumer packaged goods, beauty, and media/telecom brands account for the bulk of spending, reflecting intense competition in those sectors.

How much does a top advertising company 2024 invest on average?

The leading ten brands each spend between $7 billion and $20 billion annually, representing a sizeable share of the nearly $800 billion worldwide ad market.

Is advertising spending shifting toward digital channels?

Yes. While TV remains important, top advertisers increasingly prioritize social media, connected TV, and retail-media networks to achieve higher targeting precision.