Which Brands Spent the Most on Digital Advertising in Q1? We Have the Answer.

The First Quarter is always marked by a ramp-up in advertising from the Health & Fitness category, a surge from the tax software industry, the continuance of Financial Services marketing to pay off those holiday gifts, and one of the largest sporting events of the year. Q1 2017 saw the same consistent trends spotted year after year, with the emergence of some new brands to grace the top ten ad spend rankings across devices.

Over $2.7 billion was spent on digital advertising by the top 500 advertisers across devices, see which advertisers were spending the most in our exclusive report and read on for highlights.

TurboTax Sails Through Q1

TurboTax won the quarter as the top display advertiser, spending over $34 million on desktop advertising placements. Nearly seventy percent of the tax software brand's digital budget was invested on desktop/display advertising, purchased primarily through direct buys. Over 670 display creatives were detected during the First Quarter, across an average of 59 sites per day. February 6th, the day following the Super Bowl, was the top day for brand with daily spend exceeding $2 million.

Procter & Gamble Ups Spend on Mobile Q/Q

The CPG giant invested nearly $14 million on mobile advertising during the First Quarter, accounting for 20 percent of the brand's digital budget. That figure is up over $5 million from Procter & Gamble's mobile spend during the Fourth Quarter of 2016.

Digital Buyers Prefer Going Direct to Publisher

During Q1, nearly eighty percent of display and mobile ad spend by the top five hundred advertisers was through direct buys. On desktop video that percentage jumped to 92 percent. Impressions on display and mobile were dominated by ad network buys accounting for over forty percent of total impressions, led by top digital partner Google AdX + AdSense.