Executive Summary
The 2025 Digital Marketing Data Report reveals significant shifts in the country’s digital marketing landscape. While traditional media channels continue to dominate brand discovery with TV ads leading at 70.2%, digital platforms have established themselves as the primary channels for brand research, with social networks (86.2%) and search engines (85.6%) at the forefront.
Key Highlights
- Total advertising spend increased by 7.7% to $996M, demonstrating continued investment in marketing
- Digital advertising grew by 8.5% to $340M, representing 34.2% of total ad spend
- Video advertising experienced the largest growth with a +$53M increase (+49.1%)
- Privacy concerns are escalating with 81.1% expressing concern about fake content online
- Traditional channels still lead brand discovery while digital channels dominate brand research
This analysis provides comprehensive insights into Nigeria’s evolving digital marketing ecosystem, highlighting the need for integrated traditional-digital strategies.
Source of Brand Discovery
Brand discovery refers to the various channels through which consumers first become aware of new brands, products, or services. This section compares the effectiveness of different media channels in Nigeria for brand discovery between 2024 and 2025. The data highlights a strong reliance on traditional media, while also showing significant growth in word-of-mouth and digital channels.
| S/N | Media | % (2025) | % (2024) | 24 S/N | % Diff | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TV Ads | 70.2% | 55.7% | 1 | +14.5% | TV ads retained its position as the No1 source of brand discovery in Nigeria from 2024, and grew by 14.5pp compared to last year. |
| 2 | Word of Mouth | 68.2% | 48.1% | 4 | +20.1% | Word of Mouth increased 2 positions to No2, compared to last year, from No4 source of brand discovery to No 2 in 2025 and also increased by 20.1pp |
| 3 | Billboards & Posters | 65.2% | 54.2% | 2 | +11.0% | Billboards served as No3 source of brand discovery, compared to 2024, billboards & posters grew by 11 percentage points. |
| 4 | Social Media Ads | 64.5% | 48.7% | 3 | +15.8% | Social Media is the No. 4 source of brand discovery in 2025, grew by 15.8pp |
| 5 | Search Engines | 62.0% | 42.4% | 6 | +19.6% | Search engines are the No. 5 source of brand discovery in Nigeria in 2025, grew by +19.6pp compared to 2024 |
| 6 | Ads on public transport | 61.5% | 47.4% | 5 | +14.1% | Ads on public transport were the No. 6 source of brand discovery in Nigeria in 2025, grew by +14.1pp compared to 2024 |
| 7 | Product samples or trials | 54.8% | 30.1% | 13 | +24.7% | Product samples or trials were the 7th source of brand discovery in Nigeria in 2025, a 6-position rise from No. 13. |
| 8 | TV Shows & Films | 52.6% | 38.1% | 8 | +14.5% | TV shows and films are the 8th source of brand discovery in Nigeria, with 52.6% – a 14.5pp rise compared to 2024 |
| 9 | Celebrity Endorsements | 51.2% | 37.8% | 9 | +13.4% | Celebrity endorsements are the 9th source of brand discovery in Nigeria, with 51.2% – a 13.4pp rise compared to 2024 |
| 10 | In-store Promos | 51.0% | 40.0% | 7 | +11.0% | In-store promos are the 10th source of brand discovery in Nigeria, with 51.0% – a 11.0pp rise compared to 2024. However this channel dropped by 3 positions from no7 in 2024 to No 10 in 2025 |
| 11 | Brand Social Posts | 40.5% | – | – | – | Brand social Media Posts are the 11th source of brand discovery in 2025, with 40.5%, notably this channel didn’t make it into the top 15 list in 2024. |
| 12 | Consumer Review Sites | 40.5% | – | – | – | Consumer reviews are the 12th source of brand discovery in 2025, with 40.5%, notably this channel didn’t make it into the top 15 list in 2024. |
| 13 | Brand Websites | 39.3% | 33.5% | 11 | +5.8% | Brand websites is the 13th source of brand discovery in 2025, with 39.3% and a 5.8pp rise compared to 2024 |
| 14 | Ads in Mobile Apps | 37.8% | – | – | – | Ads in Mobile Apps are the 14th source of brand discovery in 2025, with 37.8%, notably, this channel didn’t make it into the top 15 list in 2024. |
| 15 | Social Media Comments | 37.6% | 28.9% | 14 | +8.7% | Social Media comments are the 15th source of brand discovery in 2025, with 37.6%, and a +8.7pp rise compared to 2024. |
Key Insights – Brand Discovery:
- The top 3 channels were traditional advertising (TV ads, Word of mouth & Billboards) highlighting the continued importance of traditional marketing for brand discovery in Nigeria.
- Review sites (No 12th) which weren’t present in the previous top 15 2024 list, made it to this list, coupled with word of mouth as No2 signifies the rising importance of reviews and customer advocacy especially with the rise of AI tools adoption.
- Brand Assets (website and social media) were low on the list → 11 & 13. This signifies more individuals in Nigeria discover brands outside their immediate audience, hence the need for brands to invest in advocacy and promotion in Non-Owned channels.
- Social Media and Search engine marketing were no 4 & 5, with over 60% of Nigerians highlighting this as a source of brand discovery, this further highlights the growing importance of digital marketing efforts, ie Social media marketing & SEO to brands in Nigeria.
- Social Comments notable no 15 also made it to the list in 2025, highlighting again the growing importance of reviews, 3rd party comments and the need for brands to invest in advocacy and actively monitor reputation and mentions.
Channel For Brand Research
Brand research channels are the platforms consumers use to gather more information about a brand after the initial discovery phase. This data reveals a pivotal shift from offline discovery to online research. While traditional media is key for awareness, the entire research process is dominated by digital platforms, indicating where consumers go to validate their interest and make decisions.
| S/N | Media | % (2025) | % (2024) | 24 S/N | % Diff | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Networks | 86.2% | 84.3% | 1 | +1.9% | Social Networks maintained the No1 position for brand research with a slight increase of 1.9pp, demonstrating continued dominance in the research phase. |
| 2 | Search Engines | 85.6% | 73.7% | 2 | +11.9% | Search Engines remained at No2 with significant growth of 11.9pp, showing increasing reliance on search for brand research. |
| 3 | Consumer Reviews | 53.8% | 38.8% | 4 | +15.0% | Consumer Reviews moved up 1 position from No4 to No3 with a strong 15.0pp increase, highlighting growing importance of peer opinions. |
| 4 | Product & Brand Websites | 48.8% | 39.3% | 3 | +9.5% | Product & Brand Websites dropped 1 position from No3 to No4 despite growing by 9.5pp, indicating stronger growth in other channels. |
| 5 | Mobile Apps | 47.7% | 38.0% | 5 | +9.7% | Mobile Apps maintained No5 position with healthy growth of 9.7pp, showing continued mobile-first research behavior. |
| 6 | Micro Blogs | 40.7% | 17.0% | 10 | +23.7% | Micro Blogs jumped 4 positions from No10 to No6 with the highest growth of 23.7pp, indicating explosive growth in micro-blogging platforms. |
| 7 | Messenger Services | 29.7% | 25.2% | 7 | +4.5% | Messenger Services maintained No7 position with steady growth of 4.5pp, showing consistent but moderate adoption for brand research. |
| 8 | Specialist Review Sites | 29.1% | 9.3% | 14 | +19.8% | Specialist Review Sites surged 6 positions from No14 to No8 with 19.8pp growth, demonstrating rising importance of specialized review platforms. |
| 9 | Q&A Sites | 26.2% | 22.5% | 8 | +3.7% | Q&A Sites dropped 1 position from No8 to No9 with modest 3.7pp growth, showing stable but slower growth compared to other channels. |
| 10 | Brand & Product Blogs | 24.9% | 26.7% | 6 | -1.8% | Brand & Product Blogs dropped 4 positions from No6 to No10 with a 1.8pp decline, indicating decreasing reliance on branded blog content for research. |
| 11 | Price Comparison Sites | 18.0% | 15.1% | 11 | +2.9% | Price Comparison Sites maintained No11 position with 2.9pp growth, showing steady but limited growth in price-conscious research behavior. |
| 12 | Video Sites | 18.0% | 17.4% | 9 | +0.6% | Video Sites dropped 3 positions from No9 to No12 with minimal 0.6pp growth, showing slower adoption despite video content popularity. |
| 13 | Forums & Message Boards | 17.2% | 10.2% | 13 | +7.0% | Forums & Message Boards maintained No13 position with solid 7.0pp growth, indicating sustained community-driven research habits. |
| 14 | Online Pinboards | 12.9% | 12.2% | 12 | +0.7% | Online Pinboards dropped 2 positions from No12 to No14 with minimal 0.7pp growth, showing limited adoption for brand research purposes. |
| 15 | Discount Voucher Sites | 8.1% | 9.0% | 15 | -0.9% | Discount Voucher Sites maintained No15 position with a 0.9pp decline, indicating decreased reliance on discount-focused research. |
Key Insights – Brand Research:
- Unlike with Brand Discovery where traditional offline channels hold the top 3 spots, the top 15 spots for brand research are online, this proposes that, after discovery online, a larger percentage of the research process is done online.
- Social media leads this, highlighting the importance of brands having active social media presence, and an encompassing social media strategy, to not only for attracting clients but also assist with the research process, positioning their brand as the preferred option.
- Immediately below social media, on the no2 spot is search engines. The growing influence of search engines on brand research (+11.9pp) Emphasizes the need for brands to prioritize SEO, ensuring brands own the space on Branded searches, related queries etc, ensuring they control the narrative around their brand online.
- Customer reviews (No3), Micro Blogs (No6), Specialist review sites (No8), Q&A sites (No9), price comparison sites (No11) all alludes to the point that Nigerians are very interested in the opinions of others during the brand research stage, hence the need for consistent reputation monitoring, management and strategic PR for Brands.
- Video Sites importance in brand research is growing, although minutely, when possible brands should include video strategy into their overall marketing mix.
Advertising Spend: Total Vs. Digital
This section details the total advertising expenditure in Nigeria, comparing overall spending with the portion allocated to digital channels. The data indicates a healthy and growing ad market, with digital advertising steadily increasing its share of the total budget.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Adspend (Online & Offline Channels) | $996M | $924.6M | +$71.4M | Advertising spend isn’t slowing down instead its rising with +$71.4M (+7.7%) more spent on advertising in 2025 compared to 2024. |
| YoY Change in total adspend | +4.4% (+$41.9M) | +4.8% (+$42M) | -0.4% | Year-over-year growth rate slightly decreased by 0.4pp, but absolute growth remained strong, indicating market maturation with continued expansion. |
| Digital Adspend (Search & Social Media) | $340M | $313.4M | +$26.6M | Digital adspend increased by +$26.6M (+8.5%), showing stronger growth than total advertising spend. |
| Y-O-Y Change in Digital Adspend | +8.9% (+$27.7M) | +9.0% (+$26M) | -0.1% | Digital advertising growth rate remained stable with only 0.1pp decrease, maintaining robust double-digit growth momentum. |
| Digital Adspend as a percentage of total Ad spend | 34.2% | 33.9% | +0.3% | The percentage of digital adspend of total advertising spend remained relatively constant in 2025, compared to 2024, showing steady digital adoption without dramatic shifts. |
* 2025 Figures represents estimates for Full-Year 2024 in USD & 2024 Figures represents estimates of Full-Year spend in 2023in USD.
Key Insights – Total vs Digital Advertising Spend:
- Non-Digital advertising accounts for 65.8% of total advertising spend in 2025, this could be a causation or correlation factor as to why non-digital platforms lead the chart for brand discovery.
- The growth in overall adspend in Nigeria is steadily rising, highlighting the continued importance of advertising (digital advertising inclusive) to brands in Nigeria.
- Digital advertising is growing faster than total advertising (8.5% vs 7.7%), indicating gradual shift towards digital channels while maintaining balanced approach.
Digital Advertising Spend
This section breaks down the allocation of digital advertising budgets across different formats. The analysis reveals a strong preference for visual-centric ads, particularly online video and social media, which command the largest shares of spending and are seeing the most significant growth.
| S/N | Category | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Social Media | $131M | $111.2M | +$19.8M | $131 Million spent on Social Media in 2025. $19.8M (+17.8%) more compared to 2024, representing the second-largest absolute increase in digital spend. |
| 2 | Online Video ads | $161M | $108.0M | +$53M | $161 Million spent on Online Video ads in 2025. $53M (+49.1%) more compared to 2024, showing the largest growth in digital advertising categories. |
| 3 | Online Banner Ads | $108M | $100.4M | +$7.6M | $108 Million spent on Online Banner Ads in 2025. $7.6M (+7.6%) more compared to 2024, showing steady but moderate growth in traditional display advertising. |
| 4 | In-app Ads | $102M | – | – | $102 Million spent on In-app Ads in 2025, representing 30.0% of total digital advertising spend, indicating strong mobile-first advertising approach. |
| 5 | Online Search Ads | $33.1M | $29.57M | +$3.53M | $33.1 Million spent on Search Ads in 2025. $3.53M (+11.9%) more compared to 2024, showing healthy growth in search marketing investment. |
| 6 | Online Classified | $6.93M | $6.61M | +$0.32M | Online Classified ads grew by $0.32M (+4.8%) to $6.93M, showing modest growth in classified advertising spend. |
| 7 | Digital Audio Ads | $6.23M | $5.89M | +$0.34M | Digital Audio Ads increased by $0.34M (+5.8%) to $6.23M, indicating growing investment in audio content advertising. |
| 8 | Influencer Ads | $4.75M | $4.20M | +$0.55M | Influencer Ads grew by $0.55M (+13.1%) to $4.75M, showing strong growth in influencer marketing despite relatively small absolute spend. |
* 2025 Figures represents estimates for Full-Year 2024 in USD & 2024 Figures represents estimates of Full-Year spend in 2023in USD.
Key Insights – Digital Advertising Spend:
- Visual driven ads dominate spend in Nigeria. This postulates brand marketing gets more approval and spend from executives compared to performance marketing.
- Video adspend saw the largest increase in adspend online, signifying the growing importance of video to the overall marketing mix.
- Online Video ads represent the largest single category at $161M (47.4% of digital spend), followed by Social Media at $131M (38.5% of digital spend).
Programmatic Advertising Overview
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Spend | $242M | $222.5M | +$19.5M | Programmatic advertising spend increased by $19.5M (+8.8%), demonstrating strong growth in automated ad buying. |
| YoY Change | +9.9% | +9.8% | +0.1% | Year-over-year growth rate increased slightly by 0.1pp, maintaining robust double-digit growth momentum. |
| Share of total digital Ad Spend | 71.0% | 71.0% | 0.0% | Programmatic advertising maintained exactly 71% of total digital ad spend, showing stable market penetration. |
| YoY change in programmatic ad spend | +0.9% | +0.7% | +0.2% | The rate of programmatic adoption growth increased by 0.2pp, indicating continued but gradual market penetration gains. |
Key Insights – Programmatic Advertising:
- Programmatic advertising represents the dominant method for digital ad buying in Nigeria, accounting for 71% of all digital advertising spend.
- The consistency in market share suggests programmatic has reached maturity while continuing to grow with the overall digital advertising market.
In App Advertising Overview
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Spend | $102M | – | – | In-app advertising represents a significant $102M investment, accounting for 30.1% of total digital advertising spend in 2025. |
| YoY Change | +12% | – | – | Strong 12% year-over-year growth indicates robust expansion in mobile app advertising ecosystem. |
| Share of Total Adspend | 30.1% | – | – | In-app ads represent nearly one-third of all digital advertising spend, highlighting the mobile-first nature of Nigerian digital consumption. |
| YoY Change in in-app ad spend share of total adspend | +2.9% | – | – | The share of in-app advertising in total digital spend increased by 2.9pp, showing growing importance of mobile app ecosystem. |
* 2025 Figures represents estimates for Full-Year 2024 in USD & 2024 Figures represents estimates of Full-Year spend in 2023in USD.
Key Insights – In-App Advertising:
- In-app advertising has emerged as a major digital advertising category, representing the fourth-largest digital advertising spend category.
- The high share of total digital spend (30.1%) reflects Nigeria’s mobile-first digital consumption patterns.
Search Ad Overview
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Spend | $33.1M | $29.57M | +$3.53M | Search advertising spend increased by $3.53M (+11.9%), showing healthy growth in search marketing investment. |
| YoY Change | +10.3% | +8.2% | +2.1% | Year-over-year growth rate accelerated by 2.1pp, indicating increasing recognition of search marketing value. |
| Share of Total Adspend | 9.7% | 9.4% | +0.3% | Search advertising’s share of total digital spend grew modestly by 0.3pp to 9.7%. |
| YoY Change in Share of total adspend | +1.3% | -0.8% | +2.1% | Share growth reversed from negative 0.8pp to positive 1.3pp, showing strengthening position within digital advertising mix. |
* 2025 Figures represents estimates for Full-Year 2024 in USD & 2024 Figures represents estimates of Full-Year spend in 2023in USD.
Key Insights – Search Advertising:
- Search advertising represents a relatively small but growing portion of digital advertising spend in Nigeria.
- The acceleration in growth rate suggests increasing sophistication in search marketing adoption among Nigerian businesses.
Social Media Ad Overview
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Spend | $131M | $111.2M | +$19.8M | Social media advertising spend increased by $19.8M (+17.8%), representing the second-largest absolute increase in digital advertising. |
| YoY Change | +14.9% | +9.1% | +5.8% | Year-over-year growth rate accelerated significantly by 5.8pp, showing strengthening momentum in social media advertising. |
| Share of total Adspend | 38.4% | 35.5% | +2.9% | Social media advertising’s share of total digital spend increased substantially by 2.9pp to 38.4%. |
| YoY Change | +5.5% | +0.1% | +5.4% | Share growth accelerated dramatically from 0.1pp to 5.5pp, indicating rapid market penetration gains. |
* 2025 Figures represents estimates for Full-Year 2024 in USD & 2024 Figures represents estimates of Full-Year spend in 2023in USD.
Key Insights – Social Media Advertising:
- Social media advertising represents the second-largest digital advertising category after online video ads.
- The significant acceleration in both absolute spending and market share growth indicates social media’s increasing importance in Nigerian digital marketing strategies.
Influencer Ad Overview
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual Spend | $4.75M | $4.2M | +$0.55M | Influencer advertising spend increased by $0.55M (+13.1%), showing strong percentage growth despite small absolute spend. |
| Change in Influencer Ad Spend | +13.1% | +15.1% | -2.0% | Year-over-year growth rate decreased by 2.0pp from 15.1% to 13.1%, indicating slight moderation in growth momentum. |
| Share of Total Adspend | 1.4% | 1.3% | +0.1% | Influencer advertising represents a small but growing 1.4% share of total digital advertising spend. |
| YoY Change in Share of Total Adspend | +3.9% | +5.6% | -1.7% | Share growth rate decreased by 1.7pp, indicating slower market penetration gains compared to other digital channels. |
* 2025 Figures represents estimates for Full-Year 2024 in USD & 2024 Figures represents estimates of Full-Year spend in 2023in USD.
Key Insights – Influencer Advertising:
- Influencer advertising remains a niche but consistently growing segment of Nigerian digital advertising.
- Despite high percentage growth rates, the small absolute spend suggests influencer marketing is still in early adoption stages compared to other digital channels.
Privacy & Security
This section gauges consumer sentiment and behavior regarding online privacy and data security. The findings highlight a high level of concern about misinformation and an increasing adoption of privacy-enhancing tools like VPNs and ad blockers, signaling a more cautious and empowered internet user base.
| S/N | Metric | 2025 | 2024 | Change | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Express Concern about what’s fake vs what’s Real on the internet | 81.1% | – | – | Over 8 in 10 Nigerians express concern about distinguishing fake from real content online, representing the highest privacy/security concern. |
| 2 | Worry about how companies use their online data | 10.2% | – | – | Only 1 in 10 Nigerians worry about corporate data usage, surprisingly low compared to fake content concerns. |
| 3 | Decline cookies on the website at least some of the time | 29.4% | 28.5% | +0.9% | Cookie declining behavior increased modestly by 0.9pp, showing slight growth in privacy-conscious browsing. |
| 4 | Use tools to block ads on the internet at least some of the time | 29.9% | 26.0% | +3.9% | Ad blocking usage increased by 3.9pp, indicating growing resistance to online advertising. |
| 5 | Use a VPN to access the internet at least some of the time | 26.9% | 16.3% | +10.6% | VPN usage surged by 10.6pp, representing the largest increase in privacy protection behavior. |
Key Insights – Privacy & Security:
- With the rapid rise of AI images, videos, content. Concern about what is fake or real is the highest concern people expressed in this survey.
- The use of VPN’s to access the internet saw the sharpest rise of 10.6pp compared to 2024, this shows a growing interest in safety and anonymity amongst Nigerians when browsing the internet.
- The disconnect between high fake content concerns (81.1%) and low corporate data usage concerns (10.2%) suggests different priorities in digital privacy awareness.
Conclusion
The Digital 2025 vs 2024 Nigeria Report reveals a complex and evolving digital marketing landscape characterized by the coexistence of traditional and digital channels, each serving distinct roles in the consumer journey.
Strategic Implications for Marketers:
- Integrated Approach is Essential: The dominance of traditional channels in brand discovery (TV ads, Word of Mouth, Billboards) combined with digital channels leading brand research suggests marketers need integrated strategies that leverage both traditional and digital touchpoints.
- Video-First Digital Strategy: With online video advertising experiencing the largest growth (+49.1% to $161M), brands should prioritize video content across their digital marketing mix.
- Mobile-Centric Focus: In-app advertising representing 30.1% of digital spend underscores Nigeria’s mobile-first digital consumption patterns, requiring mobile-optimized strategies.
- Trust and Authenticity: The rise in review sites, word-of-mouth importance, and concerns about fake content (81.1%) highlight the critical need for authentic, trustworthy brand communications.
- Privacy-Conscious Marketing: The surge in VPN usage (+10.6pp) and ad blocking tools (+3.9pp) indicates marketers must balance reach with respect for user privacy preferences.
Looking Forward: The Nigerian market presents a unique opportunity for brands that can successfully bridge traditional and digital marketing approaches while maintaining authenticity and trust. The continued growth in total advertising spend (+7.7%) alongside accelerating digital adoption suggests a maturing market with significant opportunities for sophisticated marketing strategies that respect local preferences and behaviors.
The data underscores that success in the Nigerian market requires understanding the nuanced roles different channels play in the customer journey, from traditional media driving discovery to digital platforms facilitating research and decision-making.
