Advertising giants brace for tariff-induced cuts to ad spending

Advertising firms are bracing for a pullback in clients’ marketing expenditure, with the outlook for 2025 appearing increasingly muddled for the industry.

Though companies like Paris-based Publicis Groupe SA and New York-headquartered Omnicom Group Inc. both recently dispelled the idea that tariff uncertainty had already squeezed clients’ marketing budgets, they did not dismiss the possibility of a bumpy road ahead.

“Of course, many of our clients are facing a very challenging situation due to uncertainty on tariffs...