How the Advertising Market Has Changed in Recent Years

How the advertising market has transformed in recent years: we analyze verified data and industry context, plus practical takeaways for brands, agencies, and the advertising ecosystem.

Top executives from Russia's advertising market named social networks as the primary driver of communication transformation over the past 16 years. This conclusion emerged from a survey conducted by the Tambourine analytics platform with support from the MARCOM Club—respondents included leaders of major companies and advertising agency professionals. Mobile revolution ranked second, fundamentally reshaping content access and targeting logic; third place went to Big Data and personalization, which enabled the shift from mass campaigns to targeted communications.

These results reflect not merely technological innovations, but a systemic change in operating model: from reactive ad placement to demand management based on data intelligence. Natalya Ivanovskaya, CEO of Tambourine, notes that social networks, mobile adoption, and marketplaces created a new consumer environment, accelerated further by the pandemic. Big Data and artificial intelligence transformed marketing from a business function into a proactive demand management tool: media strategies are now built on measurable data rather than assumptions.

How has the advertising market changed in recent years?

Anna Enyutina, Head of Marketing at T-Mobile, provides a concrete example of these changes: today, companies can map the entire customer journey from online to offline—from outdoor advertising and order pickup points to retail locations and back. In some cases, particularly for lengthy sales cycles, up to 200 customer touchpoints may be required. Brands now have the ability to predict behavior at the entry stage: they can forecast user actions based on the acquisition channel and the message they've encountered.

The shift from mass communications to targeted messaging requires marketers to develop new skills. Research respondents identified two primary career advancement scenarios: transitioning from an agency to a brand-side role and expanding scope of responsibility—either transforming a department or launching a new business line. Arkady Yurlov, Marketing Director at Giftery, describes his own role transformation: a project to overhaul client engagement unified promotion, sales, product development, and customer service around a unified unit economics framework. Now when evaluating initiatives, he relies not only on lead volume and conversion rates, but also on impact to customer value, gross margin, scalability, and process sustainability.

We no longer guess—we build media strategies on data-driven insights that lead us to measurable results, from mass campaigns to demand management.

Artificial Intelligence: A Useful Tool, Not a Revolution

Respondents identified artificial intelligence as a significant change, but viewed it more as a useful tool for their work rather than a tectonic shift in marketing. Natalia Anisimova, Director of Marketing Communications at Silver Mercury, emphasizes: the advertising market has evolved toward personalized and technology-driven strategies, where social media, Big Data, influencer marketing, and AI have become part of daily operations, yet people and their ability to adapt to new conditions remain the true driver of progress.

"Tambourine" identified three key drivers of marketing development in the near future based on the survey responses. First—investment in data and analytics: specialists who master analytics and predictive modeling advance more quickly into strategic roles and have action plans for uncertain times. Second—AI as an accelerator, not a replacement: the technology reduces routine work but doesn't replace strategic thinking and the ability to formulate problems. Third—building a customer touchpoint map: understanding the complete journey from online to offline becomes the key to effective media planning.

How to Apply the Study's Findings in Practice

For marketers and department heads, the study results provide a foundation for auditing current processes and planning team development. Identify which of the highlighted drivers are already working in your company and which require investment. Your action sequence might look like this:

• Assess your current analytics maturity: can your team build predictive models, do you have a unified data collection system across all channels, can you connect online and offline touchpoints.
• Review your customer journey map: how many touchpoints are needed before the first purchase, where is your audience dropping off, which channels deliver the highest conversion at each stage.
• Define AI's role in your processes: which tasks can be automated to free up time for strategy, where is technology already reducing manual work, and where does hands-on work remain.
• Invest in team analytics training: courses on data analysis, predictive modeling, setting up analytics systems — these investments pay off through improved campaign efficiency.
• Reconsider your evaluation metrics: beyond leads and conversions, factor in impact on customer LTV, gross profit, scalability, and process resilience.

It's important to understand the data limitations: the survey captures the views of top executives rather than objective market indicators. Perceived changes may differ from the actual impact of factors on business results. Nevertheless, the consensus among leaders of major companies and agencies reveals which technologies and approaches are considered priorities for investment and development.

The psychological factor in a marketer's work

Maria Ignatyeva, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and customer support director at the Yasno service, highlights the psychological aspect: marketing and advertising professionals face numerous factors demanding constant attention—campaign results, metrics, potential risks. The habit of focusing only on problems affects not only work decisions but also the specialist's psychological state. Psychologists have long observed: attention works like a spotlight, and what we illuminate grows. The habit of noticing successful solutions helps identify opportunities, maintain motivation, and experiment more boldly.

Remembering successes strengthens self-trust and professional intuition. This is especially important in a rapidly changing market: the ability to adapt depends not only on technical skills but also on psychological resilience. Regular documentation of what worked well helps teams accumulate expertise and pass it on to new employees.

What demand management means for brands

For Russian brands, the research findings signal a need to rethink their media planning approach. Broad-reach campaigns are giving way to targeted communications, where every touchpoint is planned based on behavioral data for a specific segment. Brands that invest in analytics and customer journey mapping gain a competitive edge: they can predict audience behavior and adjust strategy before wasting budget.

Investments in data and analytics don't pay off immediately, but deliver long-term results. Specialists who master predictive modeling advance to strategic roles more quickly—a pattern confirmed by the professional growth scenarios highlighted by respondents. For leadership, this means that spending on team training in data work directly impacts decision quality and budget efficiency.

Frequently asked questions

How have social media platforms transformed the advertising market?

Social media has been the primary driver of communications transformation over 2011–2026 years, according to senior executives in the Russian advertising market. It has created a new consumer environment where brands can build targeted communications and manage demand based on audience behavioral data. Together with mobile technology and Big Data, social media has shifted marketing from mass campaigns to personalized strategies with measurable outcomes.

How many customer touchpoints are needed for conversion in long sales cycles?

Long sales cycles may require up to 200 touchpoints with a customer, according to T-Mobile's marketing director. This includes both online and offline channels — from out-of-home advertising and fulfillment centers to retail locations. Brands map touchpoints to predict user behavior at the entry stage and optimize their media plans for specific audience segments.

Will artificial intelligence replace marketers?

Market participants view artificial intelligence as a useful tool that reduces routine work but does not replace strategic thinking and problem-defining skills. Top executives recognize AI among significant industry changes, but do not consider it a tectonic shift: people and their ability to adapt to new conditions remain the primary growth driver.