In Q2 2026, the cost per thousand impressions (CPM) in Russian internet advertising increased by 13.5% compared to the same period last year, while the cost per click rose by only 0.78%. For influencer marketing strategy, this signals a shift in priorities: brands are increasingly willing to pay for reach and brand awareness rather than direct clicks. ETC's analytical overview is based on open data from the «Pulse click.ru» service, which aggregates anonymized statistics from advertising campaigns of click.ru users and partner projects within the PromoPult group.
Methodology and data limitations
The comparison covers Q2 2025 and 2026 across key platforms in the Russian market: VK Ads, Yandex Direct (search and display network), and Avito. The source is the «Pulse click.ru» tool, which collects CPM, CPC, and CTR metrics from the advertising accounts of service users. It's important to note: the sample does not cover the entire market but reflects the behavior of small and medium-sized businesses using automated media buying platforms. Large brands with direct contracts and agency discounts may show different figures. The data allows us to assess competition dynamics in auctions, but does not provide absolute benchmarks for all industries and regions.
The observation period spans April through June. This is a quarter following the May holidays, when user activity stabilizes and budgets are distributed more evenly than during New Year or pre-holiday seasons. Year-over-year comparison eliminates seasonal fluctuations and reveals structural market changes.
VK Ads: record growth in impression costs
In Q2 2026, CPM in VK Ads increased by 33.15% — the highest figure among all platforms. The platform reaches 93.4 million monthly users, making it the primary channel for targeted advertising in Russia. High advertiser demand intensifies auction competition. At the same time, ad click-through rate grew by 10.09%, while cost per click increased by only 0.99%. This indicates that targeting algorithms have become better at showing relevant creatives to the right audience.
The likely cause of the CPM spike is the merger of VKontakte and myTarget advertising accounts. Data consolidation accelerated machine learning algorithm training, increased available inventory, and attracted new advertisers. Simultaneously, the platform is developing video formats and large banners, which cost more per thousand impressions but don't always generate clicks. For brands, this means rising costs for brand awareness campaigns and the need to segment audiences more precisely to avoid overpaying for irrelevant impressions.
Yandex Direct: search becomes cheaper, display network more expensive
Search advertising on Yandex showed opposite dynamics: CPM declined by 3.65%, CPC by 5.43%, while click-through rate increased by 0.7%. This is the only segment where placement costs fell. A possible explanation is the development of AI-powered search and voice assistants, which partially redirect traffic from traditional search results. Users click on links less often if the answer is already displayed in a card or voiced by Alice. However, those who do click on ads demonstrate high engagement, which maintains conversion rates.
Yandex's display network, by contrast, became more expensive: CPM grew by 16.23%, CPC by 5.81%. The increase is driven by new formats — combined ads and premium banners, which can boost click-through rates up to 40% and cover the entire Yandex ecosystem. Despite the price increase, the display network remains the platform with the lowest CPM among the channels reviewed, making it the optimal choice for reach and brand awareness campaigns with limited budgets.
Average CTR growth of 11.72% with minimal cost per click increase indicates systemic improvement in targeting quality: users interact with ads more frequently, while cost of customer acquisition grows slower than reach expands.
Avito: the only platform with declining cost per click
On Avito, CPC fell by 7.43%, while the platform maintained its status as the cheapest by cost per click. The shift is linked to the launch of an updated advertising cabinet in June 2025 and the introduction of different promotion models, including click-in (payment for clicks within the listing). New tools enabled advertisers to fine-tune campaigns and reduce the share of irrelevant clicks. For brands promoting goods in highly competitive categories — cars, real estate, electronics — Avito becomes a more cost-effective direct response channel.
How to plan media buying and blogger partnerships under new conditions
Rising CPM with stable CPC changes budget allocation priorities between performance and brand awareness campaigns. Brands increasingly purchase reach placements from bloggers and in display formats to boost brand awareness, then «follow up» with that audience through retargeting in search and social media. Strategy for working with content creators requires synchronization with traditional media buying: blogger integration creates demand and brand recall, while search ads capture traffic ready to purchase.
When planning campaigns, ETC recommends the following sequence:
- Assess current brand awareness levels through audience surveys or branded search queries.
- If awareness is below 20% in your target segment, start with reach placements from bloggers and the display network, where CPM remains lower than in VK Ads.
- Launch retargeting campaigns for audiences who saw the blogger integration through VK Ads and Yandex search, leveraging the reduced CPC in search.
- Measure the increase in branded search queries and direct site visits during the week following the creator post — this is an indirect indicator of reach effectiveness.
- Adjust your media plan after a month: if query growth exceeds 15%, increase budget for reach formats; if below 5%, shift focus to performance channels with direct response.
Creator selection also requires accounting for the new media buying economics. If CPM in VK Ads grew by one-third, a blogger integration with 100,000 followers costing 50,000 ₽ delivers a CPM of 500 ₽ — orders of magnitude higher than targeted advertising. However, audience trust in creator recommendations increases brand memorability and subsequent conversion likelihood. The agency's task is not to replace targeting with bloggers, but to integrate creator placements into an overall touchpoint strategy where each channel plays its role.
Influencer marketing and budget forecasting: marketer's checklist
To accurately plan promotional spending based on current platform dynamics, use the following checklist:
- Document baseline metrics from your campaigns in Q2 last year: CPM, CPC, and CTR for each channel.
- Budget for CPM growth of 15–20% for VK Ads, 10–15% for the display network, and a 3–5% decline for Yandex search.
- Recalculate your media plan: if you planned a reach campaign in VK, increase budget by one-third or reduce target reach and compensate with placements from micro-bloggers with CPM below platform rates.
- Verify creatives match new formats: combined ads in the display network, video in VK Ads. Outdated banners will deliver low CTR and high CPC.
- Set up cross-channel analytics linking blogger impressions, targeted clicks, and website conversions. Without this, it's impossible to evaluate each channel's actual contribution to sales.
- Plan A/B tests for budget allocation: 70% to proven channels, 30% to experimental formats and new creators.
Frequently asked questions
Why is CPM growing faster than CPC?
CPM grows faster because brands increasingly purchase reach and brand awareness formats — video, large banners, blogger placements. Platforms are developing new display solutions with high cost per thousand impressions but without guaranteed clicks. At the same time, the number of available inventory is limited, intensifying competition for advertising space.
How does rising advertising costs affect blogger partnerships?
Rising CPM in targeted advertising makes blogger placements more competitive in terms of reach cost, especially among micro-influencers with engaged audiences. However, integrations require synchronization with media buying: the blogger creates demand, targeted ads follow up with that audience through retargeting. Without this coordination, the effectiveness of both channels declines.
Which platform is best for reach campaigns in 2026?
The display network remains the platform with the lowest CPM, despite its 16.23% growth. For brand awareness campaigns aiming for maximum reach on a limited budget, this is the optimal choice. VK Ads is better suited for precise interest and behavior targeting, but requires about one-third more budget for the same reach.
In brief
- In Q2 2026, average CPM grew 13.5%, while CPC increased just 0.78%, signaling a shift in brand focus toward reach-focused campaigns.
- VK Ads demonstrated the strongest CPM growth at 33.15% due to cabinet consolidation and high demand for targeted advertising.
- Search advertising on Yandex became more affordable: CPM declined 3.65% and CPC dropped 5.43%, making it an attractive channel for capturing purchase-ready traffic.
- Ad click-through rates increased by an average of 11.72%, reflecting improved targeting quality and creative relevance.
- Media planning now requires accounting for the new pricing landscape: rising CPM costs are offset by careful influencer selection, format optimization, and synchronization between reach and performance channels.
- Performance measurement must connect blogger impressions, targeted clicks, and website conversions through unified analytics—without this, it's impossible to assess each channel's true contribution.
Allocate your media budget across platforms based on current CPM and CPC rates, identify creators aligned with your campaign goals, and forecast KPIs for your influencer advertising campaign using up-to-date market data.
