MNTN Data Shows Advertiser Consistency Is Key Amid Economic Uncertainty

“Economic uncertainty” has become an all-too-familiar phrase lately, leaving many advertisers to question their next moves. Understandably so — how are you supposed to set budgets and plan campaigns when it’s unclear what consumer demand will look like tomorrow (let alone months from now)? Believe it or not, though, history shows that maintaining a reliable brand presence during challenging economic periods can create more stability in the long run. In fact, during the recession of the early 1980s, companies who continued to advertise saw 256% higher sales than their competitors post-recession.

This held true in more recent “uncertain times,” as well. MNTN data reveals that advertisers who maintained their Connected TV (CTV) campaigns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 drove a 26% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) in subsequent months compared to brands that went dark.

Despite widespread concern, the economy has been performing better than many experts expected. March 2025 retail sales outpaced Dow Jones forecasts, growing by 1.4% month-over-month (MoM). MNTN Performance TV data supports this, indicating that April’s performance will continue this positive trajectory for active advertisers (more on this later).

At MNTN, we’re continuously monitoring economic trends to help advertisers like you understand and navigate this complex environment so you can make confident, informed decisions that ultimately drive growth — even when no one seems to know what will happen next.

Despite Economic Uncertainty, MNTN Advertisers Are Driving Notable Business Growth

Even with constant market fluctuations, our customers say they’re confident in their advertising strategies. Rather than pulling back, many MNTN advertisers embraced a proactive approach — brands that have been active daily on our CTV platform in April increased their investment by 9% on average.

Some specific industries are investing even more than this:

Going “full steam ahead” has yielded success for our advertisers. MNTN customers that kept their campaigns active throughout April drove more website visits, better conversion rates, and higher visit rates across the board than those who didn’t.

These results indicate that consumers are still engaged and continue to make purchases, even as markets shift.

Performance Breakdown by Advertiser Industry

When examining MNTN advertiser data by industry, positive performance trends became even more pronounced — brands that maintained or increased their ad spend during early April saw impressive returns on their campaigns. Here’s what we found:

Getting Down to Business

With economic uncertainty comes a natural demand for support with managing finances. So, in addition to it being tax season, it’s no surprise that financial services brands saw notable revenue growth in April. Increasing their average ad spend by 5.5% in April, this group of MNTN customers boosted their visits per advertiser (+46%) and average visit rates (+38%).

Business Services brands — think coworking spaces, CRMs, and media monitoring software — invested 6% more on average in their advertising efforts and not only lowered their average cost per visit (CPV), but also grew visits per advertiser by 20% and average order value (AOV) by 19%.

Another industry that experienced notable revenue growth in early April was Law and Government (think legal services), who increased ad spend in a big way (+74%). This paid off, as they also grew their average conversions and average visit rates by 74% and 52%, respectively.

Home Sweet Home

Our data indicated that consumers are still investing in general services — plumbing and heating, home renovation, home pool installation and servicing, etc. This group of MNTN customers upped ad spend by 36% and saw an increase in visits per advertiser (+124%), average number of conversions (+39%), and average visit rates (+34%).

In addition to services to keep up their homes, consumers are investing in items for their homes, as well. Home and Garden brands — furniture and mattress retailers, cooking appliance purveyors, etc. — who steadily increased their ad spend through early April improved their average CPV (-15%) and AOV (+6%).

Consumers Just Wanna Have Fun

While some of the industries noted above fall into more serious/necessity categories, we found that consumers are continuing to make “non-essential” — we prefer to refer to them as “fun” — purchases, too.

Sports brands maintained their ad spend in April, and were rewarded with higher order values, an increase in average revenue (+58%) and decrease in average cost per visit (-63%).

Shoppers were making big travel purchases — MNTN travel brands kept their budgets in place and were able to convert higher order values.

Thriving Through Unpredictable Moments Requires Consistency

While the state of the economy remains unpredictable, it doesn’t seem to be slowing shoppers down just yet. As our data highlights, consumers continue to spend on home improvement, financial services, travel, major household items, and more. That said, in times when the state of the economy is in question, it’s important for advertisers to prove their reliability and trustworthiness so that customers feel their money is well spent.

The brands driving the strongest results right now aren’t those waiting for perfect economic conditions — they’re staying consistent, building trust, and demonstrating value. And for advertisers who want to maintain a strong brand presence — no matter the state of the economy — CTV has proven a powerful channel for driving results.