2021 Mid-Year Review: DTC TV Ad Trends and Insights

With Americans stuck at home for much of the year, 2020 was a major opportunity for DTC brands to forge new connections with audiences through TV advertising. And many did. National TV ad spend for DTC brands was up 11.6% in the second half of 2020 vs. the first half. Those levels remained throughout the first half of 2021 as well, but were more concentrated in Q1 than Q2.

Highlights from our report on DTC ad performance in 2021:

• Peloton spent more on TV advertising in the first half of 2021 than it did in all of 2020
• Overall, DTC decreased its reliance on cable news; CNN, MSNBC & Fox News made up 15.5% of impressions in Q1 vs. 10.4% in Q2
• Top-performing DTC creatives included spots from brands like Ancestry, Chewy.com, DoorDash, Harry’s and Wayfair