💸 Big Tech’s Got the Bag: How Google & Meta Are Eating Up the UK Ad Game
Okay so here’s the tea 🫖: if you’re a UK brand trying to get your product out there, chances are you’re handing over your wallet to either Google or Meta. And when we say “wallet,” we mean like… £30 billion kind of wallet. Yep, that’s how wild the UK ad game has gotten in 2025.
🎯 Two Words: Digital. Domination.
Let’s break it down:
- The UK spent around £45 billion on advertising last year.
- Google + Meta = 65% of that spend.
- That’s nearly £29–30 billion going straight to Big Tech.
Why? Because these platforms basically own the digital streets. Whether you’re searching on Google, scrolling IG, watching reels on Facebook (still a thing somehow?), or vibing with YouTube pre-rolls—you’re in their world.
📈 Meta & Google Are Built Different
- Google’s making major bank from video ads (hello, YouTube) and good ol’ search ads.
- Meta’s cashing in on those targeted ads that know your life better than you do—across Insta, Facebook, and now Threads too.
And despite all the “data privacy” drama, brands still throw their ad budgets at them like it’s Black Friday.
🧠 But Wait… What About the Others?
Yeah okay, TikTok is rising, and Amazon’s out here tryna be a whole ad empire. But real talk? None of them are even close yet. Google and Meta have the infrastructure, the data, the vibes—and the UK market wrapped around their algorithms.
🚨 Is That a Red Flag?
Lowkey, yes. Critics say it’s kinda sus how just two companies control so much of the ad space. It limits competition, drives up prices, and makes it hard for smaller platforms to survive. But at the end of the day, brands go where the eyeballs are—and the eyeballs are definitely glued to Big Tech.
TL;DR:
Google & Meta are running the UK ad game. Everyone else is just trying to keep up.