The landscape of digital advertising is undergoing a seismic shift. As brands seek to harness more direct and impactful connections with customers, they are turning away from traditional powerhouses like Google and Meta to tap into the rapidly expanding world of owned media networks. A newly released 2025 report by global-owned media experts Sonder projects unprecedented growth in this sector, marking a pivotal moment for advertisers across industries looking to establish sustainable, independent revenue streams.
Sonder’s report, developed with international research and analytics firm Infuse, captures insights from over 50 marketing leaders representing global brands such as Emirates, Mastercard, Tesco, and BP. It reveals a strong momentum in owned media adoption, with nearly 70% of companies planning to ramp up their use of this asset in the coming year. These findings underscore a fundamental shift in how brands view their media as a marketing tool and a powerful revenue driver.
Owned Media Networks: A Growing, Lucrative Landscape
The growth of owned media networks — platforms through which businesses leverage their existing assets to engage audiences directly — offers companies an alternative to paid media. Once the domain of retail giants like Walmart and Target, this model attracts various industries, including finance, telecom, travel, and even the convenience sector. According to Sonder’s 2025 Owned Media Global Market Report, these networks will redefine how brands interact with consumers and partners, creating new channels for meaningful, monetizable engagement.
Jonathan Hopkins, founding partner of Sonder, explains this momentum: “Owned media has long been overshadowed by traditional advertising channels. But in recent years, that has shifted fundamentally. We’re entering a new era where any business — beyond retail — can strategically and commercially leverage its owned media networks to reach audiences in a way that’s both impactful and profitable.”
Key Insights from the Sonder Report
The report offers several important insights into the current state and future of owned media networks:
- Rapid Growth: Two-thirds of companies plan to increase their owned media efforts over the next 12 months, showing a clear upward trend across sectors.
- Untapped Potential: Remarkably, 36% of companies provide owned media opportunities to partners without charging or fully capitalizing on this potential.
- Lack of Standardization: More than half of surveyed companies (60%) do not yet have a structured rate card for owned media offerings, pointing to a need for better monetization frameworks.
- Targeting and Optimization Gaps: Less than one-third use sophisticated targeting, ad-serving, and campaign optimization tools, indicating that the field is still in the early stages of technological maturation.
- Leveraging First-Party Data: Over half of respondents already use first-party data to enhance customer targeting for partner brands, revealing the rising importance of data-driven strategies in owned media.
These insights highlight a new wave of growth, with companies scrambling to capitalize on the inherent value in their owned channels.
Why the Shift from Google and Meta?
The rise of owned media networks poses a challenge for dominant advertising platforms such as Google, Meta, and Amazon. Companies increasingly redirect their marketing dollars from these platforms to prioritize more controlled and data-rich environments. With owned media, businesses can directly engage their customer base and forge more intimate connections — all while reducing their reliance on third-party digital giants.
Hopkins emphasizes the shift: “Retail has led the way, but we’re now seeing diverse sectors recognize the advantages of owned media networks. For 2025, we anticipate a significant rise in new entrants as brands embrace the benefits of these networks over traditional paid media.”
Retail Media’s Impact and Expansion
Retail media networks have set the benchmark for this sector, projected to hit over $150 billion in global ad spending by the close of 2024. The United States remains at the forefront, while Europe shows rapid growth, and the Asia-Pacific region follows closely. As owned media expands across new industries, the demand for such networks is expected to fuel similar levels of growth in these markets.
Companies in emerging sectors, such as finance and telecom, are taking cues from retail’s success, setting up media networks to create direct customer touchpoints. By investing in owned media, they gain better control over their brand messaging and valuable consumer insights—two critical factors that enhance their marketing impact and bottom line.
Strategic Advantages of Owned Media for Brands
The transition to owned media networks offers brands significant advantages, including:
- Enhanced Control: With owned media, brands control every aspect of the customer experience, ensuring messaging aligns with brand values.
- Revenue Diversification: Owned media offers a new revenue stream, creating financial resilience in uncertain times.
- Data Privacy Compliance: As privacy concerns grow, first-party data from owned media provides a secure, compliant method of targeting customers.
Preparing for the 2025 Owned Media Boom
Looking ahead, the owned media trend shows no sign of slowing down. With increasing pressure to optimize marketing budgets, brands are poised to adopt these networks as a core strategy. The appeal of reducing dependency on digital giants, harnessing first-party data, and enhancing customer experiences continues to draw new players into this burgeoning market.
The Sonder 2025 Owned Media Global Market Report provides a roadmap for brands eager to embark on this journey, offering insights that could shape the future of advertising. For companies looking to gain a competitive edge, owned media networks represent a compelling opportunity to stay ahead in the evolving digital landscape.
To explore the full report and its findings, visit Sonder’s website here.
Written by: Jason Smith
