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In today’s fast-paced TV advertising world, staying ahead of the competition isn’t just an advantage, it’s a necessity. That’s where NLogic’s ad tracking data, Spots, comes in. Spots is a powerful dataset tailored to the Canadian market, with 24-7 coverage of commercials across all channels and brands. It gives advertisers and agencies a strategic edge by offering real-time insights into commercial activity across Canadian television.
To better understand shifting consumer behaviour, we looked at Spots data over a six-month period (January - June) in the current 2025 calendar year across some of the most active categories. By tracking impressions over time, advertisers and agencies can gain valuable insights into when, where, and how often brands are advertising, enabling them to better understand campaign strategies, optimize media planning, and stay competitive in the market.
NLogic’s Spots data not only enhances your media planning, but also empowers businesses to identify competitive shifts, monitor share of voice trends, and understand economic impacts across the evolving TV landscape.
Top categories in Canadian advertising
Over the course of the six-month period, we can see some interesting patterns for the top categories in Canadian advertising: Entertainment/Media/Leisure, Retail, Restaurants, Food & Beverages, Legal & Financial, Health, and Automotive & Vehicles.
- The Entertainment, Media, and Leisure category takes the lead in the Canadian market, primarily driven by streaming platforms such as CraveTV, CBC Gem and STACKTV, as well as gambling brands like Lotto 6/49, Lotto Max and BETMGM.
- Both Retail and Restaurant categories demonstrated relative stability, maintaining consistent performance throughout the entire period.
- The Canada-U.S. trade war, which escalated in early April 2025, introduced reciprocal tariffs on a wide range of goods, including food, beverage and health products, which may have contributed to the declines we are seeing for these categories. Brands, such as Advil, Dr. Oetker, and Lay’s, remained strong in the early winter months, however fell short in ad-impressions after March.
- The Legal & Financial category maintained a steady level of impressions throughout the winter months, which is a key time for financial planning (e.g. taxes, insurance, budgeting). While we can see a noticeable decline starting in April, this category began to gain momentum heading into the summer.
Food & Beverage advertising shifts amid U.S.-Canada trade war
The Food & Beverage category experienced a sharp decline beginning in April, coinciding with the onset of the U.S.-Canada trade war and the implementation of tariffs. By analyzing the top five brands by month, we can see some interesting patterns emerge.
Dr. Oetker's advertising delivered strongly throughout the winter months, however campaigns were abruptly cut short after April. Lay’s followed a similar trajectory, though its decline began earlier in March and continued steadily into June. Lindt and Quaker maintained relatively stable advertising efforts throughout, with a noticeable peak in June. Bud Light, in contrast, had minimal advertising in early winter, saw a resurgence in March and April, followed by a sharp drop in May, and then rebounded dramatically in June.
While the timing of our analysis aligns with trade developments, the motivations behind each brand’s strategy may reflect a broader set of considerations.
Ad trends in Canada’s automotive & vehicle category
The Automotive & Vehicle category experienced a rapid uptick in impressions throughout the winter months, followed by a modest pullback after March. The surge in advertising during the winter months may be driven by seasonal campaigns that highlight safety, reliability, and winter-ready features. As the season transitioned into summer, overall ad spending stabilized, however monthly trends reveal distinct differences among top brands, such as Subaru, Ford, Jeep, Hyundai, and Toyota. These fluctuations underscore how each brand tailors its media strategy to both seasonal conditions and evolving consumer priorities.
Government ads lead the way into the 2025 Federal Election season
The Government & Organizations category surged in March, with advertising primarily focused on Canada’s 2025 federal election. The Conservative Party led the charge, with growth in ad-spending in March, while the Liberal and NDP parties ramped up their spending the following month.
These approaches reflect distinct voter engagement tactics, with Conservatives aiming for early visibility while their rivals took to the television closer to election day. Dig deeper into advertising during this period in our previous blog: Political TV Advertising heats up ahead of Canada’s 2025 election
Analyzing Gross Rating Points (GRPs) by market offers valuable insight into regional variations in viewership and advertising impacts across Canada. Understanding these differences allows agencies and advertisers to tailor their campaigns more effectively, optimizing media strategies based on regional preferences and market strengths.
Market overview: GRPs (%) of leading categories across Canada
Over the course of the six-month period, the Entertainment, Media & Leisure category dominated as the top category in Canada, driven by streaming platforms and gambling brand activity. Retail holds the second spot, with brands such as The Brick, Wayfair and Sleep Country leading the charge. When examining individual markets, Retail holds the number two spot across the country, except in the Toronto/Hamilton market, where the Restaurant category emerges as the most prominent category, suggesting a more competitive or vibrant food service landscape in that region alone.
When examining the third most popular category, Restaurant holds that spot, except in Montreal Franco, where Automotive & Vehicles claims the title, but notably falls outside the top three in the rest of Canada.
Top retail brands across Canadian markets
When examining the top three retail brands in Canada, The Brick stands out as the top-performing brand across all major Canadian markets. The competition tightens at the #2 spot, where Sleep Country claims second place in Calgary and Edmonton, while Leon's takes that position in both Toronto/Hamilton and Vancouver/Victoria. In Montreal Franco, Dormez-Vous secures the second-place spot, reflecting regional brand preferences in French-speaking Quebec. Nationally, Wayfair emerges as the #2 brand across Total Canada.
Moving to the #3 position, Leon's takes that spot in Calgary and Edmonton, reinforcing its strength in Western Canada. In Montreal Franco, Tanguay claims the third spot, while Specsavers ranks third in Vancouver/Victoria, showcasing diversity in campaign tactics across different markets. Meanwhile, Sleep Country lands at #3 in Toronto/Hamilton, matching its ranking for Total Canada.
Source: NLogic Spots data, Total Canada, Total TV, 12/30/2024 to 6/29/2025, Ind. 2+, Imp(000), GRP(%)
Whether you're planning a new campaign or optimizing an existing one, Spots data provides critical insights that support smarter media strategies and more effective decision-making.
If you're curious about TV advertising for your industry or a specific group of brands, our Spots Monitor product is the perfect solution. With intuitive dashboards, you can gain insights into different aspects of TV campaign strategies, making it easy to compare your campaigns with those of your competitors.
Reach out to your Account Executive for a detailed presentation on Spots today!