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As Prospecting CPMs Fall 48%, Marketers Reimagine Retargeting as a Full-Funnel StrategySAN FRANCISCO, June 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AdRoll, an AI-powered multi-channel advertising platform, today released the Q2 2026 edition of its State of Digital Advertising Report, revealing a growing divide between prospecting and retargeting advertising costs as marketers adapt to changing behavior and ongoing economic uncertainty. The report found that display prospecting CPMs fell 48% year over year in April and May, while display retargeting CPMs increased 12% during the same period. Account-based marketing (ABM) CPMs were just 2% lower than a year ago, signaling continued demand for precise audience targeting and advertising strategies built around known audiences. Together, these trends point to a broader shift in how marketers are approaching customer acquisition. As consumers increasingly discover brands through AI answer engines, social platforms, connected media, and other digital touchpoints, marketers are placing greater emphasis on engaging high-intent audiences across the customer journey rather than relying exclusively on traditional top-of-funnel tactics. “The old digital marketing playbook is breaking down under the weight of zero-click discovery and AI answer engines,” said Vibhor Kapoor, chief executive officer of AdRoll. “In this new environment, marketers can no longer rely on linear funnels or broad, one-size-fts-all outreach. Strategies like retargeting and ABM are evolving into full-funnel, multichannel approaches that help brands stay relevant across multidirectional buyer journeys. Success now depends on delivering the right message to the right audience, no matter where discovery, consideration, or conversion happens.” The report highlights a growing disconnect between traditional marketing strategies and modern customer behavior. With more than 60% of Google searches now ending without a click to an external website, consumers are increasingly researching products, evaluating brands, and making decisions before ever visiting a company’s website. As a result, marketers are rethinking the role of the website in the customer journey. Rather than serving as the central hub for discovery and engagement, websites are becoming one touchpoint within a broader ecosystem that includes AI platforms, social networks, publisher sites, connected TV, digital out-of-home advertising, online communities, and other channels. This shift is changing the role of retargeting as well. Long viewed primarily as a lower-funnel tactic designed to bring website visitors back to convert, retargeting is increasingly being used to connect customer interactions across channels, devices, and moments of engagement. By combining first-party data, CRM insights, and identity signals, marketers can build a more complete understanding of audience behavior and deliver coordinated experiences across channels and screens. In this model, retargeting becomes less about recovering abandoned website visits and more about maintaining relevance throughout increasingly fragmented customer journeys. For more information and actionable insights, visit https://www.adroll.com/state-of-digital-advertising-report. About AdRoll Media Contact 
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