Facebook Ads CPM Benchmarks for Arts

Introduction

Across all countries, Facebook Ads CPMs for the Arts industry ran consistently below the global, all‑industry benchmark, with a pronounced mid‑year surge and an unusually soft Q4 that culminated in a sharp January reset. The year’s arc was choppy: a steady climb into July, a two‑month slide into early fall, stop‑start dynamics through the holidays, and the steepest drop of the period in January 2026. Volatility was notably higher than the market average, producing wider month‑to‑month swings.

This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Arts across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Arts CPMs opened 2025 at $14.24 and closed January 2026 at $7.96, a 44% decline across the period. The year’s high came in July at $20.55; the low was January 2026 at $7.96 (2025’s trough was November at $11.54). Across the full period, Arts CPM averaged $14.7, versus the global all‑industry average of $19.8.

Within 2025 alone, Arts CPM averaged $15.3 compared to the global benchmark’s $18.8. Key movements punctuated the year: a February lift (+23% vs January), a sharp April dip (−27% vs March), a July peak (+22% vs June), a two‑month slide through August and September (−20% and −26% month‑over‑month), a brief October rebound (+27%), a deep November pullback (−26%), and a partial December recovery (+22%). By contrast, the global benchmark rose steadily into Q4, peaking in November at $25.22 before easing.

Volatility was much higher in Arts. The average absolute month‑over‑month change was $3.46 (about 23% of the series’ average), compared with $1.63 (roughly 8%) for the global benchmark. The Arts range spanned $12.6 (from $7.96 to $20.55), wider than the global range of $9.5.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm favored mid‑year strength: a gradual lift from March into a July high, followed by a two‑month cooldown. Q4 did not follow typical market pressure. October held near the yearly mean, November marked the deepest 2025 low, and December rebounded toward mid‑teens. The new‑year reset was pronounced, with January 2026 at $7.96—well below both the 2025 average and the global January level.

On half‑year splits, Arts was steady to slightly softer: H1 2025 averaged $15.5 and H2 averaged $15.1. The global benchmark, however, accelerated meaningfully from $18.8 in H1 to $21.5 in H2, reflecting broader Q4 CPM inflation that the Arts category largely avoided.

Country vs. Global

Arts CPMs trailed the global benchmark in 12 of 13 months. The narrowest gap emerged in February (about 2% below market), and the only month above market was July (+5% vs global). The widest gaps appeared in November (−54%) and January 2026 (−49%). Monthly underperformance typically ranged from 15% to 35% in most other months. While the global series climbed +14% from H1 to H2 and fell a modest 11% from January 2025 to January 2026, Arts was choppier and ended the period far lower (−44%).

Closing

Overall, this CPM analysis shows the Arts industry across all countries running below Facebook Ads benchmarks, with a mid‑year spike, softer‑than‑typical Q4, and elevated volatility. Understanding Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks for the Arts industry across all countries helps advertisers evaluate country‑agnostic ad costs and compare performance to global patterns.