Search vs. Social vs. Retail Media: Which Ad Platform Wins in 2025?

Should I Advertise on Google, Meta, or Amazon?

If you're like most marketers, you've typed some version of that question into a search bar at least once. The answer, frustratingly, is "it depends." But I'm here to give you a straight answer, not a wishy-washy one. After looking at the latest numbers and thinking about how each platform actually works, I'm convinced that for most brands, the smartest move in 2025 is to build your foundation on search, expand into retail media if you sell physical products, and use social for brand building and retargeting—not as your primary performance channel.

The Contenders: Search, Social, and Retail Media

Let's set the stage. Search advertising (think Google Ads) captures high-intent demand—people actively looking for what you sell. Social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) is where you create demand and build relationships. Retail media (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect) is the new powerhouse, letting you reach shoppers right at the point of purchase. Each has its own strengths, and each will eat a different slice of your budget. I'm going to compare them on four criteria: cost, intent, measurement, and control.

Cost: Where Does Your Money Actually Go?

Let's talk dollars. The most common cost metric is cost per click (CPC), which is simply total spend divided by total clicks. If you spend $500 and get 250 clicks, your CPC is $2. But the real cost question is about efficiency, not just the number on your invoice. The ANA's programmatic study found that only 36 cents of every advertiser dollar entering a demand-side platform actually reaches the consumer. That's a brutal stat, and it applies mainly to open-web programmatic display, not to search or social, which are much more direct. For search, you pay per click, and your actual CPC is influenced by your Ad Rank relative to the competitor below you, so a higher quality score can lower your cost. Social and retail media also operate on auction models, but the intent behind the click is vastly different.

Intent: The Hidden Multiplier

This is where I get opinionated. Search is the king of intent. When someone types "best running shoes for flat feet" into Google, they are telling you exactly what they want. You can bid on that keyword and show up right when they're ready to buy. Social, on the other hand, interrupts. You're showing an ad to someone who was scrolling through memes or watching a video. The click-through rate for social is typically 0.5% to 1.5%, while paid search sees CTRs of 2% to 5%. That's not a huge gap, but it reflects the difference in mindset. Retail media sits in the middle—people on Amazon are often ready to buy, but they're also comparing options. The intent is there, but it's not as explicit as a search query.

Measurement: Who Gets Credit for the Sale?

This is where things get messy. Last-click attribution gives 100% of the credit to the final ad clicked, which is great for search but unfair to social and display. Google has moved to data-driven attribution, which uses machine learning to spread credit across touchpoints. But here's a dirty secret: view-through conversions—when someone sees a display or video ad, doesn't click, and later converts—are often undercounted. That means social and display are getting less credit than they deserve. Retail media, on the other hand, is beautifully measurable. You can see exactly what people bought after seeing your ad. It's closed-loop, and that's why retail media is exploding. In 2025, commerce media revenue grew 18% to $63.4 billion, and it's now 21.5% of total US digital ad revenue.

Control: Who's in the Driver's Seat?

Search gives you granular control over keywords, bids, and ad copy. You can craft a message that matches a specific search query. Social gives you targeting options based on interests, behaviors, and demographics, but you're at the mercy of the algorithm. Retail media gives you control over product listings and bids, but you're stuck in the Amazon ecosystem. And with Google's Performance Max campaigns, you can reach customers across all Google inventory—Search, YouTube, Display, Gmail, Discover, and Maps—from a single campaign, but you give up some control to machine learning. That's a trade-off I'm willing to make for many clients, but it's not for everyone.

The Verdict: Start with Search, Add Retail Media, Use Social for Brand

Here's my recommendation. If you're a B2B company or a service business, search is non-negotiable. It's the highest-intent traffic you can buy, and it's where you'll see the best return on ad spend (ROAS). If you sell physical products, retail media should be your second priority. Amazon and Walmart are where people go to buy, and the measurement is second to none. Finally, use social for brand awareness and retargeting. Don't expect it to drive direct sales, but use it to stay top-of-mind. The numbers back this up: search is still the largest US digital ad category at $114.2 billion in 2025, and social is next at $117.7 billion, but retail media is growing faster. The ANA study suggests that programmatic open-web display is riddled with waste, so I'd avoid it unless you have a very specific reason.

Sources

• Google Ads Help (ad metrics) - https://support.google.com/google-ads/
• ANA Programmatic Supply Chain Study - https://www.ana.net/content/show/id/83522
• IAB/PwC Internet Ad Revenue Report FY2025 - https://www.iab.com/news/digital-ad-revenue-climbs-to-nearly-300b-as-iab-celebrates-30-year-anniversary/
• IAB/PwC Internet Ad Revenue Report FY2024 - https://www.iab.com/news/digital-ad-revenue-2024/