US tariffs are changing the advertising game. Here's how smart brands are hitting back.

President Donald Trump's second trade war is more erratic than the first. Steep tariffs are imposed without warning, only for Trump to sporadically announce delays, exemptions or reversals – seemingly in response to market reactions. The unpredictability is forcing businesses to rethink strategies at every level, from target markets and supply chains to pricing, budgets and advertising messages.

Brands are addressing tariffs in their ad messages

We’re seeing a lot of brands tackle the impact of tariffs head-on. Particularly across social media, many companies are addressing the tariffs in their posts and ads.

If your customers aren’t affected by the tariffs, now is the perfect time to make this clear.

Likewise, if you’re forced to increase prices or make other changes, you can explain how and why your customers are impacted.

Location always matters in trade disputes, and we’re seeing a lot of brands lean into this. Searches for “made in USA products only” are up 220% on Amazon, as the cost of imported goods rises.

Across the border, Canadian companies are also leaning into the “made in Canada” angle. Some retailers are even labelling US goods with a “T” for tariffs, and urging consumers to buy Canadian products.

Whatever actions you have to take behind the scenes, address the tariffs in your ad messages. Make sure customers know that your hand is being forced here, and that you’re doing everything possible in their interests.

Updating pricing info throughout the customer journey

Brands are also adding tariff information on web pages. This is especially important for product pages on eCommerce websites where clear pricing info is integral to the customer experience. Ideally, you want customers to see the full price and any additional costs on the product page.

Many retailers are also adding guidance on duties and customs clearance to help avoid any unexpected fees at the border.

The problem is, tariffs impact customers differently, depending on where they’re shipping to. You only confirm this information when they submit their shipping details at the final stage of the checkout. However, you can use IP location tracking to show the correct pricing based on the location of each device.

For the best results, implement the following features:

• Location tracking: Use geolocation tracking to show local pricing, based on the user’s IP address

• Localisation: Implement a clear, visible interface for users to manually set their location, language and currency.

• Total prices: Show the total price (including any tariffs) across product pages, category pages, search results pages, etc.

• Product page: Show the total price for the location (including any tariffs) on product pages with a note clarifying that import duties are included.

• Estimated delivery: Show the estimated delivery time and any costs, based on the current location settings.

• Visual cues: Make it visually clear that the price shown reflects the current location setting.

Even with this implementation, geolocation targeting isn’t 100% foolproof. People don’t always ship to the same location they’re currently in, and some people use VPNs to change their IP addresses. This will cover you for the vast majority of instances, though, and make it as easy as possible for users to change settings.

Ultimately, you want customers to see the same price when they submit shipping details at the checkout stage and avoid any unexpected import fees.

Diversifying supply chains and campaign management

Companies around the world are diversifying supply chains in response to the US tariffs.

At the operational level, this typically starts with expanding supply networks into regions less affected by the tariffs.

Many companies are also prioritising customers in less-affected markets, while others establish local hubs to reduce the impact on domestic markets.

At the strategic end, many companies are pairing changes to supply changes with feed-powered campaigns. As supply chains expand, companies are adding more SKUs to product feeds and adapting bidding strategies for market locations. This gives retailers more control over their ad budgets, but it also introduces new variables.

You might see performance fluctuations as you introduce new SKUs, especially when using automated campaign types like Google’s Performance Max and Meta’s Dynamic Product Ads. Careful product feed management is crucial for breaking down performance data to the SKU level and optimising campaigns accordingly.

Online chatter in response to US tariffs

Data from Google Trends and Meta consumer trends both show that online chatter about the tariffs peaked in April.

Based on search volumes, Canada has shown the strongest interest in tariffs over the past 90 days. Singapore takes a close second, with the US showing less than two-thirds of the interest levels compared to its northern neighbour.

Interestingly, Meta data shows the topic resonates most with older, primarily male users. Younger demographics engaged with the topic far less, even during peak interest in April.

If we look at social media sentiment across networks, you can see how politicised this topic is (not to mention the networks themselves). Negative commentary dominates the discussions on Reddit, especially among SMEs and communities focused on trade.

Unsurprisingly, X (Twitter) shows a highly politicised response with UK influencers being particularly critical of Trump’s administration. As usual, there’s a mix of analysis from trusted sources and the typical viral memes, satire and rage bait.

Meanwhile, Meta revealed the concerns of consumers in the UK and the EU more than any other platform.

Mentions of “tariffs,” “inflation” and “domestic sourcing” increased significantly during the April peak. Interest has declined steadily since then, but at a slower rate than other platforms. We’re still seeing the occasional spike in interest related to “inflation” in the UK.

As expected, the response on Truth Social was largely positive, with users advocating Trump’s protectionism and economic nationalism. The platform is estimated to have around five million monthly active users (MAUs), mostly Trump supporters based in the US. It’s a skewed data source, but a valuable insight into a significant portion of the US electorate.

Responding to US tariffs and market uncertainty

Our Performance team is helping companies implement strategies to cope with US tariffs and ongoing market uncertainty. We pull deep insights from data to adapt messages for greater impact and increase campaign controls to maximise ROI. You can check out our range of services here or contact us to speak to our consultants about what your next campaign could look like.