Global ad spending grew by 3.2% last year, but some sectors fared better than others, details Nielsen in further results released publicly from its Global AdView Pulse report. At the forefront of spending growth were the telecom and FMCG sectors, boosting expenditures by 7% and 6.8%, respectively. On the other end of the spectrum, spending by durables brands declined by 2.1%, while healthcare companies cut back slightly, by 0.7%.
Media (+5.8%) and distribution channels (5.3%) also saw healthy rates of spending growth, while automotive (3.4%) and entertainment (3.1%) hewed close to the average. Within the US, automotive (+7%) and telecom (+4%) were among the fastest-growing spenders, per recent data from Kantar Media, while figures from IAB suggest that healthcare ad spending is up in the US, at least online.
While the telecom and FMCG sectors vied for the title of fastest-growing spenders, there was no such battle when looking at the largest sector by overall spend. Of the reported $557 billion in spending last year, FMCG accounted for easily the largest portion, at 25.1%. Entertainment (11.8%) and industry and services (11.2%) were the only other sectors to accont for double-digit share of global spending.
Other Findings:
- Telecom ad spend growth was particularly dramatic in Latin America (35.6%).
- FMCG saw above-average growth in spending in Q4, of 9.5%.
- The auto sector’s overall growth for the year was muted by a 2.8% year-over-year decline in Q4.
About the Data: Nielsen Global AdView Pulse measures ad spending for TV, newspapers, magazines, radio, outdoor, cinema and Internet display advertising. Ad spend is based mainly on published rate-cards. Some markets may exclude select media due to data availability.