Total advertising expenditures declined 4.1% in 2008 to $141.7 billion as compared to 2007, according to data released by TNS Media Intelligence. Ad spending during Q4 2008 plunged 9.2% against the same period in 2007.
“The ad market at 2008 year end was buffeted by a souring economy, deteriorating consumer confidence and weakening corporate balance sheets,” said Jon Swallen, SVP Research at TNS. “Preliminary figures from the first quarter of 2009 indicate little change in the health of the overall ad economy as total spending continues to contract sharply.”
Measured Ad Spending By Media
Internet display advertising expenditures grew by 4.6% in 2008, the weakest full-year results for the medium since the dot.com bust of 2002. The only other media types achieving full-year growth were Syndication TV (+6.5%); Spanish Language Magazines (+4.9%); Cable TV (+2.1%); Free Standing Inserts (+1.8%); and Spanish Language TV (+0.1%).
Radio spend was down by 10.3% for the year. Local was down 11.1%; 11.2% for national spot, and 2.7% for network radio. For Q4, the decline was 14.8%. Local was down 17.7%, national spot down 11.6%, and network radio was down by 3.2%.
Print media felt the harsh effects of accelerating and deep cutbacks across core ad categories. Measured ad spending in the Newspaper sector was 11.8% lower in 2008 as compared to the prior year. Consumer Magazine expenditures declined by 7.5%.
Despite the extra ad spending associated with the Summer Olympics and political elections, broadcast TV also saw total ad revenue shrink in 2008 with Spot TV down 2.8% and Network TV off by 0.8%. Besides the well-documented pullbacks from the Automotive, Financial Service and Retail categories, broadcasters were also hit with more conservative outlays from a broad range of consumer package goods marketers.
Percent Change in Measured Ad Spending 1
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Source: TNS Media Intelligence |
Measured Ad Spending by Advertiser
The top ten advertisers of 2008 spent a combined total of $17,306.3 million in measured media, a drop of 2.1% compared to 2007. Among the top 100 marketers, a diversified group representing over 40% of the measured ad economy, 2008 spending fell 3.8%, to $61,400.0 million.
Procter & Gamble was again the largest advertiser with $3,178.0 million in spending, off 7.0% versus a year ago. Verizon Communications held onto the second position with expenditures of $2,393.1 million, a gain of 4.3%, and distanced itself from rival AT&T which reduced its outlays by 10.4%, to $1,979.2 million.
General Motors expenditures, despite a 4th quarter retrenchment, were up 11.3% to $2,229.1 million for the full year. Toyota Motor was the only other automaker to crack the Top Ten rankings. Its spending was $1,021.3 million, a drop of 3.8% from 2007.
The largest increase among the Top 10 was registered by General Electric, up 17.3% to $1,200.6 million. The largest decline came from Time Warner, down 20.9% to $1,298.1 million. For both companies, the results were primarily shaped by their movie studio divisions.
Top Ten Advertisers:
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Source: TNS media intelligence |
Measured Ad Spending by Category
Expenditures for the ten largest advertising categories slipped 4.4% in 2008 and totaled $77,850.5 million. In aggregate this group accounts for more than one-half of all measured ad spending.
Automotive remained the largest category by dollar volume even though expenditures tumbled 15.4% to $12,783.8 million. Dealers cut their marketing investments more aggressively (-24.4%) than manufacturers (-9.9%) and the reductions accelerated in Q4. Automotive spending has now declined for fourteen consecutive quarters.
Financial Services held onto the second position with full-year expenditures of $9,649.1 million, a small decline of 0.3%. Rising budgets from retail bankers were offset by lower ad spending at credit card companies and consumer lenders.
Significant increases occurred in the Restaurant category, where heightened competition pushed spending ahead 6.3% to $5,637.9 million; and also in Food & Candy which advanced 4.0% to $5.990.3 million as manufacturers sought to defend their brand-label businesses against the growing threat of generic and private label offerings.
Notable spending reductions included Miscellaneous Retail (-7.1%, to $8,330.4 million); Telecom (-5.7%, to $8,447.0 million); and Direct Response (-4.5%, to $7,250.2 million).
Top Ten Advertising Categories:
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Source: TNS Media Intelligence |
Branded Entertainment
TNS Media Intelligence continuously monitors Branded Entertainment within network prime time and late night programming. The tracking identifies Brand Appearances and measures their duration and attributes. Given the short length of many Brand Appearances, duration is a more relevant metric than a count of occurrences for quantifying and comparing the gross amount of brand activity that viewers are potentially exposed to in the program versus the commercial breaks.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, an average hour of monitored prime time network programming contained (7:59) of in-show Brand Appearances and 13:52 of network commercial messages. The combined total of 21:51 of marketing content represents 36% of a prime-time hour.
Unscripted reality programming had an average of 13:52 per hour of Brand Appearances as compared to just 5:56 per hour for scripted programs such as sitcoms and dramas. Late night network talk shows had an average of 13:54 per hour. The combined load of Brand Appearances and network ad messages in these late night shows was 29:34 per hour, or 49% of total content time.
Brand Appearances vs. Advertising: Q4 2008
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Source: TNS media intelligence |
The regularly scheduled prime time programs with the largest volume of Brand Appearance time in Q4 2008 were America’s Toughest Jobs (44:50 per hour); The Biggest Loser (40:37); and Knight Rider (30:27).