European ad spend down -3.8% despite Q3 respite

Global advertising spending rose 3.2 percent in the third quarter of 2013 according to Nielsen.

The quarterly Global AdView Pulse report also shows that the European ad market experienced a small respite in the third quarter, with only a slight decrease of 0.4 percent year over year for the third quarter. This contributes to a 3.8 percent fall when looking at the first three quarters of the year.

Nielsen said that this was anticipated in its second-quarter 2013 report, with the negative trends in Europe’s advertising market finally looking to bottom out.

However, Nielson’s report also shows the Asia Pacific region’s “powerhouse ad market” continues to expand, driving the third quarter’s global ad growth. The Asia Pacific market grew 7 percent for the first three quarters of 2013 year-over-year.

Meanwhile, North America’s ad market dipped 1.3% during the third quarter but still ended the first three quarters with a gain of 1.7 percent, year on year.

In a statement, Nielsen said the small decline in the region’s third quarter ad market partly reflects this year’s decrease in political advertising, which ruled the airwaves in advance of the U.S. election last fall.