US Ad Spend Grows In Q1 2002
US advertising for Q1 2002 shows an increase of 1.8% over the same period in 2001, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Monitor-Plus. The automotive category led the way with the largest dollar increases ($170 million), while the beer and motion picture categories saw the greatest percentage increases, 37% and 35%, respectively.
Four of the eight media sectors reported increases in advertising activity with Network TV showing the greatest gain of 9% although Nielsen points out that these totals were boosted by the 2002 Winter Olympics which were held in February, slightly distorting any comparison to the previous year.
| US Advertising Growth Q1 2002 v Q1 2001 | |
| Network TV | 9.2 |
| Spot Radio | 5 |
| Spot TV | 1.9 |
| Nat Cable TV | 0.4 |
| Nat Hispanic TV | -2.8 |
| Nat Magazines | -5.4 |
| Syndicated TV | -8.9 |
| Coupons | -26.8 |
| Total | 1.8 |
| Source: Nielsen Media Research, May 2002 | |
National magazines and syndicated television continued to decline. Jeff King, managing director of Nielsen Monitor-Plus commented, “Although much of network TVÂÂ’s increases are credited to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the first quarter 2002 shows an overall modest growth for the eight reported media.”
First quarter 2002 spending for the top ten advertising categories was $6.2 billion dollars, 16% greater than the same period last year. A portion of this increase is due to additional spending during the Winter Olympics by these categories.
| Q1 2002 Top 10 Advertising Product Categories | |||
| Product Category | Q1 2002 | Q1 2001 | % Change |
| Automotive | ÂÂ $ 1,902,018,814 | ÂÂ $ 1,732,301,175 | 10.0 |
| Restaurants | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 983,538,945 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 864,183,742 | 14.0 |
| Motion Pictures | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 663,658,552 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 490,084,756 | 35.0 |
| Prescriptions Drugs | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 614,278,522 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 607,717,314 | 1.0 |
| Telephone Services | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 599,929,947 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 486,053,343 | 23.0 |
| Department Stores | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 362,568,008 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 299,708,695 | 21.0 |
| Direct Response Services | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 350,929,336 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 304,786,989 | 15.0 |
| Beer | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 250,429,451 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 183,445,949 | 37.0 |
| Financial Investment Services | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 247,300,244 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 199,544,753 | 24.0 |
| Auto Dealerships | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 239,926,005 | ÂÂ $ÂÂ ÂÂ ÂÂ 207,061,074 | 16.0 |
| Note: Based on spending in the following media: Network TV, Cable TV, Hispanic TV, Spot TV, Syndicated TV, National Magazine, Spot Radio (19 markets), FSI Coupon | |||
| Source: Nielsen Media Research, May 2002 | |||
Although all categories have increased spending, the most significant percent growth is in beer (37%) and motion pictures (35%). The Automotive category has increased spending by almost $170 million.