Zenith Media have published their UK Media Yearbook 1995. Research carried out has revealed that advertising spend has continued to rise, in 1994 by 9.5%, and is expected to rise in 1995 by 8.8%, despite persistent gloom about negative equity, job security and interest rates.
The research found that whether the economy is headed for a hard or soft landing, advertisers are determined to outspend their competitors and cajole consumers into “rediscovering the pleasure of consumption.”
According to the yearbook, advertisers will spend over £6 billion on newspapers and magazines this year. Colour space in newspapers is much in demand and widely available but expensive. Colour advertisements accounted for 33.5% of all spend in national newspapers last year up from 18.3% in 1990.
Colour supplements are having a tough time competing with on the run colour though, their ad spend fell 10.4% in 1994, and mail order now accounts for half of their total income, up from 30% in 1990.
The yearbook addressed the issue of expected audience figures for Channel 5 and forecast that the channel will attract around 8% of the commercial audience in its first year and grow the total audience available to advertisers by 1%.
According to the yearbook, of the 2,488 consumer magazines IPC has 32 of the top 100 and EMAP, 13. Advertorials and promotions are well established and in demand; they are the sixth largest advertising category in all magazines (£48m in 1994), third largest in women’s magazines (£28m), and second largest (£16m) in General Interest, the group which includes TV listings and home interest titles.
In relation to outdoor advertising, £350m was spent last year, 14% of which was for drink and another 14% tobacco, staples of the UK medium which are banned in some countries. The most abundant poster size is the 38,000 strong 48 sheet, which accounts for 36% of all roadside sites, but 52% of revenue.
Zenith UK Media Yearbook costs £175 0171 224 8500
