Biggest Brands Led U.S. Ad Slowdown, Autos Plummeted Through Q3

The slowdown in U.S. ad spending appears to be more pronounced among some of the nation’s biggest advertisers, according to estimates released this morning by WPP’s Kantar Media unit. Half of the top 10 advertisers decreased their ad budgets through the first three-quarters of 2014 vs. the same period in 2013, including double-digit reductions by the nation’s two largest advertisers: Procter & Gamble and AT&T.

P&G slashed spending 16.1%, while AT&T reduced its ad budget 11.3%. Combined spending by the top 10 advertisers fell 1.7% through the first nine months, which compares with a 0.3% increase in total U.S. ad spending during the same period, according to Kantar’s estimates.

Big advertisers outside the top 10 apparently held their own, because Kantar estimates the top 100 advertisers boosted spending above the U.S. average. The top 100, which account for more than 40% of total spending, rose 1.3% through the first nine months.

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Among the top 10 categories, the biggest -- automotive -- was also down the most, declining 4.0%. Dealer ad reductions (-6.3%) outpaced national automotive marketers (-2.4%).

Rank

Company

Jan-Sep 2014 ($ Millions)

Jan-Sep 2013 ($ Millions)

% Change

1

Procter & Gamble Co

$2,004.0

$2,389.3

-16.1%

2

AT&T Inc

$1,262.8

$1,423.0

-11.3%

3

General Motors Corp

$1,259.5

$1,204.8

4.5%

4

Comcast Corp

$1,195.3

$1,231.6

-2.9%

5

L'Oreal Sa

$1,069.0

$1,157.9

-7.7%

6

Pfizer Inc

$1,033.7

$865.0

19.5%

7

Berkshire Hathaway Inc

$1,026.6

$882.0

16.4%

8

Verizon Communications Inc

$969.4

$861.1

12.6%

9

Toyota Motor Corp

$860.2

$931.0

-7.6%

10

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV

$826.8

$755.3

9.5%

 

TOTAL

$11,507.4

$11,701.1

-1.7%

Source: Kantar Media

1 comment about "Biggest Brands Led U.S. Ad Slowdown, Autos Plummeted Through Q3".
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  1. Jay Fredrickson from Fredrickson Services Inc., December 28, 2014 at 11:20 a.m.

    This is all a lot of nonsense. Companies spend huge sums in unmeasurable ways, so trying to quantify it is ridiculous. There is no way any of this is accurate, just a lot of bs

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