• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, November 20, 2024

Although consumer confidence was weak heading into this year, 169 new advertisers across 43 categories invested $380 million in national TV in the first half of 2024, according to the VAB, the advertising group for national TV network groups.

Most of those new brands -- 67% (113) -- spent under $500,000. 

On the flip side, 6% (10 brands) spent over $5 million. Another 24 brands spent between $1 million and $5 million, while 22 brands (13%) spent between $500,000 and $1 million.

Seven of eight of the biggest-spending brands were pharmaceutical brands: Camzyos ($68.8 million); Eylea ($63.2 million); Wegovy ($43.2 million); Bimzelx ($42.9 million); AirSupra ($19.4 million); Librela ($8.6 million); and Velsipity ($8.0 million).

Overall, 16 pharmaceutical brands represented 71% of all new brand TV spend; 12 apparel makers (8%); ten organizations (3%); and 11 vitamins and supplements (3%).

In a survey from eMarketer, VAB says 53% of respondents worried about “standing out from the competition” and 49% had budget worries, while 47% voiced concerns about choosing the right marketing tactics, 35% were concerned about keeping up with marketing trends, and 24% were concerned about a lack of expertise.

The VAB says a number of newcomers experienced a sharp rise in search results soon after its TV media campaign launch, hitting a 100 index in Google Search Index measure. 

This included Cacti (hard seltzer); Truff (black truffle-infused hot sauce); Eyelea (pharma); Taffy.com (candy); (ResortPass (resorts); and American Tax Services (financial).