• September 20, 2006

Newspaper and magazine ad buys by auto companies are down 24 percent this year through July, from $1.8 billion to $1.4 billion at magazines, and from $1.1 billion to $754 million at newspapers. Total auto spend for online ads is up 51.6 percent, from $110 million to $159 million. According to TNS figures, most automakers have cut their print spend for the first half of this year. General Motors cut back 40.8 percent from $567 million to $336 million through June. Ford's print buy was down 6.4 percent, from $244 million to $229 million. Volkswagen has cut its print spending by 76.4 percent, from $57 million to $13 million. DaimlerChrysler network spending fell 12 percent for the first half of this year to $422 million, versus the first half of 2005. The company's print spend slumped 36.7 percent to $133 million, per TNS.