Global Ad Spending Rises in Q3 2012

NEW YORK: The global advertising market had a healthy third quarter in 2012, with spending up 4.3 percent to $139 billion, according to Nielsen’s quarterly Global AdView Pulse report.

A surge in advertising investments pushed the growth in the Middle East and Africa, up 18.9 percent year-to-date. The North American market had a 5-percent increase through September, led by a 10.2-percent gain during Q3. Ad spending also grew in the Asia Pacific, which saw a 2.7-percent gain in ad spend year-to-date and a 3.5-percent increase for the third quarter. The region was led by the strength of China’s ad market. Western Europe, however, took a hit. Year-on-year spending dipped 2.7 percent and Q3 saw a drop of 4.8 percent. The decline contributed to a year-to-date decrease of 3.4 percent in Europe.

“Growth in global ad spend accelerated in Q3. The Olympics, a major media event in all parts of the world, and the U.S. presidential election helped drive investment up,” said Randall Beard, the global head of advertiser solutions for Nielsen. “We’ll be watching carefully to see if the growth was sustained in Q4 and into 2013, or if there’s a dip in comparison to this year.”