Malaysian Ad Spend Up 16 Percent

KUALA LUMPUR: Advertising spending across all media in Malaysia recorded a 16-percent increase to RM 7.7 billion ($2.5 billion) in 2010, The Nielsen Company reports, with TV alone up 18 percent.

Television ad spending rose to RM 2.9 billion ($947.2 million) and increased its share slightly to 37.7 percent. Newspaper, however, still take the lion’s share with 50.8 percent. The biggest gains were seen outside of traditional media, with in-store up 43.2 percent and the Internet up 28.9 percent.

“With the jump in consumer confidence last year, advertisers joined in the race to capture opportunities that came from improved consumer sentiment," said Danyal Abdul Malik, managing director of Nielsen Audience Measurement at The Nielsen Company. "Large-scale events such as the World Cup, promotion for local festivals and aggressive product promotions also boosted advertising spend and led to a strong finish for the year.”