Given the state of the US economy, a decline in ad spend was expected but it was n’t quite as bad as it could have been. According to preliminary figures from The Nielsen Company, advertising in the US for 2008 was down 2.6%, with expenditures down almost $3.7 billion to a total spend of $136.8 billion.
The slightly better than expected result can probably be attributed to the US political presidential campaign and the Summer Olympics.
The only two media to show growth in 2008 were Hispanic cable TV, up 9.6 percent, and cable, which increased 7.8%. Cable was the highest revenue-generating medium with $26.6 billion in sales.
Print media continued to fall, with ad spends from location and national newspapers down 10.2% and 9.6%, respectively. National magazines fell 7.6%, while local magazines dropped 3.7%. The Internet also took a hit, with ad spends down 6.4%.
Network TV dropped 3.5%, but nevertheless television remained the dominant media for advertisers, with a 60% of all ad dollars going to network, cable, hispanic or spot TV.
