Last year, General Motors spent more than any other advertiser in every region in the country except Quebec.

Nielsen Marketing Research estimates gm spent $113 million on tv, print, radio and out-of-home advertising in 1993, well ahead of Procter & Gamble, which spent $84.5 million.

In Quebec, the provincial government was the top advertising spender, says the new Annual Summary of Advertising Expenditures, dropping almost $28 million in 1993.

gm took top spot in five of six regions: the Maritimes, Ontario, Manitoba/Saskatchewan, Alberta and b.c.

The automaker was the second-largest advertising spender in Quebec.

Nielsen says this is the first time gm has been Canada’s largest advertiser.

It says the federal government, habitually a top spender, tailed off markedly last year, dropping to $44 million last year from a record $113 million in 1992.

Nielsen says only three provinces made the list of top 100 advertising spenders.

As well as Quebec, Ontario made the list by spending $30.5 million, as did b.c., with its $8.6-million expenditure.

In all, nine automakers made the top 100 spending list.

Chrysler was 10th, with $41 million spent, and Ford finished 19th by spending $33 million last year.

Foreign automakers did not spend nearly as much on advertising as the Big Three domestic makers.

(The automakers’ spending does not reflect dealer association advertising expenditures.)

Nielsen says total measured spending on advertising last year was $3.7 billion.

The lion’s share went to tv, with $1.8 billion, with newspapers capturing almost $1.3 billion.

Magazines attracted $279 million, radio pulled in $153 million, and out-of-home advertising accounted for almost $123 million. DC