The perennial top spenders are government, automotive, and food, but lately entertainment, technology/telecom, and healthcare/pharmaceutical advertisers have joined the ranks. With multinationals like Procter & Gamble looking to redistribute media spending and cut back on TV, these newcomers will become more and more important to broadcasters as traditional categories finetune their media mix. Still, don’t look for new categories to jump into conventional this season. You will, however, see some trying specialty TV for the first time.
(All categories are scored out of five.)
Local/regional retail
Cost prohibitive in most cases.
1 out of 5
Large retailers
Active with well-targeted placement and use of specialty.
4 out of 5
Entertainment
The pace of movies going to video/DVD is much faster and promotion is heavy.
4 out of 5
Telecommunications and wireless
Extremely active and expected to continue.
4 out of 5
Packaged goods
Consistent, with flat spending except for new product launches.
3 out of 5
Automotive
Spending is down from previous levels, particularly with the Big Three.
3 out of 5
Financial services
Steady category with peaks for new product/services launches and RRSP season.
3 out of 5
Healthcare and pharmaceutical
Really strong and expected to continue, particularly in the area of vitamins, supplements and specialty diet products.
4 out of 5
Beauty and Personal Care
This goes hand in hand with the above category. It’s all about new products for the massive baby boom generation in preservation mode. ‘How old do you think I am?’
4 out of 5
Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs)
Always steady but now a bit more active with messages promoting the healthy side of comfort food.
4 out of 5
Government
Consistent spending to support programs and initiatives. June federal election a boon to broadcasters at a time when regular advertising slows.
4 out of 5
Beer
With CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada in question because of a possible players’ strike, beer brands and other male-skewed advertisers need alternate media plans in the hopper.
3 out of 5
The Fall Spend Forecast ratings were determined by a national poll of
TV advertising buyers and sellers.
