First-Half Ad Spending Declines

Total measured ad spending declined by 1.6% in the first half of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, according to TNS Media Intelligence. The second quarter alone was down 3.7% over last year, marking the biggest quarterly drop since 2001. Among the media most affected was broadcast TV, which dropped 2.4% overall due to the writers strike. Cable TV (3.1%) and national syndication (10.2%) got a boost for having comparatively fresh programming schedules. But Jon Swallen, senior VP-research at TNS Media Intelligence, said not all of the TV dollars that normally would've gone to broadcast prime-time programming were reallocated to other parts of TV. Many companies held on to some of their marketing dollars to bolster their bottom lines in anticipation of a recession, as shown by spending cutbacks from the likes of Procter & Gamble (the biggest spender despite a 7.6% decrease) and AT&T (down 15.6%.).