Global Ad Spending Rises by 3.1% in 1Q

While Europe is down, Middle East and Africa show big gains

By Jon Lafayette -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/28/2012 12:01:00 AM

Global as spending in the first quarter rose 3.1% to $128 billion, compared to a 2.1% increase in North America, Nielsen says in a new report.

The gains followed a strong finish to 2011, Nielsen said. Ad spending increased slightly in January, but the year-over-year change grew steadily in the subsequent months. By March 2012, global ad spend was 4.5% higher than a year earlier.

The biggest hikes in advertising came in the Middle East and Africa, where spending jumped 23.3%. In Latin America, spending rose 9.6%.

Asia-Pacific turned in a below-average performance, with a 1.7% growth rate, while in Europe, spending declined by 1.4%. There were significant drops in spending in Greece and Spain, where the economies are under duress, but there were upticks in France, Germany and Switzerland, Nielsen said.

"Market conditions and political unrest in 2011 may have contributed to lower spending last year, and Nielsen will watch to see if these increases are sustained in Q2," Nielsen said in its Global AdView Pluse report.