Ambient spend up 18% in last quarter

Advertisers are spending more money on ambient media than ever,

with an 18.4 per cent increase in ambient advertising in the first

quarter of 1999.

According to figures from the outdoor specialist, Concord, advertisers

spent pounds 10.3 million on ambient advertising in the first three

months of this year, compared with pounds 8.7 million for the same

period a year ago.

The medium, which embraces everything from advertising in golf holes and

parking meters to urinals and supermarket trolleys, has become the

fastest growing media sector, with growth of more than 400 per cent

since Concord began measuring ambient spend in 1995.

Kellogg was the largest spender in ambient media in the first quarter of

1999, investing pounds 532,000 at ratecard cost on a combination of

trolley ads, phone box posters, floor ads and posters in newsagent

windows.

The second-biggest spender was Unilever, which clocked up pounds 480,000

on a range of washroom posters and trolley ads, then Novartis Consumer

Health, which had the biggest single ambient campaign. Novartis used

2,400 posters located in chemists’ windows over a three-month period

through the media owner, Pharmasite.

The top-spending product category in the ambient sector was food,

accounting for almost 27 per cent of all expenditure. As well as

Kellogg, Young’s, Van Den Bergh, Bird’s Eye, Walkers and Cadbury were

leading spenders.

Cosmetics and toiletries was the second-highest category, taking an 11.9

per cent share of the total spend, followed by entertainment and media

with 11 per cent.

Nigel Mansell, the managing director of Concord, said the involvement of

Tesco and Sainsbury’s in the trolley market, the launch of telephone box

sites last year and a high level of repeat business were all

contributing to growth.

’More than 50 per cent of ads are repeat. Now contractors have more

money, they are able to invest in more sheetage and clients have to buy

more sites.’

This article was first published on Campaign