Ad Spending Increases Globally by 6.2% in Q4

Advertisers increased spending 6.2 % in the fourth quarter compared with a year earlier, according to Nielsen Holdings.

Worldwide spending rose to $131 billion, while U.S. advertising fell 0.2 % to $31 billion, New York-based Nielsen said in its Global AdView Pulse report released today.

The global advertising industry continued to achieve gains after climbing out of recession in 2010. The fourth-quarter advances contributed to a full-year increase worldwide of 7.3 % to $498 billion, Nielsen said.

Geography mattered. Annual ad spending rose 11 % to $20 billion for the region comprising the Middle East and Africa, and 12 % to $213 billion in the Asia-Pacific.

There was a 0.4 % decline in Europe, to $70 billion, according to the report. Latin America had 12 % growth, to $80 billion, as Bloomberg stated.

Nielsen found that “all traditional media types” attracted more ad spending in 2011, led by a 10 % gain to $324 billion for television.

That medium also commanded the largest portion of the global ad market, 65 %. Internet ad spending advanced 24 %, Nielsen said.

Ad spending in clothing and retail increased the most, at 18 % last year, according to the report.