New Zealand’s media agency market smashed advertising expenditure records in September, according to early SMI numbers.
SMI’s early September NZ data, which excludes late bookings to Digital media, puts the NZ ad market up 12.5% to $98.8 million.
The sudden surge in spend is related extra advertising activity with the Rugby World Cup and local council elections.
Television and outdoor emerged as the main beneficiaries with TV ad spend up 24.5% and outdoor bookings 38.2%.
"This is really an exceptional result, and is even more amazing as there’s still more ad dollars to be collected by SMI in this September period as the late digital booking usually add at least an extra $2 million to the final figure,’’ says SMI AU/NZ Managing Director Jane Ractliffe.
"But already the $98.8 million figure is the largest month of advertising revenue ever recorded by SMI in a January to September period and it’s also the eight largest month of ad spend in SMI NZ’s ten years of data history."
Government ad spend doubled to $7.2 million, utilities was up 72% and auto 25%.
Even with government ad spend removed from the latest interim SMI NZ results, the market is still up 8.7%, before late Digital bookings are added.
NZ Radio is also benefiting with its bookings up 7.7% in September. Cinema bookings rose 20% and magazine ad spend was up 5%.
Ractliffe says the NZ market has returned to growth over the past four months after a tough year of lower declines.
"Like Australia the NZ advertising market experienced a 12 month period of lower monthly declines, but in recent months it has delivered consistent growth and now with this huge September boost the market is back in the black with the total market up 1.2% so far this year,’’ she says.
Australia has seen 12 months of ad spend falls but SMI analysts are predicting a return to growth by the end of this year.
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