By Alex C
The telecommunications sector retained its position as the highest advertising spender in Nigeria in 2013. The combined total advertising spend by all the telecommunications companies was put at N14.7 billion, representing 14 percent of the total advertising expenditure of N103.8 billion, according to 2013 Mediafacts, a key media resource for marketing professionals in West and Central Africa produced annually by MediaReachOMD, a specialist media company that provides media planning, buying, control and inventory management services.
MTN, Nigeria’s biggest telecom operator, topped the sector with an above-the-line advertising expenditure of N5 billion. It was followed by Etisalat which spent N3.9 billion while Globacom and Airtel spent N3.1 billion and N2.5 billion respectively.
Other big spenders are players in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) segment. They include Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, N1.6 billion; Star lager beer, N1.5 billion; Indomie Noodles, N1.2 billion; Peak Milk, N1 billion; Gulder, N0.7 billion; Heineken N0.7 billion; FirstBank, N0.6 billion; Dettol Soap, N0.6 billion; Dettol Range, N0.6 billion; Pepsi, N0.6 billion; Legend Extra Stout, N0.6 billion; Guaranty Trust Bank, N0.6 billion; BUA Flour, N0.5 billion; Transcorp Hilton Hotel, N0.5 billion; Samsung Mobile phone, N0.5 billion, and Stanbic IBTC Bank, N0.5 billion.
These top 20 advertisers contributed 60 percent of total advertising spend in the year under review, with the television sub-sector dominating advertising expenditure for the year, according to 2013 Mediafacts.
The sub-sector attracted a total spend of N47 billion which represents 45 percent of the overall advertising spend for the year. N23.2 billion was spent on the outdoor advertising; print media and radio attracted advertising spend of N18.5 billion and N15.1 billion, respectively, in 2013.
“TV dominated media spends of advertisers – accounting for 45 percent of the total expenditure of N103.8 billion in 2013. Nevertheless, TV and radio spends dropped by 9 percent and 2 percent points, outdoor advertising and print increased by 3 percent and 8 percent, respectively,” the report stated.
Other big spenders include Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, N1.6 billion; Star lager beer, N1.5 billion; Indomie Noodles, N1.2 billion; Peak Milk, N1 billion; Gulder, N0.7 billion; Heineken N0.7 billion; FirstBank, N0.6 billion; Dettol Soap, N0.6 billion; Dettol Range, N0.6 billion; Pepsi, N0.6 billion; Legend Extra Stout, N0.6 billion; Guaranty Trust Bank, N0.6 billion; BUA Flour, N0.5 billion; Transcorp Hilton Hotel, N0.5 billion; Samsung Mobile phone, N0.5 billion, and Stanbic IBTC Bank, N0.5 billion.
In its analysis of quarterly performance, Mediafacts said that of the total advertising figure for 2013, advertisers spent a total of N28 billion, representing 27 percent of the overall spend during the second quarter of the year. It also said N26.6 billion, N25.8 billion and N23.4 billion were spent during the first, third and fourth quarters, respectively.
The regional analysis of the report shows that with the N44 billion volume of advertisements placed within Lagos alone, the state took 42 percent of the total advertising spend during the year. The North had 27 percent (N27.9 billion); while the West had 16 percent (N16.5 billion); and the East 15 percent (N15.4).