Advertising by food products on out of home formats reached an all-time high in 2012 and resulted in the category being the most active on the outdoor medium last year according to a report on the market published by PML Group.
Food advertising, boosted by an almost 20% increase in investment on outdoor, overtook Telecoms as the highest spending category according to the report.
According to Colum Harmon, marketing manager at PML Group, “We believe the surge in food advertising is being driven by a few factors. Firstly, many new advertising opportunities in the retail environment have been developed in recent years and brands are now competing more and more at the point of purchase. Secondly, given the times we are in, food brands are keen to promote a value and/or health message and the visual nature of out of home advertising works really well in this regard”.
The out of home specialist’s market review for 2012 covers the top categories and advertisers as well as commentary on key market trends over the past year.
In terms of advertisers, Diageo remains the top spender, despite a decrease of over 10% in display value. Despite Diageo’s position, the alcohol category as a whole has diminished on out of home over the last few years as other product categories such as Retail, Tourism & Travel and Media have all increased their share of voice on the medium.
Other advertisers to feature in the top 10 for 2012 include Kellogg’s, Pepsico and Unilever.
