MAM
US ad spend up 4.5 per cent between Jan – Sept 2005
MUMBAI: Ad spend in the US in the first nine months 1 January – 30 September 2005 rose by 4.5 per cent over the same period last year.
This was due to gains across major media. Preliminary figures were released by Nielsen Monitor-Plus, the ad intelligence service of Nielsen Media Research.
Ad spends increased in almost all reported media, led by the Internet which was up by 19.4 per cent, followed by Spanish-language TV (16.7 per cent), cable TV (11.9 per cent), and local magazines (10.1 per cent). Other media showing gains include outdoor (7.3 per cent), national magazines (7.1 per cent), business-to-business magazines (3.9 per cent), national newspapers (2.2 per cent), and local newspapers (0.8 per cent).
Nielsen Monitor-Plus MD Jeff King says, “Network TV showed positive growth through the first half of 2005. However, the absence of the Olympics in third quarter resulted in a year-to-date decline. The increase in Spot TV in the top 100 markets was a result of growth in the automotive, retail, and insurance/real estate industries.”
A number of media haven’t shown much movement through the third quarter including spot TV in the smaller markets, local newspapers, and network radio. Coupons were flat.
Ad spends through the third quarter for the top 10 companies reached over $14 billion, up 1.8 per cent from last year. Most advertisers experienced growth. Although DaimlerChrysler cut spends back by 5.6 per cent, overall the automotive companies show healthy gains, accounting for $5.4 billion in spending, with an increase of 2.9 per cent.
Spending for the 10 largest categories reached over $31 billion through the third quarter. This repersents a 5.1 per cent growth than the same period last year. Most product categories have increased spending, with the exception of local automotive dealerships and department stores, which are each slightly down. The restaurant industry was the fastest growing in terms of per cent increase over last year.
General Motors, the top ad spender in the US, increased its budget by 7.3 per cent to $2.54 billion, while Ford Motor the number three spender, grew its advertising by 3.8 per cent to $1.6 billion. However the second largest ad spender in the US Procter & Gamble decreased its ad budget by 2.8 per cent to $2.52 billion.
Other top 10 advertisers that increased spending were Time Warner, Johnson & Johnson, Altria Group. Time Warner increased its spends by 15.5 per cent to $1.20 billion. Meanwhile Pepsi. Disney and AT&T cut ad spends. Disney cut spends by 11.2 per cent to $896 million. AT&T cut spends by 28.9 per cent to $885 million.
Nielsen’s Product Placement tracking service continues to show significant growth in the integration of product occurrences in primetime broadcast network programming. The top 10 brands in the product placement category totaled 12,445 occurrences through the third quarter of the year.
The top 10 programmes that featured product placements in the first half accounted for 27,244 occurrences. NBC’s The Contender was the number one programme, with more than double the amount of product placements than the number two programme, Fox’s American Idol, 7,514 and 3,497, respectively. Interestingly, these two programmes which are currently not on air still represent the largest number of product placements. Many of The Contender’s placements were for Everlast Apparel and Sporting Equipment, while American Idol’s was for Coca-Cola.
What I Like About You saw 2,544 placements. ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition got 2,480 placements. CBS’ King Of Queens managed 2,139 placements while NBC’s busines based reality show The Apprentice got 1,996 placements. The Amazing Race on CBS got 1,898 placements.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
