MAM
Good times ahead for TV ad spending in US, says study
NEW YORK: The total advertising spend in the US has grown 6.8 per cent in the first half of 2003, with some of the strongest gains coming from cable television, nationally syndicated broadcasting and Spanish-language television, according to the ad tracking firm TNS Media Intelligence/CMR.
Media reports quoting the study, released last Friday, say that all forms of broadcasting have increased 4.7 per cent to $31.3 billion in the past six months. Print advertising went up 8.6 per cent to $25.9 billion. Internet and outdoor advertising rose 15.3 per cent and 5.3 per cent respectively. The total ad expenditures for the first half of the year were $61.7 billion.
“These first-half results are further evidence that the ad recovery is well under way and that 2003 will be a healthy year for the advertising marketplace,” CMR president and chief executive Steven Fredericks said of the results.
Cable TV had the largest gain, up 16.7 per cent to $5.7 billion. National syndication rose 15.8 per cent to $1.6 billion, while Spanish-language network TV was up 15.4 per cent to $1.1 billion. Only one category had negative growth – network TV fell 0.4 per cent to $10.3 billion. Flat to moderate growth was experienced by spot TV, local radio and network radio.
However, one analyst stated that though encouraging, the numbers were not particularly helpful to investors in terms of gauging trends in media stocks. “It’s all backwards-looking data that’s already priced into the stocks,” Sanders Morris Harris analyst David Miller has been quoted as saying. He explained, “The markets always look forward, so right now valuations on media stocks, whether it’s radio or any other advertising-based business, is reflecting expectations in the bottom half of the year.” Still, the report reveals some spending trends.
The top spenders in the first half of 2003 were automotive, packaged goods and entertainment advertisers. General Motors led the spending with a 10.5 per cent increase to $1.3 billion. Two media conglomerates are also among the top 10 spenders. AOL Time Warner spent $965.7 million, 4.8 per cent more than it did last year, while the Walt Disney Co raised its ad spending 19.4 per cent to $632.5 million, the CMR report says.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
