MAM
Q1 ad spend in the US up by a lack lustre 1.5 per cent
NEW YORK: Advertising spends in the US rose by a meagre 1.5 per cent in the first quarter of the year, says Nielsen Media Research. The report says that ad spend declined in the case of network TV, cable TV, syndicated TV and national newspapers each falling about 5 per cent, compared to the corresponding figures for the same period last year. The report adds that TV gained from the Iraqi conflict.
The report states that local newspapers grew by 9 per cent; national magazines in the US grew by 14 per cent and Hispanic TV grew by a whopping 15 per cent.
Nielsen Monitor Plus report states that advertising spending increased in six of the ten reported media, with growth rates ranging from under 1 per cent to over 15 per cent.
Nielsen Monitor-Plus MD Jeff King was quoted as saying that 2003 is disadvantaged because the Iraqi war resulted in some preemption of regularly scheduled shows and possibly contributed to a slowing of the overall advertising growth rate.
The report also mentions that GM dropped 24 per cent of its budget for Q1; Ford picked up its pace and increased its ad spend by 55 per cent for their Escape, Expedition, Explorer, and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The most significant growth was seen in the automotive category which collectively spent more than $2 billion.
Other major contributors included Sony (up by 47 per cent) and Walt Disney (up by 24 per cent). The report says that Sony and Disney’s growth was largely due to increased spending on motion pictures. Sony’s 2003 movies include Tears of the Sun ($22 million in advertising spending), National Security($17 million), Darkness Falls ($18 million), and Adaptation ($9 million), while Disney’s increase is largely due to spending on Recruit ($23 million), Shanghai Knights ($21 million), Chicago ($19 million), and Gangs of New York ($11 million).
The report adds that spending by the top 10 categories, which were also the largest categories last year, was $5 billion dollars for the first three months of 2003 (up 5 per cent).
Brand advertising slightly decreased. Also notable from the category perspective was last year’s high-flyer, pharmaceuticals, which increased only two percent.
Brands
Boeing appoints Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering function
Seasoned finance leader to steer budgets and strategy across global centres
BENGALURU: Boeing’s finance cockpit has a new pilot, and he is no stranger to turbulence or transformation. Boeing has appointed Barun as head of FP&A for global engineering, placing him at the centre of financial strategy for its worldwide engineering and technology operations.
Based in Bengaluru, Barun steps into a role that is as expansive as it is critical. He will serve as the primary finance lead for Boeing’s Engineering and Technology Centers globally, working closely with executive leadership to shape financial decisions, manage complex budgets, and design scalable finance processes that support the company’s growing engineering footprint.
In a note announcing his move Barun said, “I’m excited to share that I’ve joined Boeing Global Engineering. This opportunity is incredibly meaningful to me not just from a professional standpoint, but also for what Boeing represents globally.” He added that he looks forward to contributing to an organisation that continues to shape the future of aerospace and innovation.
Barun’s mandate spans strategic financial leadership, operational oversight, and stakeholder engagement. From directing large-scale budgets and schedules to influencing long-term organisational goals, the role blends financial discipline with business foresight. He will also lead cross-functional teams and partner with finance colleagues worldwide to support engineering programmes across geographies, including India.
The appointment caps a long stint at Juniper Networks, where Barun spent over a decade, most recently as finance senior manager. There, he led FP&A for global product business units and G&A functions, driving budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning. He also played a key role in enterprise-wide transformation, including spearheading an Oracle to SAP ERP migration and building advanced analytics capabilities using tools such as Tableau and SAP Analytics Cloud.
His earlier career includes finance leadership roles at Sony India Software Centre, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and Mphasis, where he focused on financial planning, governance frameworks, and operational efficiency across global delivery centres.
A chartered accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Barun brings nearly two decades of experience across financial planning, digital transformation, and analytics-led decision making.
His appointment comes at a time when global engineering operations are becoming increasingly complex and distributed, requiring sharper financial oversight and agile planning. With Barun at the helm of FP&A for engineering, Boeing appears to be tightening its financial playbook as it looks to scale innovation with discipline.
