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.
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.
