Nigeria’s advertising industry recorded N4.8b growth in 2015

Significant growth was recorded in the nation’s advertising sector in 2015, as the sector recorded  N97.9 billion, as the total advertising spend during the period,  representing a vast improvement of N4.8billion on the N93.1 billion documented in 2014.

This growth, according to a recently-released 2015 Mediafacts, a key media resource for marketing professionals in West and Central Africa, was informed by the 2014/2015 electioneering campaigns and the successful change in government, among other factors.

The report also identified the telecommunications sector as retaining its lead position as the highest advertiser in Nigeria in 2015 with a combined total expenditure of N16.7 billion, a figure representing 17 per cent of the total advertising spend in Nigeria for the year under review.

The report also noted that Personal Paid (N12.2 billion), corporate communications (N6.3 billion), banking & finance (N5.8 billion), lager beer (N4.6 billion), Public Service (N3.8 billion), soft drinks (N2.8 billion), Cable TV (N2.5 billion), milk & diary (N2.2 billion) and broadcast (N2.2 billion), formed  part of other top advertising product categories that contributed to the total ad spend.

Others include: noodles (N2.1 billion), Cocoa beverages (2.0 billion), skin cleansing (N1.8 billion), nutritional drinks (1.8 billion), dental care (N1.6 billion), seasonings (N1.5 billion), online mall/Education imparting knowledge & skill/Malt (N1.4 billion), NSD Powder (N1.3 billion and others (N22.4 billion). Mediafacts stated that these are the top 20 advertising product categories in 2015.

“The top 10 advertisers in Communication and Telecommunications sector in 2015 include: Sundry Ad (other Inform. Service), N13.5 billion, MTN, N4.7 billion, Airtel, N4.1 billion, Etisalat, N3.7 billion and Globacom, N3.7 billion. Others are: Nigerian Breweies, N3.7 billion, The state government, N3.1 billion, Sundry Advertisers (Services), N3 billion, Reckit Benkiser Nigeria, N2.7 billion and Procter & Gamble, N2.1 billion,” the report says.

While the top 20 advertisers contributed 64 per cent of total spend, the top four telecom players, according to the report contributed 17 per cent of the total spend in 2015.

“The 2014/2015 electioneering campaigns and the successful change in government may have positively impacted on the advertising spends in 2015 as it records a positive growth of about 4.8 per cent over 2014 total media spend,’ the report says.

While the television stations attracted the highest advertising expenditure of N39 billion in 2015,  the report however put the advertising expenditure attracted by the print media, outdoor and radio stations at N23.7 billion, N20.1 billion and N15.1 billion; respectively.

The Report put the advertising expenditure in the first and second quarters of 2015 at N23 billion each, while it was N29.8 billion and N22.1 billion in the third and fourth quarters of the year.

“The highest spend for 2015 was recorded in Quarter 3 (N29.8 billion), which represents 30% of the total spend,” the report stated.