This year continues to be one of growth for the U.S. advertising industry. According to Nielsen, ad spend in the U.S. was up 7 percent in the third quarter of 2012 compared with the same time last year—with the ad-heavy U.S. presidential election and the London Summer Olympic Games likely contributors.

The third quarter was big for automotive and auto dealerships in the U.S, which ranked first and third, respectively, for amount spent. Model year-end promotions traditionally make the third quarter the biggest of the year based on ad sales, and six of the top 20 companies based on ad spend during the period were auto manufacturers. Other third quarter sector leaders included fast food restaurants, wireless/telecom, retail, motion picture and pharmaceuticals.

Methodology

The quarterly reports include ad spend across 17 media which is lumped together as follows:

·    Television (Network, Cable, Syndication, Spot, Spanish Lang Network, Spanish Lang Cable)

·    Magazine (National, Local Magazine)

·    Newspaper (National Newspaper, National Sunday Supp, Local Newspaper, Local Sunday Supp)

·    Radio (Network, Spot Radio)

·    Outdoor

·    FSI Coupon

·    National Internet (Display only; Excludes the following sites in the total expenditure – Myspace.com, Realtor.com, Youtube.com, Yahoo! Mail)

Data excludes Promos/PSA & Local Avails. Direct Response is included in all spend.