DIGITAL AD SPEND IN ASIA JUMPED 64% IN 2022, AS OVERALL AD INVESTMENT INCREASED BY 12%*

Nielsen Ad Intel shows big jump in ad spend as marketers back ads as key driver of growth in highly competitive market

New data from Nielsen Ad Intel, the region’s leading comprehensive ad spend monitoring service, shows investment in advertising in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan jumped by almost US$55 billion in 2022 – an overall increase of 12%.

The rise was spearheaded by digital advertising, which grew by a whopping 64% from 2021, followed by outdoor at 19% and TV at 6%. As crowds returned to the movies, cinema advertising also rebounded, growing by 131%, while radio dropped 8%.

Nielsen Asia President (Commercial), Arnaud Frade said, “These Ad Intel numbers for 2022 show marketers backing advertising as the best, most cost-effective way to connect brands with customers and keep them engaged. What they also demonstrate is that marketers need to be more savvy than ever about how they invest those ad dollars, utilising the very best data, in order to get an edge on their competition and maximise their ROI.”

Those kind of insights are not only an advantage, but absolutely crucial in the highly competitive Asian market, says Nielsen Asia Managing Director (Advertisers), Aaron Rigby: “As the advertising environment becomes more complex, brands, agencies and media owners need the latest advertising intelligence to differentiate themselves from the competition and to carve out the best path forward for their brands and media. Nothing does better than Nielsen’s Ad Intel in helping you understand the advertising around you to improve your own .”

Nielsen Ad Intel, which tracks competitive brand level ad activity across the entire media landscape, drilled down across selected Asian markets* to provide a local-level snapshot of ad investment, total spend, year-on-year growth, and driving factors.

At a country, rather than channel level, Singapore led the year-on-year increase with growth of 10.17%. Thailand and Malaysia followed closely with growth of 9.12% and 8.05% respectively. 

*Data includes only these selected markets in Asia; Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan

Snapshot of 2022 ad spend by market

Indonesia
US $19.2 billion
+5.02% from 2021 

Online shopping and gaming led ad spend in Indonesia, which reached $19.2* billion for the year – a 5.02% increase from 2021, with TV, internet, and print media leading the way. Unilever, Mayora, and Valorant were the top three spenders.

*The number is based on a gross rate card which excludes discounts and bonuses.

Philippines
US $18.8 billion
+3.87% from 2021 

Philippines’ ad spend reached $18.8 billion in 2022, up 3.87%*. The personal care and hygiene industry, led by Procter & Gamble and Unilever Philippines dominated the list of top spenders.

*Doesn’t include digital media (Digital starting monitor in 2022).

South Korea
US $8.7 billion
+5.54% from 2021 

South Korea’s ad spend rose to $8.7 billion in 2022, up by 5.54%. The biggest spenders were tech companies, with Samsung leading the list, followed by LG Electronics and KT Corporation. HiteJinro was the only non-tech company in the top five advertisers.

Thailand
US $3.6 billion
+9.12% from 2021 

Thailand’s ad spend increased by 9.12% in 2022 with FMCG companies topping the list. Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Nestle were the biggest spenders, helping Thailand’s ad spend grow to $3.6 billion for the year. TV and digital media were the most utilised ad channels, with outdoor and cinema also seeing significant growth. 

Singapore
US $1.6 billion
+10.17% from 2021 

Singapore’s ad spend reached $1.6 billion in 2022 – an increase of 10.17%. The highest spend came from social, followed by TV and outdoor. The list of top spenders was dominated by e-commerce and retail brands, with Lazada, NTUC FairPrice, and Amazon leading the pack.*

*Social ad spend available from September 2021 onwards.

Malaysia
US $1.5 billion
+8.05% from 2021 

Malaysia’s ad spend reached $1.5 billion in 2022 – a growth of 8.05%. TV, digital, and newspapers had the highest share. Fast food saw the highest growth, increasing 35% as McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut topped the category list.

Taiwan
US $900 million
+0.15% from 2021 

Taiwan’s ad spend rose slightly to $900 million in 2022, with TV being the most prominent medium. Health food topped the list of categories, with Procter & Gamble Home Products, Suntory Wellness Taiwan, and Standard Foods among the biggest spenders. 

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About Nielsen Ad Intel

Ad Intel provides the most complete source of cross-platform advertising intelligence available today. With intuitive software, review-and-compare ad activity across media, company, category or brand, plus historical data.

Note: Nielsen monitors gross advertising expenditure in major media at published rate card values. While discounts are made available from some media owners, rates are not openly available. Please also note that the category and brand/product groupings figures are grouped at Nielsen’s discretion.

Media Contacts

Dan Chapman
Assoc. Director, Communications, Nielsen APAC

dan.chapman@nielsen.com
+61 404 088 462

Kyoji Nakao
Communications Manager, Communications, Nielsen APAC

kyoji.nakao@nielsen.com
+81-80-4597-4256

Categorised in: Industry News, Member News

This post was written by Nielsen