U.S. ad spending fell 15.4 percent in the first half of 2009, according to data released today by the Nielsen Co. A total of $56.9 billion was spent on advertising in the first six months of the year, more than $10.3 billion less than the same period in 2008.
The automotive industry was the top spender ($3.68 billion), despite a 31 percent cut over last year. Local auto dealerships -- also a perennial top-10 spending category -- cut its ad budget 26 percent through June 2009.
It wasn't all bad news for the advertising industry this year. Cable TV was the only media category to see added spending with a 1.5 percent surge overall and a 0.6 percent increase for Spanish-language cable TV. Quick-service Restaurants -- the second highest-spending industry -- spent $2.2 billion in the first half of '09, thanks to a 5 percent increase over the first half of 2008. And spending on multi-function cell phones more than doubled to almost $233 million.
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