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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 14, 2014
GROUPM REPORTS SLOW GLOBAL AD RECOVERY IS NOW IN ITS FIFTH YEAR,
ON TRACK TO MATCH 2007 HIGH POINT IN 2015 IN REAL TERMS
This Year, Next Year futures report forecasts global media spend;
Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa pull global advertising back over the line
LONDON AND NEW YORK – GroupM, the leading global media management investment operation of
WPP, issued its biannual This Year, Next Year futures report today, forecasting global advertising
investments will reach $534 billion in 2014, a 4.5% increase over 2013. The company predicts
investments in 2015 rising an additional 5.0% to $560 billion - finally exceeding the pre-crisis peak of
2007/2008 in real terms.
Globally, ad recovery is in fact localized, with 17 markets accounting for 93% of expected ad growth in
2014. Even at its moderate 3.4% rate of ad investment growth this year to $162 billion, the United States
contributes fully one-quarter of incremental ad dollars. China ranks second as it climbs a predicted 9.8%
to $76 billion. Other countries making the cut include Nigeria, Kenya and Vietnam.
“Many companies are still operating with very strong balance sheets,” said Dominic Proctor, President of
GroupM Global. “Coupled with a rising general confidence and a specific comfort around digital
marketing, though notwithstanding some geo-political uncertainty, we are seeing an uplift in some of the
‘older economies’ as well as the new.”
Of marketplace performance, This
Year, Next Year report editor Adam
Smith stated, “Despite the
slowdown in China's general
economy from 2012, its consumer
economy continues to expand.
This, plus intensive digitisation of
advertising, keeps China ad
investment rising at or near double-
digits, with no large print legacy to
correct.”
It is a different story in Western
Europe, where 73% of the regional
economy is in the Eurozone, in
which demand remains suppressed
by debt, internal imbalances and
deflationary politics. In real terms,
the Eurozone remains 20% below
its 2007 advertising peak, and the
hardest-hit 'periphery' of Greece,
Ireland, Spain, Italy and Portugal,
47% below the peak.
Smith added, “Western Europe,
however, is the most-digitised ad
region in the world; though this
2013 2014f 2015f
NORTH AMERICA 168,764 174,391 181,367
yoy % 1.8 3.3 4.0
USA 156,251 161,629 168,338
yoy % 1.8 3.4 4.2
LATIN AMERICA 32,685 35,984 39,112
yoy % 4.3 10.1 8.7
WESTERN EUROPE 106,688 107,934 110,156
yoy % -0.5 1.2 2.1
CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE 18,881 19,760 20,588
yoy % 5.3 4.7 4.2
ASIA PACIFIC 165,361 175,912 188,428
yoy % 7.4 6.4 7.1
China 69,207 75,979 84,317
yoy % 11.0 9.8 11.0
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA 18,662 19,914 20,709
yoy % 5.4 6.7 4.0
WORLD 511,041 533,895 560,359
yoy % 3.5 4.5 5.0
MEDIA SPEND FORECAST (USD bn)
GroupM This Year, Next Year Worldwide, July 2014
may finally be maturing to judge by digital ad investment growth slowing from double- to high-single digits
in 2014 and 2015.”
Western Europe also has the world's most print-heavy advertising, though here, too, the downward
adjustments to annual advertising investment are moderating from double- to mid-single-digits in 2014
and 2015.
Elsewhere, GroupM notes that some members of its south-east Asia group (Indonesia, Malaysia,
Thailand, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam) face political and economic challenges, and this year will
collectively slip from double- to mid-single digit ad growth.
“This group will still contribute to the global ad recovery, but we are on alert for central banks ‘tightening
into the downturn’ if inflation becomes a problem,” said Smith.
India, Brazil and Russia remain among the faster-growing ad markets, though GroupM warns that its
reduced Russia forecast – from an annual run-rate of 10% to 6% -- depends on no worsening in domestic
affairs.
TOP SOURCES OF MEDIA GROWTH IN 2014
(Selected by share of additional dollars x growth rate)
GroupM This Year, Next Year Worldwide, July 2014
Forecast
% share of
world
Ad
investment
USD bn
uplift USD uplift
growth rate
%
NORTH AMERICA 5,627 25 3.3
USA 5,379 24 3.4
LATIN AMERICA 3,299 14 10.1
Brazil 2,705 12 18.8
Colombia 632 3 13.3
WESTERN EUROPE 1,246 5 1.2
Greece 150 1 10.0
UK 1,285 6 5.4
CENTRAL & EASTERN
EUROPE 879 4 4.7
Russia 557 2 5.9
Turkey 338 1 12.4
ASIA-PACIFIC (All) 10,551 46 6.4
Australia 396 2 3.2
India 805 4 12.5
NORTH ASIA 7,870 34 9.0
China 6,772 30 9.8
Hong Kong 674 3 9.4
ASEAN 707 3 5.5
Indonesia 395 2 19.1
Vietnam 216 1 14.2
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA 1,251 5 6.7
Egypt 83 0 15.0
GCC and Pan Arab 259 1 5.0
Kenya 287 1 26.8
Nigeria 359 2 35.8
TOP QUARTILE 21,292 93 -
WORLD 22,854 100 4.5
This Year, Next Year, is part of GroupM's media and marketing forecasting series drawn from data
supplied by holding company WPP's worldwide resources in advertising, public relations, market
research, and specialist communications.
The full report is available for purchase from the publications section of the GroupM website.
# # #
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MEDIA CONTACT: REPORTS EDITOR:
Cindy Kerber Spellman, GroupM Adam Smith, Futures Director
Office: +1-314-682-2055 Office: +44 20 79 69 40 83
Email: cindy.spellman@groupm.com Email: Adam.smith@groupm.com