Total investment in advertising in print, radio, online and outdoor media was at EUR 284 million, in rate card prices, in the first half of 2014, according to data from Romania’s Transmedia Audit Bureau (BRAT).

Advertising volumes increased by about 3 percent compared to the first six months of 2013, but were 6 percent down compared to the second half of last year.

Print media took some 36 percent of the total advertising volume, radio also got 36 percent, while online got 19 percent and outdoor – 9 percent. Print and radio publicity volumes increased compared to the first six months of 2013, while online and outdoor saw declines.

Some 7,000 brands promoted themselves through the four media segments, down 8 percent compared to the first six months of 2013.

The largest publicity volumes (in rate card terms) came from the retail, pharmaceutical and telecom sector, followed by business services and auto. These five sectors had more than half of the total publicity spending for the analyzed period. Pharmaceuticals and retail also had the highest increases in publicity spending.

While retail and pharmaceutical companies preferred radio and print advertising, business services providers and auto companies had most of their publicity volumes online. For telecom, the distribution is even on the four media.

The largest ten publicity clients accounted for one third of the total volume of publicity in the first half of the year. Pharmaceutical company Zdrovit was the largest spender, in rate card terms, with 9 percent of the total, retailer Lidl came second, with 6 percent, and telecom companies Orange and Vodafone shared third place with about 3 percent each. The fifth largest spender was internet adds portal tocmai.ro. Other large spenders were retailer Carrefour, Procter&Gamble and Ford Romania.

The full report, in Romanian, can be found here.

editor@romania-insider.com