Hungary’s advertising market expanded 8.6pc to almost HUF 599bn in 2008, TNS Media Intelligence said on Tuesday.
Advertising spending, calculated based on list prices, rose more than 10pc in Q1-Q3, but stagnated in Q4 because of the global financial crisis.
On the services market, advertising spending fell more than 6pc to HUF 35bn in 2008 because of a cut in expenditures by budget-funded institutions and a 35pc drop in spending for employment notices.
Advertising spending by travel and tourism companies climbed 18pc to HUF 15bn in 2008. In Q4, however, spending by the sector dropped a sharp 25pc from the same period a year earlier.
Food companies spent HUF 79bn on advertising in 2008, 13pc more than in 2007. In Q4, spending rose 19pc.
Telecommunications companies spent HUF 54bn on ads in 2008, 4pc more than in 2007. Q4 ad expenditures rose 8pc. Of Hungary’s three mobile services companies, T-Mobile’s ad spending rose 8pc to HUF 11.6bn, Vodafone’s fell 3pc to HUF 8.8bn and Pannon’s dropped 4pc to HUF 10.7bn.
Banks and insurers’ ad spending climbed 15pc to almost HUF 68bn. But spending was up just 11pc in Q4. OTP Bank’s spending fell 4pc for the year, but was up 19pc in Q4 because of a personal loan campaign.
Spending on transportation ads — almost entirely car ads — inched up 1pc to HUF 49bn, but dropped 6pc in Q4.
Drinks makers’ ad spending fell 2pc to HUF 26bn, but plunged 22pc in Q4.
Spending by Hungary’s biggest advertisers rose over the average.
Among the biggest spenders was Magyar Danone, which bought HUF 8.5bn of ads in 2008, 29pc more than in 2007. State lottery company Szerencsejatek spent HUF 6bn on ads in 2008, 19pc more than in 2007, but its Q4 spending jumped 94pc.