Advertising market in September slightly down on previous year
Advertising Market Trend
September 2025
After two months of positive development, in September the traditional advertising market declined once more. With gross advertising pressure of CHF 376.7 million, it came in -4.2% lower than the same month in the previous year. As a result, the market is losing some of the upward momentum it gained in July and August.
The traditional advertising market so far this year comes to CHF 2,747.3 million gross, 2.5% lower than the previous year (2024) in a YTD comparison.
The media groups presented a lackluster picture in September. Radio is the only group that maintained its growth, with +3.6%. All other media groups recorded declines: print was most affected at -7.2%, followed by cinema (-6.4%), out-of-home (-6.0%) and TV (-1.1%).
Digital advertising pressure in September was significantly higher than in the previous year, with search as the driver. That channel posted a clearly positive result, while display (-3.5%) and YouTube (-3.8%) recorded slight declines.*
*The traditional advertising market and the digital channels (search, YouTube, display) are shown separately to enable better comparability with the previous year. Fluctuations in online recording can be exacerbated by external influences – in particular, by technical updates undertaken by major platforms such as Google or YouTube. This applies in particular to search, which sees regular changes that may affect the ability to compare gross advertising pressure with the previous year.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to September 2025 in CHF million gross.
Fewer than half of sectors with strong showings
Overall, only eight out of 21 sectors were able to escape the negative trend in September. Retail is still at the top in the YTD comparison, posting growth of 14.4%, but is surpassed by the food industry (CHF 44.5 million) in terms of September spending (CHF 35.0 million). In percentage terms, the media sector recorded the most significant growth, while still ranking in the bottom third. Other winners included tobacco (+35.2%), digital & household (+17.0%), services (+14.4%) and events (+7.8%).
Automotive sector slumps
In September, 13 sectors recorded declines. The biggest losers were the automotive sector (-27.8%), public transportation (-19.9%) and fashion & sport (-19.4%). Although the finance and telecommunications sectors also recorded declines (-6.9% and -0.5%, respectively), they are still above the previous year’s level in cumulative terms. Initiatives & campaigns (-1.4%) and beverages (-0.9%) also narrowly fell into negative territory.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking for September.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in September.
Media Mix
Media mix for September.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Development of advertising pressure up to September 2025 in CHF million gross.
*The traditional advertising market and the digital channels (search, YouTube, display) are shown separately to enable better comparability with the previous year. Fluctuations in online recording can be exacerbated by external influences – in particular, by technical updates undertaken by major platforms such as Google or YouTube. This applies in particular to search, which sees regular changes that may affect the ability to compare gross advertising pressure with the previous year.
Sector ranking YTD: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
Retail and the finance sector remain in the top three in both markets. In the digital market, the leisure, gastronomy & tourism sector is at the top, with a share of 19.4%. In the traditional market, the food sector rounds off the podium – behind the previously mentioned retail and ahead of the finance sector. The automotive sector holds its own in the top third of both markets.
Furthermore, the following sectors are in the middle of the two markets: pharmaceuticals & health, cosmetics & toiletries, fashion & sport and beverages.
At the bottom of the rankings, there was no change compared to the previous month.
In the traditional market, media, energy and tobacco came in last place, while in the digital market, energy, tobacco products and cleaning occupy the bottom spots.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking for September.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in September.
In the display segment, the Schweizer Obstverband (Swiss Fruit Association) took the top spot in September, while booking.com has been the undisputed leader in search since the beginning of the year, and the game Super Mario Party Jamboree was ranked first on YouTube after being in mid-field last month.
As in the previous month, Kaex Basic held second place in display, while ZYN tobacco-free nicotine pouches took second on YouTube. In search, Trivago.ch moved from third to second place, pushing Comparis.ch back to fourth place. Pepsi Zero and Temu.com have also switched places on YouTube: Temu.com is now in third place, followed by the sugar-free soft drink.
No product or service was able to stay in the top 10 in several channels in September.
Media Mix
Media mix for September.
Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50
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