The Swiss advertising market closed out February 2025 with “traditional” media once again in the red. The year-on-year drop was less stark in February than it was in January, but, at CHF 255.8 gross, traditional advertising pressure was still 3.6% under the value recorded for the same month last year.
All media groups except out-of-home (+8.7%) recorded lower figures for February 2025 than for February 2024. Nevertheless, the ranking within the media mix remains unchanged: TV first, followed by print, then out-of-home, radio and cinema.
After two months, the traditional advertising market has gross advertising pressure of CHF 517.3 million, a drop of 4.8% compared to 2024.
In the digital advertising market, search has retained its lead with a share of 45.4%, despite Google’s major changes and the associated drop in advertising pressure (see the section on information about digital data). It is followed by display advertising, with 35.5%, then YouTube, with 19.1%.While the results for search and display are lower than in the previous year, YouTube continues to grow.
Information on digital data:
Search: optimization and Google’s tweaks
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, Google has updated its security processes. In February, too, this meant that search ads were harder to find. As a result, advertising pressure in January and February was lower than usual.
We expect to see valid data from March onward. Initial analyses are indicating a high level of stability, although the gross advertising volume is lower than the previous year’s figure.
YouTube – sector-specific evaluation
With the finalization of the February data, we are introducing a sector-specific evaluation of YouTube data to provide an even more precise depiction of advertising pressure. The evaluation will be adjusted retroactively to January 2024 to ensure comparability with the previous year.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to February 2025 in CHF million gross.
Retail pulls ahead
Just 7 out of 21 sectors in the traditional advertising market were able to escape the overarching downward trend. Once again, retail was the undisputed leader of the pack, recording gross advertising pressure of CHF 33.8 million, or growth of +32.0%, in February, and pulling even further ahead of subsequent contenders YTD.
The telecommunications industry also performed well, at +15.6%. Positive trends were additionally seen in the finance (+13.6%), telecommunications (+15.6%) and energy sectors, the latter once again experiencing a hefty boost of +38.4%. Digital & household (+14.9%), personal care (+40.1%) and the cleaning industry (+24.2%) once again made gains in February, compared to the same month in the previous year.
Downward trends in 14 sectors
The result for the tobacco industry is a clear reflection of the impact of the tighter advertising ban: at -84.3%, the industry is very much bringing up the rear. That said, sectors towards the top of the leaderboard are in the red, too. The chasing pack, led by food (-8.5%), leisure, gastronomy and tourism (-24.7 %) and initiatives & campaigns (-12.7%) lost ground in February, with the advertising pressure recorded by other industries, such as pharmaceuticals & health (-17.2%) and transportation (-39.6%), also sometimes dropping substantially in the second month of the year.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking for February.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in February.
Media mix
Media mix for February.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Development of advertising pressure up to February 2025 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
The leisure, gastronomy and tourism sector is in pole position in the digital advertising market for the year to date (YTD), although it only recorded the second-highest gross advertising expenditure in February. These industries take third place in the traditional market. In the digital market, retail (2nd place) and finance (3rd place) are the other medalists on the podium. While retail is in the lead in the traditional market, finance, in 5th place, just manages to squeeze into the top third.
Pharmaceuticals & health, telecommunications and beverages are in the middle of the table for both channels.
The tobacco, events and cleaning sectors are languishing at the bottom of the digital market, although tobacco and cleaning are the only sectors to have made headway compared to the previous year. In the traditional market, tobacco is in last place (as mentioned above), with the energy, media and transportation sectors just ahead of it.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking for February.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in February.
The wireless carrier spusu.ch took first place in the display sector, while booking.com was top of the search rankings and the Audi A6 e-tron was at the top of the YouTube list. TUI Holidays made it into the top half of the top 10 for display, with tui.ch in the bottom half of the top 10 for search.
The gross advertising pressure for the D-A-CH region amounts to 44.4 billion euros in 2024, representing an increase of 4.4% compared to the previous year.
Germany is the main driver of growth with +5.0%.
Austria records an increase of +4.9%.
Switzerland, on the other hand, remains almost stable at -0.6%.
Top Companies
The advertising landscape continues to be dominated by major FMCG and retail companies:
Procter & Gamble remains one of the largest advertisers in all three countries.
XXXLutz continues to lead in Austria.
Henkel increases significantly and reaches 4th place in Germany and Switzerland.
In Switzerland, retailers Coop and Migros continue to dominate as the most important advertisers.
In Germany and Austria, several retailers are also among the top 5.
Media Mix
The media mix shows clear dynamics:
TV remains the leading medium overall.
Out of Home grows the most (+10.8%) and is becoming increasingly relevant.
Display advertising grows significantly (+6.1%).
Print advertising declines sharply in Switzerland (-5.5%) but sees a slight increase in Germany (+1.2%) and Austria (+1.0%).
Advertising Pressure Per Capita
Germany remains the country with the lowest per capita advertising expenditure: €428.
Austria reaches €467.
Switzerland leads with €505 per capita.
Conclusion
The advertising market in the D-A-CH region shows an overall growth of 4.4% in 2024, driven by online advertising and Out of Home.
Germany and Austria experience comparable growth, with TV remaining particularly dominant in Germany. Switzerland faces a slight decline (-0.6%), mainly due to the continued drop in print advertising.
Find more detailed insights in the full publication!
In 2024, total advertising pressure in the traditional and digital media groups was CHF 6.12 billion – 1% higher than the previous year.
However, the traditional Swiss advertising market was slightly down on the previous year at -0.9%, ending 2024 with gross advertising pressure of CHF 3.96 billion. Following a strong first quarter (+2.7%), the Swiss advertising market lost momentum. While the second quarter managed minimal growth of 0.1% compared to the previous year, the third quarter went into the negative for the first time (-0.9%) – despite the Euro 2024 championship in Germany and the Summer Olympics in Paris. The fourth quarter consolidated this downward trend with a decline of -4.1%.
While there are still deliveries outstanding for the fourth quarter in the areas of out-of-home and cinema, they will have little impact on the overall dynamic and will not be sufficient to reverse the negative trend. Nonetheless, in 2024 these were the only media groups to increase in comparison to 2023. Out-of-home advertising came in 4.9% higher than the previous year, cinema advertising 4.4%.
In contrast with the traditional advertising market, the digital advertising market furthered its ascent, closing at CHF 2.1 billion – an increase of 4.6%. Search retained its dominance, with a share of 66% (CHF 1,403 million), followed by display advertising with a share of 25.7% (CHF 547 million), while YouTube represented the smallest segment with 8.2% (CHF 175.1 million).
A look at the media mix of the traditional media groups in 2024 also reveals out-of-home to be a clear winner. This media group managed to once again expand its share by 1.3 percentage points – largely at the cost of print advertising, which lost 1.4 percentage points. TV experienced a minimal increase of 0.1 percentage points, whereas the other media groups remained stable.
While TV advertising volumes increased by a significant 11% compared to the previous year in the first half of the year and 6% in the second, TV advertising pressure proved much weaker. In the first half of the year it rose by just 3%, and in the second half it actually fell by 4%.
The split between display, search and YouTube remained largely stable. YouTube saw the highest percentage growth, with +9%, followed by search with 5.5% and display with a moderate increase of +1%.
Retailers and FMCG brands dominate the top 20
The top three advertisers remained unchanged, and appear to be carved in stone. Coop and Migros maintained their leading positions with SoA of 25.3% and 14.7% respectively, although both recorded slight decreases of -5% and -7% respectively. On the other hand, Procter & Gamble increased sharply (+50%) and reduced the gap between it and the two market leaders, but remained fixed in third place.
A look at the rest of the top 20 reveals some interesting developments. Henkel experienced the strongest percentage growth with an impressive +79% and took fourth place. McDonald’s rose by 52% and climbed to fifth place, while Möbel Pfister saw record growth of +39% and the highest climb up the ranks, landing at number 18. On the other hand, Ferrero experienced a sharp decline of -31%, falling from fourth place to eighth. L’Oréal also recorded a considerable decline of -30%, and slipped from fifth place to 10th.
Overall, retailers and FMCG brands continue to dominate the rankings, underscoring their major significance in the Swiss advertising market. The considerable shifts within the top 20 compared with the previous year reflect the dynamism of the market. Continuous monitoring of market trends and competitors remains the key to recognizing opportunities early on and responding to them strategically.
To judge by advertisers, the following products were a must for every Swiss household in 2024: Pampers diapers and Vicks Vaporub led the charge, followed by McDonald’s Switzerland Mobile App and the evergreen favorite Lindt Lindor pralines. According to the advertising market, Barilla Al Bronzo pasta and Delonghi automatic coffee machines belong in every Swiss kitchen. Happy memories are best captured on an Apple iPhone 16 Pro and immortalized in a CEWE photo book. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro was also the most advertised new product in 2024. Mr. and Mrs. Swiss Consumer glowed with Nivea Luminous630 3-in-1 CC Fluid and grazed on Thomy Mayo Truffle, the next two products in the list. For fun and relaxation there were Super Mario Party Jamboree and the Rituals The Ritual of Sakura Set, while the Febreze plug-in freshener is apparently just the thing to clear the air at home after a raclette evening with Raccard IP Suisse cheese.
Retailers maintained their command of the digital advertising market, led by Migros and Coop, who continue to set the pace in display ads. Lidl and Aldi helped consolidate the dominance of retailers, who made up four of the top 10. Established Swiss brands such as UBS, Swisscom and the Post also staked out top positions. The rankings also welcomed a new international player – Temu (Whaleco UK Limited).
On YouTube, entertainment companies continue to dominate, led by TikTok, followed by Nestlé and Warner Bros.. Temu managed a surprisingly strong showing in fourth place, ahead of Beiersdorf. Coop also made the top 10, along with Lidl and Henkel. L’Oréal and The Walt Disney Company complete the rankings.
As a pull rather than a push medium, search continues to reflect the varied interests of the Swiss population. Travel platforms such as booking.com, ab-in-den-urlaub.ch and migros-ferien.ch dominate the top positions, underscoring the great relevance of travel products. A telecommunications provider also numbered among the top performers, with sunrise.ch taking third place, while the insurers Axa.ch and Zurich.ch further consolidated their positions in the rankings. Comparis.ch, the leading price comparison portal, confirmed the growing demand for transparency and cost awareness. There was ample evidence of competition among the e-commerce advertisers; Swiss retailer Brack.ch held on to sixth place, closely followed by the global giants temu.com and amazon.de in ninth and 10th place, respectively. These two retailers have made further inroads into the Swiss market and are competing for the attention of customers – a clear indication of the price war in this segment.
Automotive sector still under pressure in 2024
In 2024, the automotive sector recorded a decline of -9.9% in the classic advertising market , taking two steps back to seventh place. Many vehicle makes are cutting out print (-21.4%) and out-of-home (-18.3%) in particular.
By contrast, there was a significant upswing in the leisure, gastronomy and tourism sector, which recorded growth of +18.9%, finishing one spot higher at sixth place. The energy sector also saw particularly strong growth, and although it remained in 20th place, it managed a significant increase of +36.3% – the second-highest percentage growth recorded. The winners also included the cleaning sector, which grew by +46.3% and climbed two places to reach 16th place.
This was contrasted by the digital & household sector, which fell one position to 14th place, a drop of -13.5%, representing the sharpest decline. Services slipped one position to 12th place with -10.1%. Media, energy and tobacco products remained the poorest performers.
Contrasts between the traditional and digital advertising markets
A look at the online presence of the different sectors reveals clear shifts. The telecommunications sector, which came in at 15th place in traditional advertising, managed a stronger showing in digital – sixth place in display, ninth place in YouTube and as high as fifth place for search. It was a similar story for cosmetics and toiletries – eighth in traditional advertising – which managed an impressive second place on YouTube.
Top place for YouTube ads went to food, also the leading sector in the traditional advertising market. However, this didn’t apply to the display or search channels, where it came in at sixth and 15th place, respectively. Retail, second place in the traditional market, also performed well in digital, particularly in display advertising (first place).
The finance sector, fourth in traditional advertising, remained impressive in digital rankings – second place in display, first for search, and third for YouTube – confirming its lead in the digital advertising market.
Summary and outlook
Overall, 2024 closed slightly ahead (+1.0%) and reached a market volume of CHF 6.12 billion.
Traditional media (overall) failed to grow (-0.9%) – despite Euro 2024 and the Olympics. The exceptions were out-of-home (+4.9%) and cinema (+4.4%), which saw moderate increases. Digital media – particularly display, search and YouTube – increased once again, recording a plus of 4.6% compared to 2023. There was particularly strong growth for Google Search (+5.5%) and YouTube (+9.0%).
The increasing discrepancy between traditional and digital advertising shows that advertising strategies require greater flexibility than ever to adapt to new conditions. At the same time, digital advertising platforms are opening the door to the Swiss market for foreign e-commerce suppliers like Temu and Amazon, which is further stoking competition.
Weaker performance in the fourth quarter also offers cause for speculation. Did advertisers shift their budgets to 2025 to ride out global uncertainties such as the US elections and economic developments? The coming months will reveal how brands respond to these challenges.
Regulatory intervention – such as the new ban on tobacco advertising and debates around out-of-home advertising – will also impact the market in 2025. In a tightening regulatory environment, companies will need to find creative ways of positioning their messages. At the same time, the digital advertising market is advancing development of innovations and technologies such as AI, which will bring new potential and a further shift in advertising spend.
And for Media Focus, precision will remain our number one priority in 2025, and we will be aiming for utmost accuracy in gross advertising revenues – particularly in digital media. We already introduced key optimizations in 2024, particularly with search and YouTube.
In 2025, Media Focus will be going one step further: for the first time, we will offer transparent figures and comparisons for advertising activity on social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. These new insights will enable advertisers to configure their campaigns based on data and offer them a clearer view of the digital market.
Overall, 2025 will be another year of great challenges and opportunities!
The “traditional” advertising market closed out the year with gross advertising pressure of CHF 355 million in December, putting it 5.8% down on the previous year’s figure. This was a striking drop of 14% compared to the month prior.
All told, annual advertising pressure YTD is sitting at CHF 3,995.3 million gross, just 0.9% below the previous year’s level.
None of the traditional media groups posted growth compared to the previous year. The sharpest decline was in cinema (-10.3%)*, followed by TV (-6.7%) and print (-5.5%). The media groups radio (-5.2%) and out-of-home* (-4.4%) also experienced downward momentum.
* There are still deliveries outstanding in the areas of out-of-home and cinema for the fourth quarter, although this will have little impact on the overall trend.
Results for digital media were mixed. While YouTube increased compared to the previous year, search and display declined.
For a more detailed analysis of the market as a whole, take a look at our 2024 annual summary.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to December 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in December.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in December.
Media Mix
Media mix for December.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Advertising pressure development up to December 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in December.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in December.
Advertising pressure reaches its Christmas peak, albeit at a lower level than last year
Highlights in November 2024
The “traditional” advertising market closed out November with gross advertising pressure of CHF 412.8 million, putting it 4.0 percent down on the previous year’s figure. However, this was a minimal increase of 1.0 percent compared to the month prior.
As a result, the Christmas peak was unable to halt the downward trend which started in August 2024. All told, annual advertising pressure YTD is sitting at CHF 3,639.1 million gross, now just under the previous year’s level by 0.4 percent.
Out-of-home (once again including Livesystems for 2023 and 2024 since the half-year results) is the only one of the traditional media groups in the black compared to last year, with an increase of 2 percent. All other media groups recorded declines, the biggest of which was experienced by radio, with a drop of 14 percent. TV and print both fell by 5 percent, followed by cinema, which declined by 2 percent.
Trends across digital media are mixed. Display has declined compared to the previous year, while YouTube and search have increased.
From 2024, we will be reporting the traditional advertising market and digital channels (search, YouTube, display) separately to ensure better comparability to the previous year. Volatility in recording in the online sector, due to external influences such as adjustments made by Google, can lead to larger fluctuations throughout the year. In the search sector in particular there were numerous adjustments and changes made by Google in the last half of the year, which made comparing gross advertising spending with the previous year difficult.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to November 2024 in CHF million gross.
Fewer than half of sectors saw improvements
The food sector tops the table YTD, but comes in second in November, overtaken by retail. The cleaning sector (+33.3%) is in the bottom third of the leaderboard but has seen the strongest percentage growth compared to the previous year. It is closely followed by initiatives & campaigns, with an uptick of 29.2 percent. Apart from the sectors mentioned above, leisure, gastronomy & tourism, fashion & sport, media and energy recorded positive growth compared to the previous year.
Decline in 13 sectors
In November, a total of 13 sectors posted declines on the previous year. This is particularly noticeable in the tobacco industry in the wake of the implementation of stricter restrictions on tobacco advertising in October of this year. Personal care (-35.4%) and beverages (-21.3%) also plummeted. Other sectors similarly experienced a decline, albeit to a lesser extent; they include digital & household (-17.9%) and pharmaceuticals & health (-17.7%).
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in November.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in November.
Media Mix
Media mix for November.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Advertising pressure development up to November 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
In the digital market, the finance sector occupies the top spot both YTD and in November. As was the case last month, retail and leisure, gastronomy & tourism make up the rest of the top three, again both in terms of YTD ranking and in November. The food, retail and initiatives & campaigns sectors represent the top three in the “traditional” market for this month. As a result, retail takes second place in both channels. In the digital market, food and initiatives & campaigns only managed to achieve middling positions (10th and 13th place respectively).
For both rankings, energy, tobacco, media and cleaning finish in the bottom third. In the digital market, energy is third from bottom, tobacco one below and cleaning in last place. In the “traditional” market, tobacco is rock bottom, while energy is one place higher and media third from bottom. Just like in the digital market, the same sectors as in the last two months find themselves at the bottom of the table.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in November.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in November.
alao.ch tops the table for display, while Chinese discount phenomenon TEMU.com takes the lead for YouTube and booking.com for search. No product or service managed to break into the top 10 for more than one channel.
The “traditional” advertising market closed out October at CHF 408.4 million, putting it 3.0 percent down on the previous year’s figure. However, this was a minimal increase of 5.4 percent compared to the month prior.
All told, annual advertising pressure YTD is sitting at CHF 3’226.4 gross, a slight 0.1 percent up on the previous year’s figure.
Of the “traditional” media groups, only cinema (+21%) posted growth on the year before. The out-of-home media group (following the half-year results this once again includes Livesystems for 2023 and 2024) is largely unchanged on the previous year. The radio, TV and print media groups all recorded a decline. This was steepest for radio at -7 percent, followed by print (-5%) and TV (-4%).
Trends across digital media are neutral to positive. While display remains at the previous year’s level, YouTube and search managed to grow.
From 2024, we will be reporting the traditional advertising market and digital channels (search, YouTube, display) separately to ensure better comparability to the previous year. Volatility in recording in the online sector, due to external influences such as adjustments made by Google, can lead to larger fluctuations throughout the year. In the search sector in particular there were numerous adjustments and changes made by Google in the last half of the year, which made comparing gross advertising spending with the previous year difficult.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to October 2024 in CHF million gross.
Just over half of sectors saw improvements
The food sector remains in first place both in its YTD ranking and in the October ranking, posting an increase of 5.0 percent in October. The sector to record the greatest percentage growth was telecommunications, at 40.4 percent. The leisure, gastronomy and tourism, cleaning and finance sectors are also well in the black. The finance sector is in fourth place YTD, but made it up to the second spot in the October ranking.
Decline in 10 sectors
In October, a total of ten sectors posted declines on the previous year. This was particularly pronounced for tobacco (-43.2%), vehicles (-39.6%) and beverages (-23.0%). Other sectors also recorded negative year-on-year performances, including public transport at -19.6 percent and personal care at -7.5 percent. Retail is down almost 10 percent (-9.7%), putting it in third place behind the finance sector.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in October.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in October.
Media Mix
Media mix for October.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Advertising pressure development up to October 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
In the digital market, the finance sector occupies top spot both YTD and in October. Retail and leisure, gastronomy and tourism make up the rest of the top three, again both in terms of YTD ranking and in October. The food, finance and retail sectors lead the way in the “traditional” market. In the digital market, the food sector only finishes in the middle of the pack, in 10th place. Leisure, gastronomy and tourism, on the other hand, have maintained their position in the top third in the “traditional” market.
For both rankings, energy, tobacco, media and cleaning finish in the bottom third. In the digital market, energy is third from bottom, tobacco one below and cleaning in last place. In the “traditional” market, tobacco is rock bottom, while energy is one place higher and media third from bottom. Just like in the digital market, the same sectors as last month find themselves at the bottom of the table.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in October.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in October.
Active Fitness tops the table for display, while Le Gruyère Hart- & Schnittkäse is in pole position for YouTube and ab-in-den-urlaub.ch is in first place for search. No product or service managed to break into the top 10 for more than one channel.
The “traditional” advertising market closed out September at CHF 387.5 million, putting it 3.1 percent down on the previous year’s figure. However, this was a striking increase of 53.1 percent compared to the month prior. The summer low is officially over.
All told, annual advertising pressure YTD is sitting at CHF 2,811.6 million gross, slightly higher than the previous year’s level by 0.4 percent.
In terms of “traditional” media groups, only cinema and out-of-home (this once again includes Livesystems for 2023 and 2024 following the half-year results) achieved increases compared to the previous year. This was particularly notable for cinema, with its increase of 64 percent, compared to 9 percent for out-of-home. By contrast, declines were recorded in radio, TV and print. Radio had the smallest decrease at 3 percent, while TV dropped by 6 percent and print 10 percent.
In the digital media space, the trends are positive across the board. While display and YouTube only managed slight increases of 3 percent each, search recorded growth of 26 percent.
From 2024, we will be reporting the traditional advertising market and digital channels (search, YouTube, display) separately to ensure better comparability to the previous year. Volatility in recording in the online sector, due to external influences such as adjustments made by Google, can lead to larger fluctuations throughout the year. In the search sector in particular there were numerous adjustments and changes made by Google in the last half of the year, which made comparing gross advertising spending with the previous year difficult.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to September 2024 in CHF million gross.
Only seven sectors rose
The food sector remains at the top of the leaderboard YTD and also takes the top spot for September, even though all six of the other sectors achieved bigger increases in percentage terms compared to the previous year. The largest of these was a 92.3 percent uptick for the energy sector. The other sectors on the up are telecommunications, cleaning, public transport and personal care.
Decline in 14 sectors
All told, 14 sectors saw a decline in September compared to the previous year. While tobacco (-75.1%) and beverages (-23.2%) fell the most, other sectors – such as media (-16.5%), finance (-16.1%) and digital & household (-13.0%) – were also down on the previous year’s figure.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in 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
Advertising pressure development up to September 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
Retail takes the top slot in the digital market YTD, but only finished third in September.The sectors making it into the top three above retail were finance and leisure, gastronomy & tourism. In the “traditional” market there was no change from the previous month, with the food, retail and initiatives & campaigns sectors taking the top spots. In the digital market, though, food and initiatives & campaigns only managed to achieve middling positions (11th and 13th place respectively).
For both rankings, energy, tobacco, media and cleaning finish in the bottom third. In the digital market, energy is third from last and tobacco is in the penultimate position, while cleaning brings up the rear. This means that nothing has changed in the ranking compared to the previous month. In the “traditional” market, tobacco is in last place, while energy is second to last and media third from last. Just like in the digital market, the same sectors as last month find themselves at the bottom of the table.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in September.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in September.
ALDI Fleisch tops the table for display, while Disney+ takes the lead for YouTube and, for the second month in a row, the top spot for search goes to booking.com. No product or service managed to break into the top 10 for more than one channel.
The “traditional” advertising market closed out August at CHF 249.3 million, putting it 8.3 percent down on the previous year’s figure. However, this was a slight increase of 2.8 percent compared to the month prior: August is battling its way out of the summer slump.
All told, annual advertising pressure YTD is sitting at CHF 2,400.7 gross, just under the previous year’s level by 0.1 percent.
A decline on the previous year is seen across all the “traditional” media groups. Cinema recorded a fall of 35 percent, followed by print media with a downswing of 10 percent and TV with a drop of 8 percent. The lowest reductions in percentage terms are in out-of-home and radio advertising. In August, out-of-home fell by 6 percent (this once again includes Livesystems for 2023 and 2024 following the half-year results) and radio by 3 percent.
The trends are primarily negative in the digital media space, too: display (-11%) and search (-10%) have tumbled compared to the previous year. YouTube, conversely, has grown by 9 percent on the previous year.
From 2024, we will be reporting the traditional advertising market and digital channels (search, YouTube, display) separately to ensure better comparability to the previous year. Volatility in recording in the online sector, due to external influences such as adjustments made by Google, can lead to larger fluctuations throughout the year. In the search sector in particular there were numerous adjustments and changes made by Google in the last half of the year, which made comparing gross advertising spending with the previous year difficult.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to August 2024 in CHF million gross.
Only five sectors rose
While the food sector remains at the top of the leaderboard YTD, it fell behind retail and initiatives & campaigns in August – despite an uptick of 10.1 percent on the previous year. This makes the food sector one of the five areas that increased in August, compared to the previous year. The others include cosmetics & toiletries, cleaning, personal care and energy.
Decline in 16 sectors
All told, 16 sectors saw a decline in August compared to the previous year. While tobacco (-52.8%), media (-38.1%) and vehicles (-37.2%) fell the most, other sectors – such as public transport (-28.5%), telecommunications (-23.8%) and services (-22.8%) – were also in the red.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in August.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in August.
Media Mix
Media mix for August.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Advertising pressure development up to August 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
Retail takes the top slot in the digital market YTD, but only finished third in August. The food, retail and initiatives & campaigns sectors make up the top three in the “traditional” market. In the digital market, though, food and initiatives & campaigns only managed to take 11th and 14th place respectively. The finance, and leisure, gastronomy, tourism sectors are second and third in the digital market, but sixth and fifth in the “traditional” market.
Cosmetics & toiletries, pharmaceuticals & health and telecommunications are in the middle of the table in the digital and traditional markets alike.
The energy and tobacco sectors finished in the bottom third of both market rankings. In the digital market, energy is third from last and tobacco is in the penultimate position, while cleaning brings up the rear. In the “traditional” market, tobacco is in last place, while energy is second to last and media third from last.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in August.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in August.
TEMU.com tops the table for display, while SBB takes the lead for YouTube and booking.com for search. Alongside being well-positioned for display, the Chinese retail platform TEMU.com is also faring well on YouTube, where it took seventh place. Brack.ch was also able to gain a foothold on two channels, finishing seventh for display and ninth for search.
The “traditional” advertising market closed out July at CHF 242.6 million, putting it 5.6 percent up on the previous year’s figure. However, this was a striking drop of 23 percent compared to the month prior: the summer slump has officially begun.
All told, annual advertising pressure YTD was just a fraction – one percent – above the previous year, at CHF 2’151,4 million gross.
In terms of “traditional” media groups, only print (-2%) and cinema (-66%) were behind the previous year’s values. The drop in cinema advertising was due to Barbie and Oppenheimer, the two box office smash hits from last year. The other media groups were in the black, led by radio with an uptick of 21 percent. Out-of-home grew by 12 percent (after the half-year results, this figure once again includes Livesystems for 2023 and 2024) and TV by 7 percent.
In digital media, there was a positive trend in all categories. YouTube rose by 12 percent on the previous year, closely followed by search engine advertising at 11 percent, while display only recorded an increase of 5 percent.
From 2024, we will be reporting the traditional advertising market and digital channels (search, YouTube, display) separately to ensure better comparability to the previous year. Volatility in recording in the online sector, due to external influences such as adjustments made by Google, can lead to larger fluctuations throughout the year. In the search sector in particular there were numerous adjustments and changes made by Google in the last half of the year, which made comparing gross advertising spending with the previous year difficult.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to July 2024 in CHF million gross.
The food sector falls 10 percent
While the food sector remains at the top of the leaderboard YTD, its 9.9 percent drop saw it slip just behind retail in July – a sector that experienced an uptick over the same period (+8.3%). This makes the food industry one of eight sectors to report lower figures in July compared to the same month in the previous year.
Only the energy (-67.9%), tobacco (-49.1%) and media (-28.0%) sectors, home to low advertising pressure, saw double-digit percentage decreases. The decline was kept in check for the events (-4.5%), fashion & sport (-3.1%) and public transport (-2.5%) sectors.
An increase in 13 sectors
All told, 13 sectors saw an increase in July compared to the previous year. This was especially visible in the cosmetics & toiletries (+33.7%), pharmaceuticals & health (+28.6%) and leisure, gastronomy & tourism (+25.8%) industries. However, other sectors also made clear headway, including beverages at 21.0 percent, initiatives & campaigns at 17.2 percent and cleaning at 12.2 percent.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in July.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in July.
Media Mix
Media mix for July.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Advertising pressure development up to July 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
Leisure, gastronomy & tourism takes third place YTD in both markets. The food sector tops the table in the traditional market, followed by retail in second place. Retail even takes the lead in the digital sphere – but finance comes in second, with the food sector pushed down to 11th place. In the “traditional” market, initiatives & campaigns and construction, industry, furnishings come in fourth and fifth, taking 13th and 6th place respectively in the digital space. The services and fashion & sport sectors finish in fourth and fifth place, while these two sectors are to be found in the lower half of the leaderboard in the “traditional” market (12th & 13th place).
The tobacco sector is at the bottom of the table in both markets. It ranks last in the “traditional” market and second to last in the digital market, where the cleaning sector brings up the rear. This sector takes 16th place in the “traditional” market. Energy is in the penultimate spot here and third from last in the digital market.
Pharmaceuticals & health, cosmetics & toiletries and telecommunications are in the middle of the table in both markets.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in July.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in July.
The #WIRSINDZUKUNFT campaign leads the pack in the display space, while the TikTok mobile app takes pole position for YouTube. Temu.com comes in second in both markets: this Chinese retail platform has maintained a spot in the top three for display and YouTube since May. In terms of search, booking.com takes the lead, followed by sunrise.ch.
The “traditional” advertising market closed June with gross advertising pressure of CHF 315 million, in the red for the third time this year (-2.8%). At CHF 1.9 billion gross, the Swiss advertising market in the first half of 2024 was roughly on par with the previous year (+0.2%).
With the exception of print (-5.8%), all media groups grew, led by cinema (+14.6%), out-of-home (+6.3%) (once again including live systems for 2023 and 2024 since the half-year results), radio (+4.2%) and TV (+1.3%). The latter media group benefited last month from the European Football Championship (June: +7.1%). However, this could not stop the decline in June (-2.8%), mainly due to print media, which posted a deficit of 12%, and out-of-home, which was in the red for the first time this year (-2.7%). While cinema (0.5%) remained stable compared to last year, radio (+2.9%) and TV (+7.1%) increased.
A comparison with the previous month clearly shows the beginning of the summer slump (-10.5%). Nevertheless, advertising pressure in the second quarter was CHF 1.014 billion, up from CHF 885.5 million in the first quarter.
In digital media, there was a positive trend in all categories. While display and YouTube grew by only six and twelve percent respectively, search engine advertising grew by 51 percent (more keywords).
From 2024, we will be reporting the traditional advertising market and digital channels (search, YouTube, display) separately to ensure better comparability to the previous year. Volatility in recording in the online sector, due to external influences such as adjustments made by Google, can lead to larger fluctuations throughout the year. In the search sector in particular there were numerous adjustments and changes made by Google in the last half of the year, which made comparing gross advertising spending with the previous year difficult.
Advertising pressure in the market as a whole
Advertising pressure development up to June 2024 in CHF million gross.
Decline in a slight majority of sector
Slightly more than half of all sectors posted decline in June compared to the previous year. The media sector experienced the largest percentage decline at -39.3%. This was followed by transportation (-27.3%) and initiatives & campaigns (-22.9%). Construction, industry, furnishings (-4.4%) recorded the smallest decline, followed by food (-5.5%).
An increase in 10 sectors
In total, ten sectors recorded positive growth in June compared to the previous year. The strongest increase was recorded by the energy sector, which is subject to little advertising pressure, with a rise of 129.8%. Cosmetics & toiletries (+45.3%) and leisure, gastronomy, tourism (+27.8%) followed at a considerable distance. While digital & household (+1.6%), automotive (+3.6%) and beverages (+8.3%) recorded a slight increase, pharmaceuticals & health remained at the same level as the previous year.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in June.
Top advertisers and products
The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in June.
Media Mix
Media mix for June.
Advertising pressure in the digital market
Advertising pressure development up to June 2024 in CHF million gross.
Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison
In the “traditional” market, the food sector is in first place, while in the digital market it is in eleventh place. Retail is first in the digital market and second in the “traditional” market, meaning that this sector is very strong in both markets. The leisure, gastronomy, tourism sector ranks third in the digital market and fourth in the “traditional” market. In third place is construction, industry, furnishings, which ranks sixth in the digital market.
The tobacco sector is at the bottom of the table in both markets. It ranks at the bottom in the “traditional” market and second to last in the digital market. There, the cleaning sector is at the bottom of the table. Energy is second to last in the “traditional” market and 19th in the digital market.
Digital & household, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals & health are in the middle of the table in both markets.
Sector ranking
Sector ranking in June.
Top digital products
The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in June.
In the display sector, UBS Sponsoring and the Swisslos Euromillions lottery lead the way. These products are not in the top ten for the other two channels. On YouTube, the TikTok mobile app and the Audi Q6 e-tron eletric SUV are at the top. Neither of these products can be found on the other channels. In search, hostpoint.ch and sunrise.ch top the list. As with the display and YouTube channels, these products are not in the top ten of the other channels.
TEMU.com was the only product that made it onto two channels. It ranks third on both the display and YouTube channels.
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