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2024 annual summary

Swiss Advertising Market

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!

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Jahresrésumé 2022

December well below previous year

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for December.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for November.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

October slightly down on previous year

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for October.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

September sees a new high for the year

September sees a new high for the year

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for September.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Highlights in August 2024

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for August.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Annual review 2023 Advertising Market Trend July 2024 Factsheet Media

Highlights in July 2024

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for July.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Annual review 2023 Advertising Market Trend June 2024 Factsheet Media

Highlights in June 2024

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.

Media Mix

Media mix for June.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Annual review 2023 Advertising Market Trend May 2024 Factsheet Media

Highlights in May 2024

The “traditional” advertising market has been sitting around the CHF 350 million mark since March. The Swiss advertising market rose by a further 1.4% compared to April, and closed the month at CHF 352.0 million in advertising pressure. The advertising pressure for the first five months of the year was CHF 1,589.0 million. Although the advertising market in May was a little down on the previous year’s figure (-2.4%), it is slightly up YTD (+2.4%).

This boost in the media mix is primarily being driven by out-of-home advertising. Please note that the data from the marketer Livesystems is currently only available for 2024 (2023 is planned to be reintegrated along with the June data). Without taking Livesystems into account, the advertising market dropped by -4.2% in May and grew by +0.1% over the year as a whole.

It is clear that, apart from out-of-home advertising, all the other “traditional” media categories saw a decline in gross advertising revenue compared to the previous year. As in April, cinema fared the worst (-22%), closely followed by print with a drop of -11%. Radio (-4%) and TV (-2%) saw losses in the low single digits compared to the previous year.

In May, all media groups were left facing a decline in comparison to last year’s figures. In percentage terms, cinema fell the most (-22.4%), followed by print (-11.0%), radio (-3.7%) and TV (-2.5%). Out-of-home was the sole category in the black – both with (+11.0%) and without (+3.3%) Livesystems.

Search engine advertising took a bigger piece of the digital advertising pie, growing by 5 percentage points to reach 70%. At 23%, display advertising managed to hold on to second place, despite a slight decrease compared with last year (-4%), while YouTube was in close pursuit with a 9% jump.

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 May 2024 in CHF million gross.

Low growth in individual sectors

Thirteen sectors saw growth in April – but just 8 out of 21 sectors enjoyed positive development in May compared to the previous year. The biggest upswing was generated by the cleaning (+73.8%) and cosmetics & toiletries (+60.5%) sectors, followed by construction, industry & furnishings (+14.9%), beverages (+10.9%), and leisure, gastronomy & tourism (+10.1%). The other three sectors recorded growth in the low single-digit range.

A decline in 13 sectors

All told, 13 sectors experienced negative growth compared to the previous year. Tobacco (-25.4%) and initiatives & campaigns (-24.0%) were the hardest hit. The remaining 11 sectors shrank by between -2.6% (energy) and -17.5% (retail and media).

Sector ranking

Sector ranking in May.

Top advertisers and products

The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in May.

Media Mix

Media mix for May.


Advertising pressure in the digital market

Advertising pressure development up to May 2024 in CHF million gross.

Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison

The retail sector did very well in the “traditional” and digital markets alike during April and May, taking second place in both. It even tops the leaderboard for the digital market YTD. The finance and leisure, gastronomy & tourism sectors are hot on its heels, taking second and third place in the digital market. These two sectors were also on a strong footing in the “traditional” market, occupying positions six and four respectively.

The food sector took first place in the “traditional” market, while the construction, industry & furnishings sector is in third place YTD. The pair have each fallen one place in the digital market rankings since April and are now 11th and 6th respectively.

The cleaning sector is similarly performing better in the “traditional” market: it holds 16th place here, but is bringing up the rear in the digital space.

Sector ranking

Sector ranking in May.

Top digital products

The most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in May.

The products “taten-statt-worte.ch” and “temu.com” took the top two spots for display advertising. As in April, “TikTok mobile app” topped the table for YouTube, followed by “temu.com”. For search, “sunrise.ch” was in the lead (as in April), then “zurich.ch”.

The only product to make it into the top ten across all three media groups was the Chinese e-commerce heavyweight “temu.com”. “temu.com” took second place for display and YouTube, and eighth place for search.

Media Mix

Media mix for May.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Annual review 2023 Advertising Market Trend April 2024 Factsheet Media

Highlights in April 2024

In April, the “traditional” advertising market recorded gross advertising pressure of CHF 346.5 million, a decline of 1.1 percent on the strong figures for March.  Compared to last year, however, it rose by 5.2 percent.

This increase can mainly be explained by the out-of-home media group, which recorded significant growth of 20 percent compared to last year. Please note that the data for Livesystems is currently only available for 2024. The increase in out-of-home advertising without Livesystems was +6.0 percent. The “traditional” advertising market without Livesystems rose by just 2.3 percent.

Figures for the TV (+2%) and print markets (+1%) were stable, with only a marginal increase on last year. Cinema, however, recorded a sharp fall of 13 percent compared with last year. Radio (-4%) also declined.

Display and YouTube both recorded a 7 percent increase in April compared to last year. The display figure was 27 percent, with YouTube accounting for 7.8 percent of the digital advertising market. Although search engine advertising fell by 7 percent compared to last year, it continued to lead the pack, with 65.2 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 traditional market

Advertising pressure development in the traditional market in April 2024 in CHF million gross.

Tobacco products rose sharply

The tobacco products and cleaning sectors achieved the biggest increases in April, recording growth of 200.1 percent and 133.4 percent respectively. Other sectors such as personal care (+68.0%), cosmetics and toiletries (+48.3%) leisure, gastronomy and tourism (+46.8%) and transport (+32.1%) also rose compared to last year.

Just 8 sectors decline

The digital & household (-21.3%) sector performed the worst compared to last year, followed by the retail (-15.0%), food (-13.6%) vehicles (-11.8%) and fashion & sport (-8.4%) sectors. Services (-7.9%), construction, industry and furnishings (-2.0%) and events (-1.3%) declined the least.

Sector ranking in the traditional market

Top of the month

The top advertisers and most advertised products and services (excluding range, image and other advertising) in April.

Media Mix Traditional

Media mix for April 2024.


Advertising pressure in the digital market

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 development in the digital market in April 2024 in CHF million gross.

Sector ranking: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison

The retail sector achieved an excellent ranking in both the “traditional” and digital market, taking second place in the “traditional” advertising market and topping the digital ranking, followed by finance and leisure, gastronomy and tourism in second and third place. These two sectors were also relatively well placed in the “traditional” market, occupying positions seven and four respectively. In the “traditional” market, food finished first and construction, industry and furnishings in third, but only took tenth and fifth place respectively in the digital market.

The vehicles and pharmaceuticals & health sectors were in sixth and ninth place in the “traditional” market, while finishing ninth and 11th in the digital market, and thus both occupying the center ground.

The energy and cleaning sectors finished bottom in the “traditional” and digital markets respectively, although cleaning maintained 16th place in the “traditional” market. Tobacco products finished second to last in both sector rankings.

Industry ranking in the digital market

Industry ranking by share of advertising (SoA) as at April 2024.

Top products

The most advertised products in the Search, Display and YouTube segments in April.

In the display channel, Temu.com and Tex Mex Snacks claimed the first two spots, while TikTok Mobile App and Disney+ achieved this ranking in the YouTube channel, as did sunrise.ch and booking.com in the search channel.

Three digital products appeared in more than one media group. Disney+ finished bottom in display, but took second place in YouTube as mentioned above. The display front runner, Temu.com, claimed ninth place in search. Meanwhile, Migros Cumulus Card finished seventh in display and ninth in YouTube.

Media Mix Digital

Media mix for the month of April.

Contact: mediafocus@mediafocus.ch, Tel.: +41 43 322 27 50

Annual review 2023 Advertising Market Trend March 2024 Factsheet Media