Stable pre-Christmas high – decline much more moderate than in the previous year

In November, the traditional advertising market recorded gross advertising pressure of CHF 407.5 million, 1.5 percent below the previous year. Compared with October, the market was largely stable and remains at a comparable level. Year-on-year, the decline is therefore much more moderate than it was in November 2024, when the drop was 4.0 percent compared to November 2023.

Cumulatively, traditional advertising pressure from January to November amounted to CHF 3,560.4 million, 2.2 percent lower than 2024. The YTD balance thus remains largely stable compared to the previous month.

With regard to media, the month-on-month comparison presented a mixed picture: radio (+3.1%) and out-of-home (+0.6%) once again increased year-on-year, while TV remained stable and closed at exactly the same level as the previous year (0.0%). Print (-5.2%) and cinema (-15.0%) continued to decline year-on-year – even though November was the month with the highest advertising pressure so far this year for both media categories. Compared with the previous year, the recovery in radio and TV was particularly striking, after both media categories were under significant pressure in November 2024.

The digital advertising market reached CHF 268.9 million in November, up 37.8 percent on the previous year. Compared with October, digital advertising pressure fell slightly, but remained at a high level. The cumulative digital market up to November stood at CHF 1,839.5 million (-7.1% YTD).

Looking ahead to December, it remains unclear whether Christmas sales will be able to provide further impetus at the end of the year and how the market will position itself overall in the final month.

*The traditional advertising market and the digital channels (search, YouTube, display) are shown separately to enable better comparability with the previous year. Fluctuations in online recording can be exacerbated by external influences – in particular, by technical updates undertaken by major platforms such as Google or YouTube. This applies in particular to search, which sees regular changes that may affect the ability to compare gross advertising pressure with the previous year.

---

Advertising pressure in the market as a whole

Advertising pressure development up to November 2025 in CHF million gross.

Increases in pre-Christmas spending in several sectors

In November 2025, several sectors showed clear year-on-year increases.

The most significant increase was recorded in the tobacco sector, with an increase of 115.6 percent compared to the previous year. Also strong were the media sector (+24.6%), beverages (+23.4%) and personal care (+17.7%), which significantly expanded their advertising activity in November.

Telecommunications was also one of the clear winners of the month and, thanks to Black Friday, saw significant growth both compared to October (CHF 21.6 million compared to CHF 10.5 million) and compared to the previous year (+16.1%). Construction, industry & furnishings came next with an increase of 13.0 percent.

Moderate but stable increases were seen in food (+6.5%), pharmaceuticals & health (+3.4%), fashion & sport (+2.4%) and leisure, gastronomy & tourism (+2.0%). Overall, the number of growing sectors is higher than in November 2024, when fewer than half of the sectors showed positive signs.

Declines in several high-volume sectors

On the other hand, several sectors experienced significant year-on-year declines in November – including several high-volume segments.

Initiatives & campaigns was the most affected, with a decline of 22.0 percent. Cosmetics & toiletries (-9.6%), retail (-8.9%) and vehicles (-15.9%) were also significantly lower than the previous year. Despite continued high volumes, retail remained slightly below the level of the previous month and the previous year.

Other declines were recorded in services (-10.4%), digital & household (-12.8%) and the financial sector (-5.3%), which showed no sustained recovery in November.

The energy, media and tobacco sectors remained at the bottom of the ranking.

Sector ranking

Sector ranking for 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

Development of advertising pressure up to November 2025 in CHF million gross.

*The traditional advertising market and the digital channels (search, YouTube, display) are shown separately to enable better comparability with the previous year. Fluctuations in online recording can be exacerbated by external influences – in particular, by technical updates undertaken by major platforms such as Google or YouTube. This applies in particular to search, which sees regular changes that may affect the ability to compare gross advertising pressure with the previous year.

Sector ranking YTD: traditional vs. digital channels in comparison

A look at 2025 so far reveals continuing clear differences between the traditional and digital advertising markets. In both segments, retail and the financial sector were once again among the sectors with the highest volumes as at the end of November. While the food sector continues to play a key role in the top three in the traditional market, the digital ranking is once again led by leisure, gastronomy & tourism, which accounts for a significant proportion of total digital advertising pressure.

The automotive industry has consistently taken a position towards the top of the ranking in both markets, thus confirming its stable presence throughout the year. A similar picture emerges in the middle of the rankings: sectors such as services, digital & household, telecommunications, fashion & sports, pharmaceuticals & health and beverages have comparable positions in both the traditional and digital markets and show no significant shifts compared to previous months.

At the lower end of the rankings, the pattern also remains largely unchanged. In the traditional market, media, energy and tobacco continue to occupy the last places. In the digital market, energy, tobacco and cleaning are once again at the bottom. Overall, this confirms a high degree of continuity in the sector distribution across both market segments in November.

Sector ranking

Sector ranking for November.

Top digital products

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

November once again saw a strongly dynamic digital advertising market: the top positions in the individual channels shifted from the previous month in some cases, while individual products confirmed their strong presence.

Migros mobile subscriptions and alao.ch top the rankings for display. These are followed by a wide range of different providers, including Switzerland Tourism, Brack.ch, Zattoo.ch and Cornertrader.ch. Overall, the ranking is highly fragmented and characterized by a mix of telecommunications, retail, tourism and digital services.

On YouTube, Red Bull took first place, leading the monthly ranking. Also prominent are ZYN tobacco-free nicotine pouches and the animated film Zootopia 2. The top end of the table is rounded out by the striking presence of entertainment and gaming titles such as Donkey Kong Bananza and Super Mario Galaxy, as well as established brands from the FMCG and retail sectors such as Cailler chocolate bars, Digitec.ch and McDonald’s restaurants.

Booking.com remains the clear leader in search in November, maintaining its leading position by a considerable margin. It is followed by Comparis.ch and other travel-oriented platforms such as Skyscanner.ch, Opodo.ch, Trivago.ch and eDreams.ch. The top ranking is rounded off by insurance and financial providers such as AXA.ch, Zurich.ch and Credit-now.ch, which also posted significant search volumes.

Overall, the digital market was once again broadly based in November: while display and YouTube were shaped by a diverse mix of telecommunications, retail, FMCG and entertainment, search remained clearly dominated by travel and insurance.

Media Mix

Media mix for November.

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