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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

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