NEW YORK: Spending on Spanish-language and African-American media was more stable last year than the overall ad market, according to Nielsen. The overall market was down 9 percent, while Spanish-language media spending declined just 4.7 percent and African-American media spending was down 7.3 percent.
Spanish-language media generated $5.4 billion in 2009, down almost $270 million from the previous year. The slide was paced by significant declines in national magazine and local newspaper advertising, which were down 38 percent and 25 percent respectively, Nielsen said. The print drop was offset by a 32 percent increase in cable TV spending. Nineteen of 20 top Spanish-language media buyers increased their ad spend last year. Spot TV was the top platform of choice with $1.4 billion in ad sales, down 10 percent from 2008.
The 7.3 percent decline in African-American media saw was led by a 72 percent decrease in network TV and 32 percent in national magazines. Cable spending jumped 35 percent on increases from the top 20 advertisers. Spot was again on top among African-American media, with $748 million, down 10 percent from 2008.
Fast-food restaurants comprised the top product category for both segments, with $335 million toward Spanish-language media and $87 million toward African-American media. McDonald’s was the top advertiser in the category for both segments. Automotive was in both segments, though down 39 percent in Spanish-language and 18 percent in African-American media.
The category with the most growth among Spanish-language’s top 10 was satellite TV providers, which logged a 77 percent increase in spending. Insurance companies showed the most growth among the top 10 African-American media spenders. General and car insurance categories increased 29 and 24 percent, respectively. Movies showed similar growth, increasing its spend 24 percent to $72 million.
