Harvey Norman is Australia’s largest advertiser, with retail and major consumer brands again dominating the top 20 rankings, according to Nielsen’s Biggest Ad Spenders of 2025 report.
A wave of new entrants reshaped the 2025 list, including Westpac, Big W, Stan Entertainment, Budget Direct, Nestle Australia, Allianz, KIA and QANTAS.
Nielsen’s research shows ad investment concentrated in categories where Australians are actively reassessing costs and shopping around, including finance, insurance and retail.
Travel and accommodation also climbed, reflecting strong demand in a crowded environment, as airlines, hotels, tourism bodies and booking platforms increased spend to stay front-of-mind.
“More than ever, where you spend matters as much as how much you spend,” said Rose Lopreiato, Nielsen Ad Intel’s Australia commercial lead.
"With retail still dominating overall investment and faster growth coming through finance, insurance and travel, advertisers need a clear view of the battlegrounds, both the categories pulling the most dollars and the brands increasing pressure."
The top 20 advertisers for 2025:
1. Harvey Norman, 2. Reckitt Benckiser, 3. Amazon.com, 4. Hungry Jack’s, 5. Westpac, 6. McDonald’s, 7. Chemist Warehouse, 8. Commonwealth Bank, 9. Woolworths, 10. Coles, 11. Youi, 12. Big W, 13. Disney, 14. Mondelez International, 15. QANTAS, 16. Stan Entertainment, 17. Budget Direct, 18. Nestle Australia, 19. Allianz, 20. KIA
The most notable movement came from finance and insurance.
Westpac entered the top 20 at number 5, while Commonwealth Bank climbed from 12th to 8th.
Insurance brands also strengthened their presence, with Budget Direct (17) and Allianz (19) entering the Top 20, while Youi rose from 17th to 11th.
Retail remained the market’s dominant ad investor in 2025, attracting $2.312 billion, well ahead of every other category.
Finance ranked second with $756 million, followed by Travel & Accommodation on $684 million.
Top 20 ad categories by investment in 2025
1. Retail: $2.312b, 2. Finance: $756m, 3. Travel & Accommodation: $684m, 4. Communications: $656m, 5. Motor Vehicles: $646m, 6. Entertainment & Leisure: $549m, 7. Insurance: $493m, 8. Food: $407m, 9. Services: $368m, 10. Computers: $348m, 11. Education & Learning: $302m, 12. Real Estate: $265m, 13. Community & Public Service: $264m, 14. Pharmaceutical: $230m, 15. Government: $224m, 16. Appliances (Home & Outdoor): $207m, 17. Clothing & Accessories: $172m, 18. Gambling: $171m, 19. Media: $152m, 20. Toiletries & Cosmetics: $152m
Despite ongoing economic pressures, the spread of investment across the 20 categories shows that brands continued to prioritise advertising, protecting share and maintaining presence.
Finance led the gains, up $123.3 million (+19.5%), while Insurance rose $57.2 million (+13.1%).
Travel & Accommodation also increased $76.5 million (+12.6%), suggesting demand remained strong, but competition for bookings intensified across airlines, accommodation providers, tourism organisations and booking platforms. There was also growth in Computers (+$52.4 million, +17.7%) and Services (+$40.1 million, +12.2%).
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