Credit: Jacob Hawk via Unsplash
Ad spend, as measured by media agency bookings, hit a record level over the first four months of 2025.
Guideline SMI recorded total investment up 4.1% over the same period last year, at least partly due to federal election advertising activity.
The result was aided by a 3.4% increase in ad spend for the month of April, buoyed by an extra $49 million in national poll advertising.
Without the political advertising, underlying spend for the month was so far down 3.8%.
"Across the four months of 2025 we’re now reporting a record level of ad spend with total ad investment up $11 million from the last record period in 2022,’’ said Guideline SMI APAC managing director Jane Ractliffe.
“Obviously much of that is due to the extra spending from the Political Party/industry Association/Unions category ahead of the Federal election in early May, but even with that extra $49 million removed total calendar year ad spend is still 2.2% above that achieved at the same time last year.’’
The April data is the sixth month in a row of higher year-on-year ad spend in the Australian ad market.
“Total ad spend for the calendar year is now only $25 million below the 2022 record high, but the overall market uncertainty has meant some of those extra bookings have come through after the month end and for that reason we also expect the underlying demand for April to also further improve,” Ractliffe said.
Ad spend for the ten months of the financial year is also in record territory, up 2.4% on the same period a year, and $150 million above the same period in the 2021-22 financial year.
The stronger April market delivered record ad spend for outdoor and digital media.
Radio’s April total was the second highest since the post-COVID boom of 2022.
Metropolitan TV remained the largest sector this month, up 4.2%, as it was the largest beneficiary of political party ad spend.
Regional media also reported higher demand mostly due to political party ad spend (regional TV +4.2%, regional radio + 12.2% - and community radio + 178% - and regional press ad sales grew 10%).
But the higher demand was not all election-related with strong increases in demand also coming from communications advertisers (+24.7%), insurance (+7.1%) and banking advertisers (+9.6%).
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.