Menulog topped the digital ad spend league in the six months to June, according to data from the marketing intelligence platform Pathmatics.
Eugene Du Plessis, regional director ANZ at Pathmatics & Sensor Tower said: “The first half of 2022 has flown by, bringing with it a flurry of cultural and economic changes.
“This has correlated in key peaks and troughs in digital ad spend as brands had to adapt to the ongoing changes in consumer behaviour relating to these societal events.”
The top 10:
Menulog took the top spot with the majority of spend within the first few months of the year as fear of the new Omicron COVID variant was high and consumers flocked to online food orders.
Menulog spend peaked in February and March before dropping to its lowest point in April. Spend started to increase again in May and June although still remained significantly lower than earlier in the year
Foxtel streaming platforms such as Binge and Kayo took home the second spot, seeing the highest investment in digital advertising in May.
Streamotion targeting the mass of customers looking for alternative streaming platforms, following the news that Netflix was losing high volumes of long-term subscribers.
Sensor Tower data reinforces this trend, with Binge & Kayo featuring as the best performing streaming app in the entertainment category in terms of revenue in Australia over the past year.
Shopify was the third highest spender throughout the period at a time when ‘the great resignation’ sentiment was high, with many Aussies looking to leave their jobs and pursue a side hustle or start their own business.
Shopify's spend in H1 was high throughout the first few months of the year with spend progressively dropping from March until the lowest point in June.
With economic pressures mounting and many Aussie consumers feeling the pinch on their purse strings, financial services was the top category, spending an estimated total of $137M in H1.
Spikes in ad spend can be seen in May and June as interest rate rises were announced. Ad messaging centred around financial support for consumers who may be struggling to navigate the aftershocks of these rake hikes.
The Victorian government also saw considerable digital ad spend at the start of the year with just under $4M spent in January.
Advertising was predominantly focused on COVID messaging, so as covid messaging became less of a priority throughout the year, spend progressively dropped, with its lowest point in June.
Eugene Du Plessis, said: “As we buckle in for the second half of the year, Pathmatics will continue to track key events and corresponding ad trends, lifting the lid on which industries and brands are spending big.”
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