Top American Advertising Verticals, Q3 2012 [CHART]

Chart - Top American Advertising Verticals

US ad spend grew 7% year-over-year in Q3, finds Nielsen, basing its analysis on spending across TV, magazine, newspaper, radio, outdoor, FSI coupon, and internet display media. The automotive sector shelled out $2.7 billion for the quarter, a 26% year-over-year increase, and more than double the outlay of the next-largest spenders, quick service restaurants ($1 billion; up 14%), and automotive dealerships ($1 billion; up 22%).

Nielsen attributes the overall growth to the Summer Olympic Games and US presidential election, and it appears that TV was a prime beneficiary of that spend. In fact, political advertising on TV grew to such an extent in Q3 that many non-political media buyers were waiting until after the election to resume their TV campaigns. The latest figures from Nielsen, as reported by Adweek, assign some numbers to TV’s big third quarter. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.