Advertisers in APAC increased digital ad spend in 2022

Source: Nielsen Ad Intel tracks competitive brand level ad activity across the entire media landscape, drilled down across Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan to provide a local-level snapshot of ad investment, total spend, year-on-year growth, and driving factors.  

Key findings

• Investment in advertising in Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan jumped by almost US$55 billion in 2022—an overall increase of 12%. 
• The rise was spearheaded by digital advertising, which grew by a whopping 64% from 2021, followed by outdoor at 19% and TV at 6%. As crowds returned to the movies, cinema advertising also rebounded, growing by 131%, while radio dropped 8%. 
• At a country, rather than channel level, Singapore led the year-on-year increase with growth of 10.17%. Thailand and Malaysia followed closely with growth of 9.12% and 8.05% respectively. 

More from this source:

• Online shopping and gaming led ad spend in Indonesia, which reached $19.2 billion for the year—a 5.02% increase from 2021, with TV, internet, and print media leading the way. Unilever, Mayora, and Valorant were the top three spenders. 
• Philippines' ad spend reached $18.8 billion in 2022, up 3.87%. The personal care and hygiene industry, led by Procter & Gamble and Unilever Philippines dominated the list of top spenders.  
• South Korea's ad spend rose to $8.7 billion in 2022, up by 5.54%. The biggest spenders were tech companies, with Samsung leading the list, followed by LG Electronics and KT Corporation. HiteJinro was the only non-tech company in the top five advertisers.  
• Thailand's ad spend increased by 9.12% in 2022 with FMCG companies topping the list. Unilever, Procter & Gamble, and Nestle were the biggest spenders, helping Thailand’s ad spend grow to $3.6 billion for the year. TV and digital media were the most utilised ad channels, with outdoor and cinema also seeing significant growth.  
• Singapore’s ad spend reached $1.6 billion in 2022—an increase of 10.17%. The highest spend came from social, followed by TV and outdoor. The list of top spenders was dominated by e-commerce and retail brands, with Lazada, NTUC FairPrice, and Amazon leading the pack. 
• Malaysia's ad spend reached $1.5 billion in 2022—a growth of 8.05%. TV, digital, and newspapers had the highest share. Fast food saw the highest growth, increasing 35% as McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut topped the category list.  
• Taiwan's ad spend rose slightly to $900 million in 2022, with TV being the most prominent medium. Health food topped the list of categories, with Procter & Gamble Home Products, Suntory Wellness Taiwan, and Standard Foods among the biggest spenders.