Newspaper ad sales hit record €287m

AN increase of 13.5% in spend pushed advertising in national newspapers to a record €287 million in 2004.

Figures released by the National Newspapers of Ireland (NNI) shows that €145m of the €287 million total spend was invested in brand advertising by agencies, with the remaining €142.1m coming from direct advertising such as classified, property, recruitment, local retail and planning.

NNI chairman Gavin O'Reilly said these figures confirmed yet another excellent year for newspaper advertising.

"The simple fact that advertising revenues have shot up at the same time that newspaper readership has grown and at a time when publishers have consistently improved their product offering is no coincidence. Newspapers have become more commercial, innovative and creative in every aspect of their business, and advertisers are responding very positively to that," he outlined.

Irish Examiner chief executive, Tom Murphy said the increase in advertising spend comes in the wake of excellent readership and circulation increases. "The Irish Examiner maintains its dominance of the Munster market and is experiencing significant growth in full priced circulation sales, up 1.8%, and readership up 7%, as revealed in recent industry surveys. Our award-winning team of ground-breaking journalists have ensured that we continue to grow in all markets," he said.

"The Irish Examiner continues to invest significant sums in product development which enable us to continue to provide an excellent medium for advertisers to reach their target audiences," he added.

The national league table of agency spend was headed by Aegis Media who won the NNI No. 1 Agency Award for 2004. Aegis spent a total of €16.1 million on newspaper advertising putting them top of the table for the first time.

Mindshare / Mediaedgecia (Group M) came second in the league table, with a total spend of €13.1 million. This represented an increase of €4.5 million over last year, a 52.5% increase in spend was enough to earn them the NNI award for Highest Increase in Spend.

Third in the league table was Brindley Advertising, showing remarkable consistency to record a spend of €12.5 million. Brindley Advertising held second spot in 2003.

The NNI award for Highest Percentage Increase in Spend went to Euro RSCG Riley, a rising star of the agency scene, whose 2004 spend grew by 236%, up €1.24m.

Other strong performers in 2004 were Starcom Mediavest Group, AF O'Meara, Southern Advertising, Initiative Media, GT Media, AFA O'Meara, Mediacom, Shanley Media and TMP Worldwide.