Features

China’s Online Advertising Driven by Automotive, Computer, and FMCG Industries

By Priya George

Nielsen//NetRatings has published the first results from its newly launched AdRelevance online ad tracking service in China. Results show the country’s computer, automotive and FMCG industries investing heavily in online advertising, and a dramatic growth in overall spend.

AdRelevance, already available in the US, fourteen European markets and Australia, but new to Asia, provides information on who is advertising online, which sites campaigns are running on, the creative campaign content and an estimate of online expenditures for online display advertising.

The Internet offers huge potential for ads in China, with 82.6% of users describing it as their main information channel. NetRatings began monitoring in May 2006, scanning more than 200 sites, and estimates China’s total online display ad spend for the quarter to 31st July as CNY 1.5 billion (USD 190m), close to the equivalent total spend on Magazine advertising in the country (c.CNY 1.9bn according to Nielsen Media Research).

Even during the three-month period, rapid growth is apparent. AdRelevance says that in May, 587 online display advertisers ran nearly 1500 campaigns consisting of over 3700 banners; by July, the equivalent figures were 817 (up 39%), 2276 campaigns (up 34%) and 5785 banners (up 55%).

The big online advertising spenders were in the automotive, computer and electronics and FMCG industries, jointly responsible for almost 60% of the quarter’s ad spend.

In July 2006, the overall top advertiser by number of ad impressions and ad spend was China Mobile. In the automotive industry, Nissan was the number 1 advertiser, while Founder ranked at the top in the computer and electrical category and Coca-Cola topped the list of online display advertisers in FMCG.



Thus AdRelevance service estimates China’s total online display advertising expenditure between May and July 2006 at a whopping USD 190 million. Mr Forrest Didier, Managing Director, Nielsen//NetRatings Asia Pacific and Latin America, comments, “After a very successful introduction of AdRelevance in the Asia Pacific region earlier this year in Australia, we are confident that the launch of this service in China will provide online players in and outside the country with the information needed to plan and evaluate their online ad sales and investments. We are strongly committed to growing this standard throughout the region and will announce the launch of AdRelevance in Japan shortly”.