Public Health England became the UK’s biggest advertiser during the three months of lockdown, while McDonald’s saw the largest reduction in annual advertising spend (-97%), according to the latest Nielsen Adintel data.
Unilever was the second biggest advertiser, spending £29.4 million, followed by Procter & Gamble with a spend of £27.7 million. Public Health England spent over £43 million, which equated to a yearly increase of 5,037%.
Additional government departments spent a further £15.8m on advertising, representing a 115% increase year-on-year.
Other advertisers that increased their ad spend included eBay (+176%), Walt Disney for Disney+ (+962%), O2 (+65%) and Microsoft (+142%), reflecting the ongoing relevance of their offerings during this period.
Online retail brands spent 19.8% more on advertising overall as consumers ordered from home. However, Amazon had the third biggest decline in ad spend (-77%) with a £22 million fall compared to the same period last year.
Sky had the second largest reduction in year-on-year advertising spend (-60%) from £47 million to £19 million, after wide-scale sporting cancellations caused a £575m plunge in revenue.
Overall, the UK’s lockdown period saw a huge drop in advertising, as lifestyle restrictions and budget concerns led to a 48% drop in spend across cinema, OOH, press, radio and TV, representing more than £1.1 billion.
The categories which represented the largest cuts in ad spend were entertainment and leisure (-£207 million) and travel and transport (-£138 million), with both industries suffering immediate revenue loss due to lockdown restrictions.
Barney Farmer, UK commercial director at Nielsen said: “There was no guidebook on how to navigate advertising during the lockdown period, with customers restricted to home environments and an unclear exit strategy. As a result, we have seen varying approaches to advertising, with some increasing spend while the majority cut back.
“Public Health England ran an effective campaign to encourage lockdown compliance and raise awareness of best health practices, and its incredible increase in spend reflects the importance of advertising as a communication platform for any public or private body. As we transition into a less restricted environment, we expect spend to pick up significantly as brands vie to be front of mind.”
