Ad spending up, but big budget for painkiller a sign of the times
There may be no better proof that Hong Kong people are an acutely stressed-out lot than a surge in advertising for Panadol.
Advertising spending for Panadol, the popular over-the-counter pain reliever, rose 34 per cent year on year to HK$45.17 million in the first quarter to rank it seventh among the 10 top-spending brands in the city, according to data from market research firm admanGo.
'This is the first time for Panadol, a brand with [pharmaceutical firm] GlaxoSmithKline, to be a top-10 advertiser,' Jennifer Ma, the director of sales and marketing at admanGo, said.
Ma pointed out that half of the brand's advertising budget went to campaigns for Panadol Extra Cold and Flu pills.
That would be targeted at people who felt under the weather as winter changed to spring.
Advertising spending in Hong Kong grew steadily in the first quarter to increase 15 per cent year on year to HK$7.72 billion, lifted by positive consumer confidence, according to admanGo.
Among the media categories, television channels and newspapers received the major share of that spending with 37.37 per cent and 30.36 per cent, respectively. Magazines had 13.19 per cent share, while outdoor advertising took 10.66 per cent. The so-called interactive category for internet and mobile campaigns generated 4.39 per cent share and radio 4.03 per cent.
With combined advertising campaigns worth HK$1.99 billion, the three top-spending sectors last quarter were banking and investment services, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, and cosmetics and skincare.
HSBC remained the top-spending brand last quarter, with an 11 percent year on year increase in campaigns to HK$62.47 million.
Singapore-based DBS Bank, however, emerged as the most aggressive brand as it boosted spending 173 per cent to HK$53.32 million, placing fifth from No 43 a year earlier.
Ma said advertising spending by the property sector steadily picked up during the first quarter since recording only HK$16 million worth of campaigns in December. The drop came after the government last November 19 launched regulations that restricted transactions of residential properties.
Advertising by property firms returned to pre-regulation levels in March, when total first-quarter spending reached HK$86.26 million. Their top-three advertisers were Henderson Land Development, Chinachem Group and Cheung Kong with combined spending of HK$37.33 million.
Bank's pitch
DBS Bank was the most aggressive brand, boosting its advertising budget outlay by: 173%
