Which brands strengthened their commitment to TV advertising during the pandemic?

A total of 619 UK advertisers increased their TV spend in 2020, despite the economic pressure caused by the pandemic, and many of those have continued to increase spending in 2021. 

Why it matters

While some advertisers came off air during the pandemic, others were able to maintain their usual level of TV exposure at a much lower level of investment as the price of TV dropped. But many also chose to take advantage of the value on offer to increase their TV exposure, a smart tactic since marketing theory says that ESOV (extra share of voice) leads to market share growth.

Takeaways 

• Thinkbox, the marketing body for commercial TV, reports that 142 advertisers increased their TV spend by over £1m in 2020; 89% of those have continued to increase TV spend in 2021.
• In total, advertisers who increased their TV investment invested an extra £590m in TV in 2020 on top of what they spent in 2019.
• Consumer goods company Unilever led the way increasing TV spend in 2020 by 131% (+£66m) to £116m, followed by eBay, up 117% (+£12m) to £22m, EE, up 67% (+£9m) to £23m, Samsung, up 41% (+£9m) to £30m, and Tesco, up 23% (+£6m) to £34m.
• For 2021, Nielsen data shows Unilever invested £59m more in TV (+142%) during the first nine months compared to the same period in 2019; other brands increasing TV spend over the same period include Tesco (up £9m, +69%); O2 (up £9m, +112%); GoCompare (up £4m, +25%); and Zoopla (up £5m, +194%).
• The recent Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report predicts the total TV advertising market will be up by 22.9% in 2021, more than reversing the 11.8% overall decline in 2020.

Sourced from Thinkbox, Advertising Association, WARC