Nielsen Ad Intel, one of Australia’s ad spend monitoring services, has unveiled its 2024 Advertising Spend Report, highlighting the nation’s biggest advertisers, the dominant sectors, and significant market trends that shaped the past year.
Retail, food, and telecommunications continued to lead in media investment, while financial institutions and automotive brands posted notable increases in spending.
Australia’s top 20 advertisers 2024.
Australia’s top 20 advertisers for 2024
- Harvey Norman
- McDonald’s
- Woolworths
- Amazon.com
- Reckitt Benckiser
- Hungry Jack’s
- Chemist Warehouse
- Toyota
- Coles
- KFC
- Telstra
- Commonwealth Bank
- Optus
- Disney
- Mondelez International
- Mitsubishi
- Youi
- Uber
- Apple
- ANZ
Industry leaders weigh in
Monique Perry, Nielsen Pacific MD, said, “The Ad Intel spend data for 2024 is pretty telling – marketers aren’t just relying on advertising, they’re pushing it, because they know it works. They know it’s still the best and most economical way of forging lasting connections between brands and consumers. The key is top-tier data. It’s crucial if they want to get the edge on their competition. Nielsen’s extensive data suite has become essential for any brand, agency, advertiser, or marketer focused on using data to stay ahead of the curve, or more importantly, their competition.”
Rose Lopreiato, Nielsen Ad Intel’s Pacific commercial lead, added, “Retail remains the powerhouse of ad spend, outpacing all other sectors, but automotive also continues to grow. In an increasingly competitive market, these insights are essential as advertisers refine their strategies and allocate budgets more effectively. Nielsen Ad Intel remains the industry benchmark for tracking advertising investment trends, and gives the clearest, most actionable insights into Australia’s dynamic ad market.”
Australia’s top ad categories 2024.
Advertising categories with the highest investment in 2024
Despite economic pressures, Australian advertisers continued to commit substantial budgets across various sectors. The top-spending categories were:
- Retail: $2.53 billion
- Motor Vehicles: $676.5 million
- Communications: $663.8 million
- Finance: $632.7 million
- Travel & Accommodation: $607.5 million
- Entertainment & Leisure: $537.1 million
- Insurance: $435.8 million
- Food: $409.9 million
- Services: $327.9 million
- Education & Learning: $304.7 million
Top 5 sectors with the highest year-on-year growth
From 2023 to 2024, ad spend saw an upward trend across multiple industries. The finance sector led with a 10% increase, followed by utilities with a 5% rise. The motor vehicle sector recorded a 4% increase, while both travel & accommodation and government advertising grew by 2%.
The government sector is projected to see further growth in 2025, with election-related advertising ramping up for the federal and Western Australia elections.
Top 5 YoY growth sectors.