BIA Advisory Services has decreased its 2022 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast estimate to $167.4 billion, from its original estimate of $173.3 billion issued in December 2021. Blowback from overseas conflicts, continuing supply chain issues and deep cuts in ad spending from large verticals like automotive precipitated the reduction.
“The year didn’t start as strong as we had anticipated, making for a difficult first two quarters as some expected advertising spend started to retract,” said Mark Fratrik, SVP and Chief Economist. “On the one hand, personal income continues to rise, but the cost of consumer goods, rising gas prices and inflation are having a major impact and we believe that will influence how advertisers will choose to use their ad dollars in the coming months. All of that must be weighed against what we see as positives for local advertising this year.”
Positives for the ad market still include an anticipated strong political ad year, the expansion of online gambling local advertising and consumer spending on leisure and recreational activities.
“We are seeing the economy play out in local advertising. For instance, people saved money during the pandemic and now, are enjoying different areas in the leisure and recreational verticals. People are spending on vacations and activities, and even going back to the gym. In all these areas, including political, we increased local advertising expectations,” said Nicole Ovadia, BIA’s VP Forecasting & Analysis. “For businesses that have a direct reliance on supply chains, we have lowered expectations and will continue to monitor the situation throughout the summer fully expecting we may have to revise our estimates because the economy is in such a state of flux.”
Examining the biggest changes in the top spending sub-verticals, the updated 2022 forecast reveals key shifts that reflect the supply chain situation, trends in consumer spending and a strong political year. From original 2022 estimates, top changes in the forecast reveal:
-Tier 1 – Automotive Manufacturers (OEMs) has been adjusted down -17.6 percent to $3.9 billion (was $4.7 billion). Overall, for the entire automotive industry, BIA lowered the updated ad estimates by $1.4B for a total of $12.4B. That still indicates some growth from 2021, 5.5 percent, but significantly down from original estimates.
-Leisure areas like Airport, Cruises, and Other Travel; Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers; and Museums, Historical Sites, and other venues are all experiencing significant growth in ad spending from last year to this year. Pent-up demand for travel and entertainment are driving growth in these areas but may be tempered by late summer due to inflation and other economic concerns.
-Local political advertising spending was raised to $8.6B with local television getting a large share of the spend.
The latest forecast estimate still gives traditional media ad revenue a slight advantage over digital at 52.5 percent of the ad spend ($87.9B), while digital media will get 47.5 percent of the ad spend at $79.5B. Overall, BIA is decreasing digital estimates slightly from the original 2022 forecast due to mobile facing headwinds amid new privacy measures on iPhones. Additionally, there has been slower than anticipated growth. Even as both digital channels continue to grow, it’s at a reduced pace than originally expected.
