Schonfeld & Associates, Inc. has released its annual Advertising Ratios & Budgets report for fiscal 2024, analyzing advertising spending and revenue data from over 2,500 publicly traded companies across 315 industries. The report offers crucial insights for marketers and advertisers looking to understand industry-specific ad spend trends, budget allocations, and growth trajectories.
Key Insights and Industry Highlights
- Comprehensive Data Coverage
- Analysis based on 10-K filings to the U.S. SEC
- Includes ad spending, revenue, gross profit, and advertising ratios for 2023 and 2024
- Annual growth rates in ad spend and sales by company and industry
- Top Spending Industries & Companies
- Catalog and mail-order houses led with over $49 billion in ad spend, a 9% revenue increase
- Amazon dominated company spending with $43 billion on advertising
- Variety stores, including Walmart, increased ad budgets by 16% to $7.2 billion
- Technology & Social Media Platforms
- Tech giants Alphabet and Meta spent over $18 billion, up 12%, with 15%+ revenue growth
- Significant investments reflect ongoing reliance on social media advertising
- Pharmaceutical Advertising Trends
- Industry ad spend topped $15 billion, a 6% increase
- Shift towards social media platforms aligns with broader industry trends
- Travel and Transportation Services
- Companies like Expedia increased ad spend by over 6%, with revenues up 9%
- Reflects return to pre-pandemic travel levels
- Telecommunications
- Telecomm providers maintained $6.8 billion in ad budgets
- Cellular phone services, led by T-Mobile, boosted ad spend by 22%, reaching $3.2 billion
- Food, Beverage, and Restaurant Industries
- Large food companies spent $3 billion (+2.5%)
- Beverage industry increased spend by 4% to over $11 billion
- Restaurant chains raised advertising budgets by 12%, with sales growth of 8%
Applications of the Advertising Ratios & Budgets Report
- Strategic planning for ad agencies and marketers
- Competitor benchmarking and ad budget planning
- Identifying new business opportunities and sales prospects
- Media space and time sales optimization
- Development of new media vehicles by publishers and broadcasters
Additional Resources
- Report available in 155-page PDF for $395
- Excel datafiles include five years of financial and advertising data for in-depth analysis
- 2025 edition with updated Excel files available for $495
- Contact Schonfeld & Associates for purchase and inquiries
Schonfeld & Associates’ annual Advertising Ratios & Budgets study remains an essential tool for understanding advertising expenditure trends and strategic media planning across industries. The 2024 data highlights how digital transformation, evolving consumer behaviors, and industry-specific shifts continue to shape advertising investments.
