Lidl was the biggest spender on advertising in December, increasing its spend by 60% compared to the same month in 2012, according to the latest Nielsen Christmas Review.
Lidl increased its press spend by 57% and its TV spend by 60%, to claim the highest share of voice in the period, ahead of Tesco, which increased its spend by 23% year-on-year (Press +10%, TV +77%).
Dunnes had the third highest share of voice, despite decreasing its spend slightly (-2%) since last year, followed by Aldi (-5%) and SuperValu (+33%).
Overall, supermarkets increased their press spend by 17.6% year-on-year, and TV spend by 23.1%. Press spend was twice as big as TV spend in the period.
While total media spend was actually down -4.2%, and FMCG manufacturer media spend was down -6.0%, supermarket ad spend was up 18%, reflective of the competitive nature of the marketplace.
The study also looked at category performance and indicated a mixed performance among seasonal categories, with Greetings Cards (+10%) and Chocolate & Sweets (+1.4%) showing growth, while Toys (-14%) and Champagne (-20%) displayed lower value sales. There was a switch from fresh to frozen poultry, with Frozen Poultry sales rising 123%, while Fresh Poultry sales fell by 18%.
Notably, the study also looked at the impact that the 'veg wars' in the run up to Christmas had on fresh produce sales, with value sales of Vegetables down -32% in the period. Some categories were more affected than others: Brussels Sprouts fell by -53.8%, Potatoes were down -35.7%, Carrots were down -30% and Onions were down -15.6%.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
