The research house projected spending in the world's developed markets of the US and Europe will rise only slightly in the July to December months.
This would offset a first-half decline to yield zero growth for these markets.
However, spending in emerging countries - including China, which is one of the fastest growing economies - will put on another 10 per cent this year.
The net effect, it noted, is that the global advertising spend will climb two per cent from 2001.
Ian Garland, managing director of product marketing and development for Nielsen Media Research International, said: "We found that ad spending in the emerging markets was surprisingly buoyant, led by a sizeable increase in China.
"These markets shrugged off the effects of September 11, which significantly dampened ad spending in the West, and actually grew at their most robust rate in the final quarter of last year."
China, Garland added, has emerged as a major global force in advertising, moving from 10th place in 2000 to third, equal with Germany and Britain, behind the US and Japan.
