Strong signals that the region is well on its way to economic
recovery have been further boosted by results of the 1999 adex review
for the Thai and Singapore markets.
According to figures supplied by the Advertising Association of Thailand
and ACNielsen, both Thailand and the Lion City rebounded in 1999 from
negative growth the previous year.
Thailand saw its annual advertising spend soar by nine per cent, while
Singapore saw a more modest increase of nearly three per cent.
However, in Singapore, adex growth was recorded only in the final
quarter of 1999 - the first three quarters of the year saw slumps of 5.3
per cent, 5.1 per cent and one per cent respectively.
A large part of the increased advertising activity in Singapore came
from dotcom companies rushing to establish themselves and gain market
share.
According to analysis by Optimum Media Direction, most of the spend by
these dotcom newcomers went into television and print.
In Thailand, meanwhile, cinema (up 48 per cent), radio (+21 per cent)
and press (+39 per cent) were the biggest winners in the media share
battle, as advertisers looked to find cheaper alternatives to TV, which
grew just three per cent.
