Kantar Media’s recent analysis reveals that the 100 largest business-to-business advertisers spent an estimated $4.8 billion on U.S. ads last year. That’s a jump up of 0.9 percent from 2013.
“Estimated 2014 U.S. measured-media spending for the universe of b-to-b advertisers — including the BtoB 100 and all other b-to-b advertisers — was $10.2 billion, flat over 2013 spending,” according to AdAge. “The top 100 b-to-b advertisers accounted for nearly half of all b-to-b spending last year.”
The stats take in estimated b-to-b ad spending across TV, internet (display ads only), magazines (including business publications), newspapers, radio, and outdoor.
The largest media category for b-to-b ad spending? Television, with the BtoB 100 dropping an estimated $2.9 billion. That was up 7.7 percent over 2013 and made up 60.8 percent of all b-to-b advertising.
Next, of course, was internet advertising, with the BtoB 100 spending about $685 million on b-to-b display ads last year, down 2.7 percent from 2013, and making up 14.3 percent of all b-to-b ad spending.
In third place were magazines, where the BtoB 100 spent approximately $585 million, down 14.4 percent from 2013. Magazines composed 12.2 percent of b-to-b ad spending.
“The No. 1 U.S. b-to-b advertiser last year was Microsoft Corp., which spent an estimated $232.4 million on b-to-b ads. Despite being the largest b-to-b advertiser, Microsoft decreased its b-to-b ad spending by 19.9 percent from 2013,” noted AdAge.
“We are a challenger brand in the mobile category,” said Kathleen Hall, general manager-global and brand marketing at Microsoft, in an interview with Ad Age last year about the integrated ad campaign.
The No. 2 b-to-b advertiser last year was AT&T, which spent an estimated $204.6 million on b-to-b ads, up 3.9 percent over 2013.
In the No. 3 spot? Verizon Communications. That company spent an estimated $168.6 million on b-to-b ads, down 8.8 percent from 2013. Verizon launched a TV campaign, created by McGarryBowen, showing how business people and consumers can be heroes by using Verizon’s XLTE mobility network.
Rounding out the list of top-10 b-to-b advertisers, in order of spending, were Apple, Samsung Electronics Co., IBM Corp., General Electric Co., Intel Corp., Staples, and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile).
