The latest Supermarket Ad Tracker* report from Checkout Magazine, produced in association with Nielsen, has found that Aldi and Lidl continue to outspend their more mainstream grocery rivals when it comes to advertising, with both retailers collectively accounting for more than half of grocery ad spend in the third quarter of 2015.
The Nielsen AdDynamix data, which covers the period from July to September 2015, names Lidl as the top spender on advertising in the sector, accounting for 26.5% of total supermarket ad spend in the quarter. Lidl increased its spend by 23.5% compared to the same period last year.
Aldi accounted for 24.6% of spend in the quarter, having increased its spend by 11.6% compared to the same period last year.
Elsewhere, Tesco ranks third, accounting for 16.5% of total spend (37.6% decrease in spend), followed by SuperValu (14.3%; 23.2% decrease in spend), Dunnes (10.8%; 10.5% increase in spend) and Marks & Spencer (4.9%; 13.7% decrease in spend).
The data also found that the total supermarket ad spend for the quarter was €13.5 million, which is down 5.2% on the same period last year.
“While the total ad spend market for the third quarter was relatively subdued, Aldi and Lidl sought to take a leadership position by upping their activity around key selling periods such as Back to School,” said Stephen Wynne-Jones, editor, Checkout. “With many of their key competitors saving their marketing budget for Q4, Aldi and Lidl have sought to maintain year-round front of mind status with consumers, which in turn is leading to an increase in their market share.”
In terms of the mediums used most by retailers, Press still accounts for the lion’s share of spend (57%), followed by TV (30%), Radio (7%) and Outdoor (5%).
Key marketing campaigns that were visible during the period included SuperValu’s ‘Good Food Karma’, various retailers’ campaigns around the Great Taste Awards, and Lidl’s ‘Local Local’ campaign.
