Spending for the 10 largest categories reached $20.8 bln in Q1-Q3 2007, 2.3% less than Q1-Q3 2006. Most product categories have decreased their ad spending, with the exception of Pharmaceuticals, Wireless Telephone Services, and Direct Response Products, according to Nielsen. The top category in terms of increased ad spend was Wireless Telephone Services at 7.3% – Verizon Wireless was the top brand in terms of total ad spending for this time period in the wireless product category at $449.2 mln, and AT&T Wireless second at
| Category and budget in $ mln | Q1-Q3 2006 | Q1-Q3 2007 | Growth, YTY |
| Automotives | $9,821 | $8,491 | -13.5% |
| Pharmaceuticals | $3,755 | $3,854 | 2.6% |
| Automotive- Local Dealerships | $3,629 | $3,426 | -5.6% |
| Quick Svs Restaurant | $3,122 | $2,922 | -6.4% |
| Motion Picture | $2,698 | $2,662 | -1.3% |
| Teleph Svcs-Wireless | $2,478 | $2,657 | 7.3% |
| Department Stores | $2,638 | $2,440 | -7.5% |
| Direct Response Products | $1,592 | $1,639 | 2.9% |
| Restaurant | $1,268 | $1,260 | -0.6% |
| Credit Card Services | $1,223 | $1,219 | -0.3% |