The top 10 advertisers in Q1 2006 spent $4.76 bln, a gain of 6.9% compared to Q1 2005. Procter & Gamble retained the top spot with $794 mln in spending, up 13.8% against Q1 2005. General Motors holds the second position with $706 mln in spending, down 1.9% in the midst of declining auto sales. AT&T, on the strength of a major re-branding campaign, had the largest growth rate among the top 10, up 51.0%. General Electric, led by its NBC Universal entertainment brands, was close behind at 43.9% growth. The largest decrease in the group came from Time Warner, down 14.0% to $450 mln. News Corp. reduced its advertising outlays by 11.6% to $303 mln and Walt Disney spending fell 11.1% to $384 mln. At all three companies the declines were driven by motion picture advertising.
| Top advertisers in Q1 2006 | |||
| Spending, mln. $ | Growth | ||
| Company | Q1 2006 | Q1 2005 | YTY |
| P&G | $793.80 | $697.50 | 13.80% |
| GM | $706.00 | $719.30 | -1.90% |
| AT&T INC | $625.10 | $414.00 | 51.00% |
| VERIZON | $454.90 | $381.20 | 19.30% |
| TIME WARNER | $449.60 | $522.80 | -14.00% |
| FORD MOTOR | $410.50 | $429.20 | -4.30% |
| WALT DISNEY | $384.00 | $431.80 | -11.10% |
| GE | $327.20 | $224.30 | 45.90% |
| SPRINT NEXTEL | $305.00 | $288.80 | 5.60% |
| NEWS CORP | $302.50 | $342.10 | -11.60% |
| TOTAL | $4,758.60 | $4,450.90 | 6.90% |
| Source: TNS Media Intelligence | |||