The advertising landscape in Switzerland continues to develop. In 2022, we could see quite significant changes in terms of use of the different advertising media, but also in the ranking of the main advertisers.
Media focus (a company specialized in media analysis around advertising) has published a very complete study on advertising statistics in Switzerland in 2022.
Find in this article a summary of the latest trends and the main changes for publishers in the advertising sector.
30-sec summary:
– Internet is the advertising medium that has experienced the strongest growth +67.1% in 2022
– It represents 41% of the media mix, followed by TV (23%) and Press (21%)
– Advertisers prefer the Google network (Google Ads, YouTube) which represents 35% of the budget invested in online advertising
– Migros and Coop are the leaders in sustainability communication
– Despite the global uncertainty, we can see a growth in the advertising market in Switzerland for 2022
Evolution of the media for advertising in Switzerland
Not to be expected, the Internet has become a major media player in Switzerland over the years. Taking the lead, it now represents 41% of the media mix, ahead of TV with 23% and the press with 21%.
Next come Out-of-Home (billboards, posters, etc.) with 12%, radio with 3% and finally cinema with 0.4%.
If we look in more detail at the different media, we can see an overall growth, except for TV which has experienced a decline of -2.3% in 2022.
Thus, the Internet has seen the strongest increase with 67.1% followed by the cinema with 46.8% which is still suffering from the post-covid situation if we compare the investments before the pandemic. (CHF 28 M vs CHF 49 M)
The press and radio also experienced growth in 2022 with 1.2% and 6.3% respectively (in particular due to the integration of new stations in French-speaking Switzerland).
New players in Swiss advertising 2022
The development of online advertising is mainly due to the arrival of new advertisers in the Swiss landscape. In 2022, nearly 28’400 advertisers were involved in online advertising.
No less than 4’300 were new entrants in the statistics.
We can thus see a change of proportion between the top 10 of the ranking, which represent less advertising presence (16.4 %) in 2022 compared to 2021 (18.9 %) and 2020 with (19.3 %.)
Finally, the top 100 still represents 42.7% of the total ad presence.
There is no real change in the top 10 advertisers in Switzerland. Coop and Migros remain the leaders and occupy first and second place respectively.
Next come Procter & Gamble (Pampers, Gillette, Oral-B), Ferrero (Kinder, Nutella, Tic Ta) and Swisscom, which round off the top 5. These three companies, contrary to the market trend, have reduced their advertising presence, sometimes even drastically (-13.3 % to -25.3 %).
| Top Advertisers | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Coop |
| 2 | Migros |
| 3 | Procter & Gamble |
| 4 | Ferrero Schweiz AG |
| 5 | Swisscom |
| 6 | IKEA AG |
| 7 | L’Oréal |
| 8 | Interdiscount |
| 9 | Sunrise |
| 10 | Lidl Schweiz AG |
source:mediafocus.ch
Advertisers and sustainable development
The ranking of advertisers has not changed much compared to the previous year.
However, two advertisers have entered the top 10 of the ranking:
- IKEA is now in 6th place (13th in 2021).
- Sunrise is now in 9th place (17th in 2021).
The brand Aldi has left the top 10 in 2022.
Sustainability is a theme with which Coop and Migros excel from a communication point of view.
Thus, the communication campaigns (“Actions, not words”) for Coop and (“Generation M” and “M-Check”) and Migros are the most successful, followed by Denner (“Everything for the future”), Lidl (“It’s said, it’s done”) and Aldi (“Today for tomorrow”).
Major changes in the sectors in 2022
Retail remains the sector where advertising investments are the most important.
It is now followed by the leisure, gastronomy and tourism sector, which has moved up four places compared to 2021.
The fashion and sports sector has moved up three places compared to the previous year and is now in 7th position.
The main sectors that have fallen are initiatives and campaigns (-5 places), the food sector (-4 places) and the Vehicles industry (-3 places).
| Industry | in CHF m | +/- YOY % |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 793.8 | 21.1 |
| Leisure, gastronomy, tourism | 589.4 | 51.1 |
| Building, industry, furnishings | 580.5 | 36.8 |
| Services | 559.3 | 49.4 |
| Finance | 514.1 | 29.7 |
| Food | 493.0 | -0.3 |
| Fashion & sport | 468.8 | 36.0 |
| Digital & household | 440.3 | 17.2 |
| Initiatives & campaigns | 409.9 | -1.3 |
| Vehicles | 382.8 | -1.2 |
see the full list on mediafocus.ch
To sum up
Despite the current events and the different crises the world is facing (energy crisis, war in Ukraine, inflation, etc.) the advertising market in Switzerland has grown in 2022.
Nevertheless, the trend is growing and the Internet as a medium now plays a leading role in advertising in Switzerland. Although advertising volumes in the different media groups that remain below pre-COVID-19 investments.
The traditional media, even if it’s still a safe bet for many advertisers, must review their strategy to avoid giving away even more ground in the coming years.
Find the full study on the media focus website
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I’m a digital marketing consultant with 20 years of experience in digital growth in Switzerland.
I assist small and medium-sized businesses in enhancing their online presence and generating more leads.
Based on research and data-driven approach, I create digital marketing strategies and effectively implements them.
I also train marketers in SEO, SEA (Online Advertising), and Web analytics to enhance their skills.