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Jun 3 2018 at 8:00 PM
Updated Jun 3 2018 at 8:00 PM
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Google, Apple, Amazon and Uber increase Australian TV ads as 'disruptors' see value of old media
New figures show Google, Amazon, Uber and Apple have significantly increased their TV advertising in Australia.
by Paul Smith
Despite being cast as a long-term disruptive threat to the viability of commercial television networks, new figures show tech giants Google, Amazon, Uber and Apple have significantly increased the amount they spent on traditional television advertising in Australia.
Figures sourced from Nielsen Adex by TV industry group ThinkTV showed Google had the biggest percentage increase in TV spend in the e-commerce category, raising its outlay by 600 per cent to $11.3 million as it launched new products such as Google Home and Google Pixel.
Apple meanwhile increased its TV spend in Australia by 17.4 per cent to $20.2 million in 2017, as the world's most valuable company sought to promote launches including the iPhone X, and a new mobile-enabled Apple Watch.
Online retail colossus Amazon also backed its Australian launch with its first ever local TV ad campaign, spending $3.2 million, while ridesharing firm Uber also started advertising on Australian TV with $3.4 million.
Google had the biggest percentage increase in TV spend in the e-commerce category, raising its outlay by 600 per cent to ...
Google had the biggest percentage increase in TV spend in the e-commerce category, raising its outlay by 600 per cent to $11.3 million as it launched new products such as Google Home
Managing director of independent marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity Asia-Pacific Richard Basil-Jones, said while the spending in traditional media channels by tech disruptors could be seen as counter-intuitive, it showed recognition that TV still offered an ability to reach an important group of consumers.
"There's no one medium that fits the bill and all media recognise the strengths of other media," he said.
"The biggest e-commerce and online players in the world recognise what TV offers and TV is open and smart enough to understand that they need to embrace online too."
Google Australia and New Zealand director of marketing Aisling Finch said its increased TV ad spending was part of its plans to use a range of advertising channels.
She said Google recognised that audiences engage with content across different platforms at different times.
Think TV CEO Kim Portrate said smart brands know that TV reaches more people faster than any other media.
Think TV CEO Kim Portrate said smart brands know that TV reaches more people faster than any other media.
"For campaigns such as the launch of Google Home we used a combination of radio, TV, cinema, print, outdoor and online channels including search, YouTube and social," Ms Finch said.
"In this campaign we found the combination of contextual media and creative drove stronger uplift."
ThinkTV, which sourced the statistics, is a research and marketing body for commercial broadcasters, owned by Foxtel, Nine Entertainment, Seven West Media and Ten Network, and as such is partly focused on demonstrating the value of TV advertising.
Its chief executive Kim Portrate said she was delighted to see some of the world's fast-growing, most innovative companies investing more into TV advertising to grow their brands. She said companies were also increasingly using TV ads in partnership with online-only content.
"The smartest brands know that TV reaches more people faster than any other media, is brand safe, generates the greatest return on investment and commands the most attention, which translates directly into sales," Ms Portrate said.
In February ThinkTV revealed KPMG figures had shown the metropolitan free-to-air TV market had returned to growth for the first time in 3½ years, growing by 1.4 per cent to $1.5bn in the six months to December.
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