Jon Swallen

In an off-Olympic and political year, ad spending is expected to fall. That makes it a bit harder to determine whether the media economy is actually becoming sluggish or if the decreases are just due to the tough comparisons from the previous year. This year it appears to be the former. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, offers his take on why ad spending is down, whether it will rebound later this year, and why some traditional media are faring better than others.

In an off-Olympic and political year, ad spending is expected to fall. That makes it a bit harder to determine whether the media economy is actually becoming sluggish or if the decreases are just due to the tough comparisons from the previous year. This year it appears to be the former. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, offers his take on why ad spending is down, whether it will rebound later this year, and why some traditional media are faring better than others.

The media economy experienced a slowdown during the final months of last year, and that trend may continue into this year. That’s because a good deal of the declines are based on longer-term changes in ad spending that will be playing out over the next few years. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, talks about why the fourth quarter was so rough, how TV is shaping up for the coming year, and why newspapers are struggling.

Third quarter ad spending was flat to last year, according to Kantar Media, and the big reason why was cutbacks by the top 100 advertisers. Some were making up for money moved to first quarter of last year, when they advertised in the Winter Olympics. But others pulled back for different reasons. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, talks about the latest spending numbers, what they mean for big advertisers and why the very smallest advertisers pulled back as well.

The second-quarter ad revenue numbers from Kantar Media reflected a pullback in ad spending from first quarter, when many advertisers dropped money on the Olympics. They reigned in spending during second quarter to make up for those big outlays. Such volatile changes could become the norm for the media economy in the long term as advertisers increasingly move their money to digital. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media talks about the current health of the ad economy.

The media economy is not as healthy as the growth rate suggests. Buyers should watch consumer confidence for second-half clues. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, talks about what to expect from the rest of the year, the relative health of the media economy and what’s working for traditional media.

Ad spending returned to positive territory during the first quarter, after falling during the final three months of last year, but that hardly means that the media economy is in great shape. More and more, it’s a case of haves and have nots, with television and outdoor posting solid gains and just about everything else struggling. Jon Swallen, chief research officer at Kantar Media, talks about whether the media economy is mending, why General Motors slashed its spending and what the prospects are for print.

Viewership for the Oscars has been sliding for years, and last year’s ceremony was down nearly 4 million from the previous year. But ad pricing for the ceremony has been on the rise. Jon Swallen, SVP of research at Kantar Media explains why Oscar ad prices have risen, what it says about the economy and why the audience is so desirable.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is already the second-most-lucrative sporting event on television each year, and this year it stands to gain yet more ad revenue. Jon Swallen, SVP of research at Kantar Media, talks about sold-out inventory, whether ad revenue will rise and why CBS took on a partner.