Between The Diamond Jubilee, the Euros and The Olympics, 2012 is being billed as a big year. On the other hand, stories of economic turmoil, job cuts and struggling stores continue to fill the news. We decided to have a look at whether or not these factors were subduing adspend in the UK or if advertisers were spending more to get people in the celebration mood.

In the last two months, it appears advertisers who sponsor The Olympics have been going for gold and milking their sponsor status. For example, each Proctor and Gamble (P&G) product advert, whether for Fairy Liquid or Tampax, seems to suggest using their products could turn you into the next Usain Bolt or Jessica Ennis.

While we can’t foresee how adspend will look after the games, we can see how the picture looked across for January to April. Are things looking rosy? Or does it mirror the ailing economy by taking a downward slump? Well, overall, the year-on-year totals are down by just under five per cent. While TV, radio, door drops and cinema have all seen increased spend in press, outdoor, direct mail and – most surprisingly – online display are all down.

Overall, the big winner in the adspend race seems to be cinema, with the silver screen seeing an 18 per cent increase year-on-year. It’s perhaps no surprise that Orange has stayed in poll position thanks to its Orange Wednesday proposition, but what’s most interesting is the movement around the rest of the brands in the top ten. This year, technology has ruled the roost, pushing out all but one drinks brand – and one which has no alcoholic offering. The biggest advertiser overall is BSkyB, despite the fact its spend is down by three per cent and P&G – which sat in the top spot last year – has dropped down to second.

MEC opinion: It will be interesting to see how things change after August and whether companies like P&G are able to boost their strategies beyond their Olympic offering. When looking at the top ten advertisers, it seems the COI has seen a massive increase with spending up by almost 70 per cent and split across a variety of areas. This is despite having been in decline since government cuts were introduced, and signals something of a comeback on their behalf. It could be argued that support of brands like Visit England are directly linked to The Jubilee or The Olympics, yet support of things like bowel cancer screenings – the third biggest in their portfolio – suggests a more diverse approach.

While the January to April 2012 period doesn’t appear to be breaking any records for personal best, it will be interesting to see whether this trend continues or if adspend in the UK can come from behind to beat last year’s total.

Source: NMR JAN-APRIL 2012, not including classified.