TV grabbing adspend market share from print

Adams, who was reacting to Jawitz Properties, Rawson Properties and the ERA real estate group's recent television advertising campaigns, believes the electronic media and emphatically television with its growing number of channels is well-primed to grab further market share in above-the-line real estate annual advertising spend (adspend), which attracted an investment of R20 422 012 for the first five months of this year ending 31 May 2008

Total adspend for 2007 was R40 114 426. Quoting industry AC Nielsen AdEx “share of voice” figures last week, Adams pointed out that electronic adspend had widened the gap in attracting support at the expense of print media. Newspaper advertising in the first five months of the year accounted for 27.2 % of total adspend compared to 31.2% for 2007; 35.1% for 2006 and 38.5% for 2005.

Definite growth path

The electronic media, including television and radio, by comparison, reflected a definite growth path. The medium accounted for 36.6% of all above-the-line advertising in the first five months of this year; 33.6% in 2007; 33.3% in 2006 and 30.4% in 2005.

Magazines, as a advertising platform, have marginally lost ground in the past three years to stand at 17.4% of total advertising for the first five months. This was a substantial drop from its high of 24.7% market share in 2005.

While not the first South African real estate group to focus on television promotion, Adams believed that RE/MAX had highlighted the importance of the electronic medium through its apparent successful extended television advertising campaign, anchored around outstanding performances in various events and tournaments, which had won both the attention of the consumer and estate agent in being attracted to the brand.

Adams said that RE/MAX's support of the Super 14 competition had proved to be a particularly strong platform achieving high reach and penetration across various audiences, testament to the strength rugby currently offers brand advertising, particularly within the pay television market.

RE/MAX was also the biggest spender in above-the-line advertising for the first five months of this year, accounting for 33.1% of all real estate advertising, followed by Pam Golding Properties (22.6%), Wakefields (19.3%), Seeff (10.5%), Jawitz (6.2%), Chas Everitt International (3%), Aida (2.2%), Homenet (1.6%) and Rawson Properties (1.2%). Apart from RE/MAX and Wakefields, which both increased their adspend profile - Wakefields by more than double - the adspend by the other groups in the first five months of this year reflected a decline.