Nielsen reports on World Series advertising trends.

The following is advertising and trend information from The Nielsen Company on top advertisers, product categories, and the average cost of a 30 second commercial for previous World Series broadcasts.

Top Advertisers & Product Categories For The World Series

The General Motors Corporation was far and away the top advertiser during last year’s World Series, with more than 13 million dollars spent on ads, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, the leading provider of competitive advertising information, and a service of Nielsen. Hewlett-Packard was second, with a little over 7 million spent on ads; and Verizon Communications Inc. was third with slightly over 6 million spent on ads.

For the 1993-2006 time period General Motors was the largest advertiser in terms of total ad revenue, with more than 136 million dollars spent during the World Series. Time Warner (not a top 10 advertiser last year) was the second largest advertiser for this time period, with 51 million dollars spent, and Anheuser-Busch placed third with 48 million dollars spent.

Five Year Trends

The cost per 30-second commercial for the World Series has increased 43% over the last five years, from $278,571 in 2002, reaching $399,025 last year. The largest hike in a single year was in 2004 when the cost for a 30 second spot rose by 25%.

The top 10 product categories of the 2006 World Series collectively placed 255 commercials during the five games played. The Automotive category had the largest presence, placing 57 ads for Light Trucks and Passenger Cars. Commercials for Cable Television Stations showed a large spike, jumping from just one or two ads over the last few years to 21 ads last year.

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