Adding up to growth

Last year the estimated value of the advertising market reached zł.5.04 billion - 13.5 percent more than in 2004, according to a report from Starlink media house. Growth was especially strong in internet advertising (58.2 percent), outdoor (26.1 percent) and television (11.9 percent), and the sectors that contributed most to that development include chain stores, with zł.85 million spent on advertising, food products, which bought ads worth zł.83 million, and telecommunication firms, who shelled out zł.80 million.

"The advertising market owes its impressive growth dynamics to those key sectors but also to a couple of strong stimuli, such as electoral campaigns worth some zł.60 million as well as increased advertising investments in the pharmaceutical and banking sectors," said Jarosław Roszkowski, media director in Starlink.

In 2006 the value of the advertising market should reach zł.5.55 billion. According to a forecast by analysts at BZ WBK, its growth this year will be triggered by higher GDP growth at 4.4 percent or higher, against 3.2 percent in 2005, as well as increased individual consumption and retail sales.

"What we can expect this year ... are factors that may hamper the development of the market, such as lower advertising budgets in automotive companies, and much lower expenditures on advertising with only local government elections instead of parliamentary campaigns." Roszkowski added.