Claims of an advertising boom are labeled fictitious

Claims that Poland is currently going through an advertising boom have been described as fictitious by industry insiders. They dispute data compiled by market research companies indicating that press, TV, radio and outdoor advertisements generated total income of more than zl.5 billion in the first six months of the year, an increase of over 23% compared to the same period of last year. Representatives of advertising agencies and media companies quoted by Gazeta Wyborcza point out that the figures do not take into account larger discounts and special offers. They estimate that the market's true growth was between 1% and 5%. Last year TVP, Poland's public TV network, was offering advertisers discounts in excess of 50%. According to TVP's competitors, its present discounts are even larger. "Advertising is cheaper because the demand for advertising has fallen. People have less money to spend, so they are buying less. So, even though the ad is cheaper, it is less effective," explains Jakub Benke, the managing director of leading media firm Starcom. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 18) A.K.