February ad spending crimped by coronavirus

China's ad spending in February sank 28.6 percent year on year (excluding digital ads) as the coronavirus outbreak dampened outdoor and cinema advertising, according to data from China's CTR Research.

Advertising growth has been in negative territory since early last year and suffered its biggest annual loss in February. Movie theaters have been badly affected by an absence of ad income due to lockdown measures, CTR Research finds.

"Most industries are under negative pressure brought by the epidemic and remain cautious about ad spending," the firm says.

Meanwhile, Internet service providers such as Tencent, livestreaming site Douyin and audio platform Ximalaya were upbeat on spending on TV stations and traditional outdoor billboards.

Billboard ad spending for IT products and services went up 39 percent as cash-rich Internet firms were eager to compete for users. 

Online job-seeking sites like Zhaopin.com and Boss Zhipin doubled their ad spending on traditional billboards and Liepin's expenditure surged 10 times as digital platforms were in urgent demand for employers and job hunters. 

Recovery signs were also seen in cosmetics and personal hygiene products amid new product launches and high demand for disinfectants.

Advertising expenditure on elevator posters was the only sector to see growth in February, which was up 0.9 percent from a year earlier.

Ad spending has just started to show a snowslide-style deceleration. In January, it lowered 5.6 percent based on rating cards from a year ago, with food, beverages, medicines and alcoholic drinks among the biggest advertisers.