Global advertising rose 8.8 percent year-on-year in Q1 to total USD 118 billion based on published rate cards, as advertisers spent more on television and continued to invest in booming consumer Asian and Latin American markets.

A new Nielsen advertising fact sheet details ad spend and effectiveness trends, as well as the latest insights on branded entertainment.

Caretakers. Breadwinners. Couponers. Social networkers. Decision makers. Roughly 34 percent of American households are home to kids under 18, and modern moms wear many hats and play many roles.

From the airport to the elevator, the gym to the gas station, digital location-based video ad exposures are seeing marked growth, according to The Nielsen Company’s Fourth Screen Network Audience Report.

The proliferation of the Internet, social networks, smartphones, tablets and branded in-store and mobile contact points in Italy are presenting increased opportunities to build successful relationships with the consumer, and Italian consumers are increasingly taking advantage of their multi-channel options.

As the advertising recovery gained momentum in the first half of 2010, there were substantial year on year increases in activity particularly among the major spending categories that were most impacted by the advertising cutbacks of 2009; including Motor Vehicles (+14%), Finance (+13%), Real estate (+19%), Communications (+12%) and Insurance (+12.8%).

The 2010 World Cup brought the attention of hundreds of millions of soccer fans on South Africa, and unsurprisingly, advertisers followed with significant spending, according to new research from The Nielsen Company.

Grandparents are a family’s greatest treasure. For many, their greatest joy is to lavish with love and spoil with splendor. And considering grandparents represent a sizable target, which will continue to grow another 11 percent between now and 2015, retailers and manufacturers would be wise to tap into the “multiplier effect” they represent.

Advertising spending in Indonesia posted robust growth in 2010, rising 23% to a total of Rp 60 trillion, according to an analysis by The Nielsen Company.

With sold out ad inventory for this year’s Super Bowl and such a diverse and massive pack of consumers expected to tune in, which advertisers stand the best chance of capturing the audience and getting the greatest return on their investment?