The recession that has gripped much of the world over the last year has caused consumers to seek out entertainment that provides the best value for money.

Like shoppers around the world, consumers across Asia Pacific have become focused on saving and reducing debt this year, and as a result, have become less inclined to spend on bigger ticket items and out-of-home-entertainment.

While traditional methods such a newspaper and magazine ads still have their place, New Zealanders like many others now go online for a large portion of their research.

While connected by a common language (accents notwithstanding), history and location, Australians and New Zealanders have always had a degree of friendly rivalry. But that rivalry is diminishing to some extent as more Australians visit their neighbor to the southeast, according to research from Nielsen’s BuzzMetrics service.

Overall ad spending stayed afloat in Q1 ‘09 vs. Q1 ‘08
Toward the end of 2008, the global downturn was adversely impacting advertising spending throughout many key markets around the world, with Europe and the Americas struggling more than others.  The exception to this was Asia Pacific (APAC), which appeared to be relatively impervious to the worst of the downturn. Beginning in late 2008, and escalating as the first quarter of 2009 unfolded, the majority of APAC markets were finally succumbing to declining economic conditions with substantial declines in advertising activity. …

In a poll that surveyed more than 25,000 people worldwide, Nielsen found that New Zealanders were among those getting most bored of media coverage regarding the global recession, with more than a quarter of Kiwis polled saying that there was too much coverage.
Although 40 percent said that the media did a poor job of informing them of the issues that led to the crisis, 52 percent say that the media is now helping them to better understand the issues at play while 23 percent said that they were let down …

Australia and New Zealand withstood the shockwaves of the global financial crisis as long as possible, but by the end of 2008, ad spending took a hit.
In Australia, estimated ad spend in main media for the year was up 2 percent over 2007.  Year on year comparisons saw the first two quarters of the year posted growth of 14 percent and 5.5 percent, but by the third quarter, spending declined 0.5 percent while the fourth quarter saw a decline of 3.5 percent.

Media Outlet
2008 (US$000’s)
2007 (US$000’s)
% Change

TV
3,157,160
3,184,216
-1%

Newspapers
2,773,024
2,640,745
5%

Magazines
928,759
901,670
3%

Radio
515,324
508,041
1%

Cinema
63,786
61,966
3%

Outdoor
392,705
383,791
2%

Other
227,671
231,145
-2%

TOTAL …

New Zealanders are increasingly concerned about their job security and prospects, according to a new survey from Nielsen.  Job confidence has slumped, with 71 percent of respondents characterizing local job prospects as “not so good” or “bad,” compared to just 38 percent who had that view six months ago.
Consumer confidence has also taken a hit, showing a nine-point drop to 90 since the survey was last conducted in October 2008.  Despite that drop, Kiwis’ confidence is strong compared to other Asia Pacific countries – 12 points higher – and 13 …

The economic decline has affected most parts of the world, but some have been hit harder than others.  One region that seems to be holding its own is Asia Pacific (APAC).  Although consumer confidence in APAC has declined in recent months, those declines have generally not been as steep as in Europe or North America.  Eight of the twelve markets for which Nielsen tracks ad spending posted growth in 2008 over 2007.  That said, most of the markets were registering declines by the fourth quarter.
Main media, defined by Nielsen as …

Determining which car to buy is an important decision, and usually requires a fair amount of research on the part of the buyer.  Thankfully, the Internet has made that process much easier, and New Zealanders have taken to the web with gusto: 84 percent use the Internet for that purpose, according to Nielsen Online.  Visiting used car dealers and consulting with friends and family were the second and third most popular options, respectively.
But buyers aren’t the only ones who benefit, as 62 percent of sellers use the Internet as a …