2023: A Year of Challenges and Shifts in Marketing Budgets
Marketing budgets faced pressure in 2023, shrinking from 9.5% of company revenue in 2022 to 9.1%, driven by the war in Ukraine and economic downturns. Rising paper and media costs further strained resources, prompting advertisers to shift focus from traditional media to digital channels.
Retailers began experimenting with reducing or eliminating door drops, but new research underscored the enduring value of print. Despite higher costs, print media—especially door drops—proved more than twice as effective in capturing consumer attention compared to many digital channels.
As the economy stabilises, the print channel is poised for recovery. Meanwhile, digital marketing faces growing challenges in performance and data transparency. With Google's impending phase-out of third-party cookies, the industry is on the brink of significant change, setting the stage for a reshaped marketing landscape.
11 December 2024: ELMA publishes today its 14th year analysis of European door drop media spend and usage across 15 countries.
- Door Drop Media: Resilient Despite Digital Growth
- In 2023, total door drop volume across 15 markets is estimated at 60 billion items, with media spend reaching approximately €2.6 billion.
- Over the 14-year span of this study, the industry has experienced a 43.4% decline in volume and a 29.7% reduction in spend.
- 2022 saw a modest decrease in volume of 4.3% as well as a small decrease in media spend of 1.1% compared to 2021 linked to macro-economic pressures
The largest volumes by country in 2023 remained similar to what they were in 2022 i.e Germany followed by France, Austria and The Netherlands.
During 2023, 1 Scandinavian country allocated the greatest percentage of advertising spend to door drop i.e Finland at 5.51%, followed by Denmark (4.9%) and then Austria (4.6%).
For more details about our Census Report, please email mark.davies@elma-europe.com
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