MUMBAI: Advertising spend in China rose 20 per cent in the first half of the year to $17.7 billion. Companies like Procter & Gamble Co were responsible for the rise.
 

 
A report from Nielsen Media Research found that advertising targeting men was the fastest growing category, with spending on ads for men's cosmetics increasing by 64 per cent, and spending on men's fashions and accessories rising by 75 per cent.

About 80 per cent of ad spending in the first half of the year went to TV, while newspapers accounted for most of the rest

 
 
Media reports state that by comparison, spending on women’s cosmetics ads rose just 14 per cent, while spending on women’s fashion and accessory ads fell by 51 per cent.
The pharmaceutical industry was the biggest ad buyer in the first half of the year with 30 billion yuan in spending, followed by cosmetics and personal care products at 27.5 billion yuan.

 
 
P&G was one of the biggest advertisers in the Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou markets, with its Olay brand of skin care products, Rejoice shampoo and Crest toothpaste among the top 10 brands in all three markets.

Colgate-Palmolive’s Colgate toothpaste, an arch rival of Crest, was among the top 10 advertisers in two of the three markets, as were P&G’s Pantene shampoo and fast food giant McDonald’s.