MUMBAI: This year continues to be one of growth for the US ad industry. According to Nielsen, ad spend in the US was up by seven per cent in the third quarter of 2012 compared with the same time last year-with the ad-heavy US presidential election and the London Summer Olympic Games likely contributors.

The third quarter was big for automotive and auto dealerships in the US, which ranked first and third, respectively, for amount spent. Model year-end promotions traditionally make the third quarter the biggest of the year based on ad sales, and six of the top 20 companies based on ad spend during the period were auto manufacturers.

Other third quarter sector leaders included fast food restaurants, wireless/telecom, retail, motion picture and pharmaceuticals. Auto spent $2.7 billion an increase of 26 per cent. The motion picture category though saw a decline in spend by 12 per cent to $689.7 million. Pharma‘s spend also fell by 22 per cent to $661.7 million.