As the curtains fall down on 2004, the all important figures are also out -- that of the Top 10 categories of advertisers on television and print and their growth in ad spends this year as compared to 2003 as estimated by AdEx India.

First let's knuckle down the Top 10 categories which grew in television advertising this year. It doesn't come as too much of a surprise that the category that has registered a whopping 167 per cent growth in ad spend on television this year is that of cellular phones. Second in the pecking order is the shampoo category, which saw a growth of 70 per cent this year as compared to the last. On the third rung stood cellular phone services, which annals a 57 per cent growth. With a growth of 47 per cent, cars and jeeps category followed that of cellular phone services this year. Fifth in line was corporate/brand image category which saw a growth of 33 per cent.

Toilet soaps (26 per cent), washing powders/liquids (25 per cent), two wheelers (18 per cent), tooth pastes (13 per cent) also figured among the Top 10 categories. However, interesting is the fact that the aerated soft drink category advertising on television saw a dip of 5 per cent this year as compared to the last.

Now let's swivel our attention to the Top 10 categories in print advertising and the percentage growth they achieved this year as compared to the last. From the data provided by AdEx India, it can be observed that the highest growth this year as far as print advertising is concerned was booked by educational institutions capping a growth of 228 per cent. Corporate/brand image, which stood fifth in line in the television advertising segment, was high on print advertising this year and saw a growth of 76 per cent it the same. Coaching centres/computer exam advertising in print registered a growth of 43 per cent this year standing tall at the third position. Property and real estate advertising grew in print this year by 30 per cent, whereas ads by independent retailers cataloged a growth of 27 per cent this year. Audited/unaudited financial results (26 per cent), publications/books (24 per cent), cars/jeeps (6 per cent) and two wheelers (2 per cent) also figured in the Top 10 advertisers in print this year. On the other hand, while cellular phone service advertising on television saw a growth of 57 per cent this year, the category's advertising in print saw a 13 per cent decline.

Now coming to the people with the money bags… that is: the Top 10 spenders on television and print in 2004. In the television segment, a total amount of Rs 2.35 billion was spent this year in the shampoos category. In the toilet soaps category, on the other hand, Rs 2.16 billion was spent this year. The other categories, which figured in the Top 10 spenders on television were: corporate/brand image (Rs 1.94 billion), washing powders/liquids (Rs 1.68 billion), cellular phone service (Rs 1.59 billion), two wheelers (Rs 1.55 billion), cars/jeeps (Rs 1.53 billion), toothpastes (Rs 1.4 billion), cellular phones (Rs 978 million) and soft drink aerated (Rs 952 million).

In the print advertising segment, the top category, which spent the highest amount, was Educational Institutions (Rs 2.09 billion). Corporate/brand Image on the other hand, spent Rs 1.97 billion. Cars/jeeps advertising in print saw Rs 1.45 billion being spent this year. The other categories, which figured in the Top 10 spenders in print, were: Properties/real Estates (Rs 1.28 billion), two wheelers (Rs 1.25 billion), independent retailers (Rs 796 million), audited/unaudited financial results (Rs 721 million), coaching centres/computer exam (Rs 720 million), cellular phone service (Rs 669 million) and social advertisements (Rs 589 million).

Now looking at the television and print advertising spends of specific segments like insurance, telecom and automobiles in 2004 viz-a-viz 2003.