22 Categories to Watch in ‘22: Top Consumer Packaged Goods Advertising Trends

As we approach the end of the year, we’ll be covering trends from 22 key markets. We’ll recap what each industry has experienced over the past year and what to watch for in 2022. Learn who are the top advertisers from each category and how they spend across formats.

The Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) market grew rapidly during the pandemic despite being forced to undergo massive transformation.

The market was experiencing a modest 1.8% compound annual growth rate between 2016 and 2019. But then the pandemic hit and the industry grew by a strong 10.4%.

According to the latest Global Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Logistics Market report, growth will remain steady through 2026.

“We couldn’t have predicted that a full year into the pandemic we’d still be seeing demand at these levels,” Consumer Brands President and CEO Geoff Freeman said after Q1 2021. “These numbers are a reflection of what we hear every day from our industry — that they are still intensely focused on delivering for the consumer.”

As companies leverage first-party data in new ways, buy ads across new digital marketplaces (like Kroger Precision Marketing) and achieve profitable growth, how are they dividing up their media mixes? And who are the top spenders?

MediaRadar Insights

Overall Spending and Breakdown Across Formats

CPG advertisers spent $5.2 billion in advertising through October 2021. This was flat compared to the previous year, only increasing by 1%.

CPG Advertising Spending 2020 vs 2021 Chart

$2.9 billion went to TV. Though this represents the majority of the investments, spending in this format was down 11% year-over-year (through October.)

Digital, on the other hand, increased by 118%, reaching $1.4 billion.

Advertisers invested $890.4 million in print, down 27% from last year.

Number of Advertisers

12 thousand advertisers spent $5.2 billion in 2021 compared to 10.3 thousand advertisers spending $5.2 billion in 2020.

Advertiser Retention

In the overall category, advertisers had a 52% retention rate between 2020 and 2021 (January – October).

5 Top Advertisers – Which Advertisers Spent the Most in 2021?

1. L’Oreal SA

L’Oreal SA is a top advertiser in the consumer packaged goods market, with 91% of their overall budget spent on ads promoting their CPG products. Their ad spend is down 15% since last year, but their investment in digital advertising has gone up 133% year-over-year.

While TV and Print advertisements are down, online video, social media, display, native, and OTT advertisements all saw growth.

Below is a breakdown of L’Oreal SA’s ad spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 16 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 100 key contacts at L’Oreal SA.

2. The Hershey Company

The Hershey’s Company is another top advertiser in the CPG market, with 93% of their overall budget going to promoting their consumer packaged goods.

While their spend is down by 8% year-over-year, digital spending is up 224% since last year. Online video, Facebook, display, native, and OTT ad spend both saw increased investment.

Below is a breakdown ofThe Hershey’s Company’s ad spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 3 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 41 key contacts at The Hershey’s Company.

3. Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.

Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc. is also a top advertiser in the consumer packaged goods industry, with 36% of their budget spent promoting their consumer packaged goods products. Their advertising spend has increased by 10% since last year.

Digital advertising saw a large increase in investments. Native, Snapchat, and OTT ads all saw an increase in funding of over 1000% YOY.

Below is a breakdown of Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc’s ad spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 15 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 102 key contacts at Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.

4. The Procter & Gamble Company

The Procter & Gamble Company is also a top spender in the consumer packaged goods category, with over $1.9 billion going towards promoting their products.

While their ad spend is down 5%, their digital spending is up 93% year-over-year. Spending on online video has increased by 132%, native advertising has increased by over 1000%, spending on Snapchat ads has increased by 473%, and OTT ad spend has increased by 194%.

Below is a breakdown of The Procter & Gamble Company’s ad spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 33 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 194 key contacts at The Procter & Gamble Company.

5. Unilever PLC

Unilever PLC is also a big advertiser in the consumer packaged goods market, with 38% of their budget going to promoting their consumer packaged goods. Since last year, their ad spending increased by 16%.

Digital spending has increased 201% year-over-year. Online video spending increased by 174%, Unilever’s spending on native advertising went up by over 1000%. Facebook, OTT, and Display ads all increased by over 100%.

Below is a breakdown of Unilever PLC’s ad spend thus far in 2021. We predict they will likely have 27 upcoming RFPs issued. MediaRadar can help you connect with 173 key contacts at Unilever PLC.