It looks like 2012 was a good year for global advertising spending, especially in the digital sector.

The latest Global AdView Pulse report issued by Nielsen shows total spending of $139 billion, a 4.3 percent increase in Q3 2012 ad spending over Q3 2011. This increase outpaced the 2.7 percent growth in the first half of 2012.

In North America, ad spending for Q3 rose 10.2 percent. The Asia Pacific region grew 3.5 percent in Q3, with China showing a Q3 increase of 3.1 percent after two consecutive declining quarters. Western Europe's Q3 ad spending, however, declined 4.8 percent.

The most impressive ad growth on a year-to-date basis was in the Middle East and Africa, which saw an 18.9 percent increase from January through September 2012.

Randall Beard, global head of advertiser solutions for Nielsen, cautioned that the Q3 data could be a reflection of spending on the Olympics and the U.S. presidential election. "We'll be watching carefully to see if the growth was sustained in Q4 and into 2013, or if there's a dip in comparison to this year," Beard said.Continue reading...

The 140-character Twitter poll: just how effective is Twitter's advertising options for brands?

Twitter now offers geotargeted Promoted Products, Tweets, Accounts and Trends, and more affordable ads for smaller businesses. But are they worth it?

The jury is still out, but early returns suggest the early hot buzz may be cooling, as advertisers articulate their disappointment with low levels of engagement and unimpressive sales generation.Continue reading...