2012 - A Slow Year for the Advertising Industry

2012 was a slow year for the 'Big Four' in advertising. WPP, Omnicom, the Publicis Groupe and the Interpublic Group of Companies all saw their organic revenue growth slow down significantly. Organic revenue growth is adjusted for foreign exchange effects and M&A related growth. M&A activity is typically high in the advertising industry, hence organic growth provides a better understanding of the core performance of the industry's big players.

The advertising industry had been hit hard by the global financial crisis in 2008 and 2009 before bouncing back in 2010 and 2011. Last year's results were likely hampered by the negative effects that increasing economic uncertainty has on advertising budgets.