Advertising market ‘bouncing back’ to engage consumers, says WPP’s Jens Monsees

Australia’s advertising market is “bouncing back” as companies resume spending to reconnect with consumers after a year ravaged by COVID-19.

WPP AUNZ chief executive Jens Monsees.

Australia’s advertising market is “bouncing back” as companies resume spending to reconnect with consumers after a year ravaged by COVID-19, according to the boss of the nation’s biggest ad group.

Jens Monsees, who has been charged with turning around the fortunes of WPP AUNZ following the merger of John Singleton’s STW Communications Group with the Australian business of UK ad giant WPP PLC in 2016, says trading conditions are improving.

“The market is bouncing back, so advertisers are spending again and they see the need to reconnect with their user shoppers, clients and customers,” Mr Monsees told The Australian.

“All industries and the government are looking for buckets of growth, so that’s fantastic to see.”

Mr Monsees said more traditional marketing and communications strategies were also being overhauled following fewer instore shopping trips and purchases last year.

“You don’t have as many people coming into the stores and into the bank, it’s much more online,” he said.

There are already signs that the worst is over, with Standard Media Index last week reporting a two per cent rise in ad spending in December, the third month in a row of growth, with spending across the digital and television sectors up 15.9 and 11 per cent respectively.