10 Business development
Business development SWITZERLAND Advertising revenues for 2021 came in at CHF 251.6 million, slightly higher (0.3%) than the previous year, once again reflecting the considerable negative effect of the pandemic. Reduced footfall again had an impact on advertising, with communication spaces such as railway stations, public transport and airports, as well as the promotional space business, particularly affected by reduced mobility. Revenues in the sectors of travel & tourism and events & culture were particularly impacted, and so too – following disruption to supply chains – was the automotive sector. Measures for combating the pandemic influence business development There was markedly high volatility in the monthly revenue results throughout the coronavirus waves and the corresponding official measures. These fluctuations, which resulted in rebookings and cancellations, created major (extra) planning and processing work for our employees in Sales, Operations, and Poster Installation. In total, 24,500 campaigns were carried out in the reporting year. The breakdown of revenues into local/regional and national customers was more or less equal.
“Our campaign, which calls on people to get vaccinated and was developed in cooperation with the advertising agency Ruf Lanz, received a lot of positive feedback.” Lejla Islamovic Marketing Communication Manager, APG|SGA
APG|SGA Annual Report 2021
An even greater degree of short-term planning meant that analog business was outshone by digital revenues, which offered more flexible booking options along with an expanded range. Restrictions particularly affected Out of Home Media According to Media Focus, gross advertising pressure in the overall advertising market was around CHF 5.6 billion in 2021, 12.3% more than the previous year, with particular growth in online and TV advertising. With ongoing restrictions on mobility and resulting reduction in footfall, the Out of Home Media included in this pure gross analysis (without taking into account discounts or special conditions) registered a drop of 1.2% compared to 2020, with a slight fall in market share in the media mix. APG|SGA still managed to increase its share of the Out of Home market from 64.5% to 65.4% in these statistics, underlining its high performance in the extremely competitive outdoor advertising market.
