NEW YORK – Spending on advertising is recovering from its pandemic declines, according to ad intelligence company Standard Media Index. SMI, which collects and publishes national advertising spend and pricing data in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, says collectively in those markets, the combined ad spend has lifted 4% above the total recorded in Q1 2020 and 1% above the pre-Covid Q1 2019 period. If the trends continue through the year, the final result for 2021 could be a +7% increase in total advertising expenditure, said SMI CEO James Fennessy in a press release. “Given the level...
