10. WALT DISNEY COMPANY. Ad spend up 7.4% to $2.1 billion. The company spent big on marketing its box office phenomenon "Frozen" with fresh content and merchandise long after its 2013 opening.
9. L'ORÉAL: Ad spend down 2% to $2.2 billion. The report notes that many of the brands that grew the fastest for the company in 2014 actually had very low or no ad spend — such as Kiehl's, Urban Decay, and NYX. In April, the company's US division launched a review of all its media, with a decision expected by the end of the year.
8. FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES: Ad spend up 14% to $2.2 billion. Fiat launched a number of high-profile campaigns in 2014, including its "Fix It Again, Tony" ad (a derogatory acronym that was once widely used to describe the quality of its cars) and a big push for its Fiat 500 minicar starring Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
7. AMERICAN EXPRESS. Ad spend up 7.9% to $2.4 billion. Last year the company stated an intention to shift its online budget to programmatic technologies — which are potentially more efficient than direct-sales. One of its most memorable campaigns from 2014 was an ad starring Tina Fey to introduce its new EveryDay credit card.
6. FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Ad spend down 3.6% to $2.5 billion. Activity from Ford's marketing department last year included its pre-game Super Bowl spot starring actor James Franco, and a parody of Cadillac's 'Poolside' ad.
5. VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS. Ad spend up 3.6% to $2.5 billion. Last year Verizon famously launched a content marketing site called SugarString, but shuttered it just two months later. Big ads included a push for its Smart Rewards loyalty scheme and a fun spot "ice fishing gravity" spot for its XLTE service.
4. COMCAST CORPORATION. Ad spend down 1.7% to $3 billion. For Comcast, 2014 was a year marred with criticism of its customer service. Nevertheless, the company still spent big on ads in 2014, including its Star Trek-themed Super Bowl spot.
3. GENERAL MOTORS COMPANY. Ad spend down 0.7% to $3.1 billion. One of GM's stand-out campaigns last year was a spot for its Chevrolet brand, featuring a gay couple in its TV ads for the first time. The same brand also cut a product placement deal with Disney's Marvel Studios to feature its vehicles in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier."
2. AT&T. Ad spend up 0.1% to $3.3 billion. AT&T was also ranked in the top biggest b2b marketers last year (alongside Microsoft and Apple, according to AdAge.) Last year it phased out its long-running "It's Not Complicated" campaign in favor of a new "Better Network" messaging, swapping kid brand ambassadors for geeks called "The Network Guys."
1. PROCTER & GAMBLE. Ad spend down 4.2% to $4.6 billion. The CPG giant is also the world's largest advertiser, although this spring the company's CFO revealed a plan to cut spend on ad agencies by up to $500 million. The company is also shifting huge amounts of its budget to digital advertising, because it believes online ads deliver a higher return on investment than TV or print. One of its most popular campaigns of last year was its Always #LikeAGirl spot, which has been viewed on YouTube more than 58 million times.
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Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
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