The advertising print and poster market is the most important market for commercial printing in terms of turnover. The Idep's annual report "Views on the Graphic Communication Markets" published in November 2019 provides figures on developments and trends in this market (2018 data).
Production and foreign trade
In 2018, French production of advertising printed matter fell by 1.2% for addressed and 2.3% for unaddressed, according to the report. In terms of foreign trade, imports of printed advertising material increased in 2018 by about 13% while exports decreased by almost 30%.
The advertising market is doing well
The advertising market is continuing to recover in line with France Pub's forecasts, the report says. "33.3 billion in 2018, an increase of 2.3% over the previous year. In 2017, investments had increased by 2% and in 2016 by 1.5%. »
But digital media are doing best, with an overall increase in investment of 14.7%. Investment in direct marketing decreased by 1.8%, a decline similar to that of the previous year. In 2018, direct marketing will account for 22.6% of overall advertising investments.
The category of mailings (documents sent by post, addressed mail, catalogues, etc.) has been in constant decline for several years, the Institute explains. "While addressed mail is a popular channel for both advertisers and customers, it is a premium medium and expensive, both in terms of postage and design, as it requires data exploitation. The catalogue is reinventing itself, becoming finer and more targeted, which implies a drop in volumes sent. Advertising investment in unaddressed print is stable. »
Finally, as regards POS (point of sale advertising), investments increased by 1,5 % in 2018. This has been a continuous increase for the last ten years.
