Print advertising in 2024: between declining investment and market transformation

By 2024, print advertising will be in retreat in the face of the rise of digital and new advertiser strategies. What are the key figures and outlook for print in 2025?

In 2024, net advertising revenues reached 18.9 billion euros, recording growth of 7.7% compared to 2023, according to the Unified Advertising Market Barometer (Bump), derived from cross-referenced data from Irep, Kantar and France Pub. The Euro soccer tournament and the Paris Olympic Games have led to a significant influx of advertising spend, particularly on digital channels and outdoor advertising. However, this growth is not benefiting all segments equally, and print advertising is suffering as a result.

Digital continues to gain momentum

With an increase of 14%, digital has established itself as the market's key lever. Video (+32.4%) and audio (+22.7%) formats captured advertisers' attention, while DOOH (digital out-of-home) posted record growth of 16.1%. Programmatic advertising and retail media are helping to restructure the advertising landscape, increasingly relegating print media to specific uses.

Advertising printing and billposting: contrasting trends

The outdoor advertising market was buoyant, up 7.6%, thanks in particular to DOOH and the boom in digital street furniture. On the other hand, the print media suffered a 5% decline, affected by a drop in advertiser investment.

Directories, once a key medium for local businesses, continue their collapse with a 4.1% drop in 2024 and a 36.4% decline on 2019.
Similarly, unaddressed printed matter is down 10.8% on 2023, and 39.3% in five years. Digital leaflets, meanwhile, are up 35.6%.

Direct print marketing, although under pressure in the face of more targeted digital alternatives, maintains a certain stability with investments of 4.85 billion euros in 2024, down 4.4% on 2023 and 32.6% on 2019.

Investment in Promotions & POS (point-of-sale advertising) continues to be affected by budget cuts, with a 2.5% decline in 2024.

In contrast, event advertising saw a notable increase of +17.6% on 2023 and +13% on 2019, driven by the Olympic Games and Euro 2024.

Luxury and printing: a changing relationship

The luxury goods sector, historically a major user of print media for its campaigns, saw limited growth of +3% in 2024, a far cry from the increases seen in previous years. This stagnation is partly explained by a downturn in the last quarter (-6%).

Advertising spend in the luxury goods sector remains concentrated on the printed press and outdoor advertising, which remain strategic media despite an overall decline of -5% for the press.

However, strategies vary from group to group: LVMH posted a slight increase of +2%, while Chanel fell back by -6% and L'Oréal and Richemont each recorded a decline of -12%. On the other hand, Hermès (+32%), Kering (+21%) and Giorgio Armani (+15%) show a much more favorable dynamic.

Outlook 2025: an uncertain future for print advertising

Bump's projections for 2025 point to moderate growth in the communications market (+0.5%), reaching 35.9 billion euros, with a decline in the five traditional media (press, outdoor advertising, television, radio and cinema) and a continued rise in digital (+8.2%).
Other media, notably print advertising and direct marketing, would continue their downward trend, with a -3.7% decrease, due to an unfavorable base effect after the peak in investments linked to the 2024 Olympic Games

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