Swiss advertising market grows by 2.8 percent in February

In February, the traditional advertising market continued the positive trend from the start of the year and, with an increase of 2.8%, achieved gross advertising expenditure of CHF 264.3 million. Growth was driven primarily by out-of-home (+22.8%) - including campaigns for the Sunrise Mobile subscription and Nescafé. This was followed by cinema (+12.5%), radio (+8.4%) and TV (+2.0%), while print continued to decline at -12.0%.

Digital market with a channel-driven media mix

In the digital market, gross advertising expenditure amounted to CHF 210.2 million in February. This shows a channel-driven media mix: search continues to dominate with a share of 73.5%, followed by display (19.7%) and YouTube (7.4%). The strong increase compared to the previous year (+152.3%) is primarily driven by search (+335.6%) and not organic, as technical adjustments made by Google 2025 in the first quarter led to restrictions in data collection. As a result, comparability with the previous year is limited in some areas. However, the display delivery statistics also contributed to the increase in February 2026 (+26.5%). YouTube is down slightly (-6.2%).

Positive developments in twelve sectors

The tobacco industry recorded the strongest percentage increase (+130.7%), largely driven by campaigns for Velo Nicotine Pouches and Davidoff cigarettes, but remains at the bottom of the ranking. Finance (68.5%), transportation (47.7%) and fashion & sport (41.3%) also performed strongly. Leisure, gastronomy, tourism (+25.4%) once again led the rankings in February, supported by the strong out-of-home presence of McDonald's restaurants and Swisslos Super Win For Life, among others.

Declining development in nine sectors

A total of nine sectors reduced their advertising pressure compared to the previous year. The most significant percentage declines were seen in digital & household (-32.8%), vehicles (-30.8%) and retail (-25.2%). Despite the downward trend, retail (-25.2%) and food (-10.4%) are still among the sectors with the highest advertising pressure. The telecommunications industry also saw a double-digit reduction in advertising pressure (-16.6%). Events (-3.3%), cosmetics & personal care (-2.7%), construction, industry, furnishings (-2.9%) and pharmaceuticals & healthcare (-0.8%) are only slightly in negative territory.

Traditional versus digital market

In February, the leisure, gastronomy and tourism sector was at the top of both markets. However, the ranking behind it differs significantly: retail and food follow in the traditional advertising market, while finance and services are more important in the digital market. In both markets, the automotive sector ranks 7th, while the fashion & sports and pharmaceutical & healthcare sectors are positioned in the midfield.

The telecommunications industry is ranked 5th in the digital market, while it is ranked 13th in the traditional market. The reverse is true for initiatives & campaigns: The industry is ranked 5th in the traditional market, while it is ranked 14th in the digital market. This indicates that digital channels are less important within the communication strategy.

Top products in the digital advertising market

A clearly channel-driven picture emerged in the digital advertising market in February: While search continues to be strongly performance and travel-oriented, display and YouTube are determined by a more diverse mix of different offer worlds. Spusu.ch leads the ranking in Display, followed by Tui Reisen and Brack.ch. In Search, the travel provider Booking.com has been at the top since the beginning of the year, ahead of Axa.ch and Skyscanner.ch. On YouTube, Japanese consumer electronics with the Nintendo Switch 2 console took first place, up from second place in the previous month. It is followed by Digitec.ch and Knorr Bouillon.

Neither a product nor a service is represented in the top positions in several channels at the same time. However, it is striking that various travel providers are present in both Display and Search, while online retailers appear primarily in Display and YouTube.