Nielsen reveals New Zealand's top ad spenders and categories for 2025

02/03/2026

Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand's Biggest Ad Spenders of 2025 Report shows that Harvey Norman was New Zealand's largest advertiser in 2025, overtaking Foodstuffs NZ as the country's highest-spending brand. The annual analysis, powered by Nielsen Ad Intel, tracks advertising investment across the market and highlights where competition intensified year-on-year as brands fought harder to win attention across a rapidly evolving media environment.

Nielsen's latest research shows retail remained the clear heavyweight of the New Zealand market, while ad investment strengthened across categories where Kiwis are actively comparing value, switching providers and researching big-ticket purchases.

The biggest year-on-year increases from 2024 to 2025 were led by Telecommunications, up $41.8m ( 25%), followed by Beverages ( $40.5m, 25%), Government Departments, Services & Community ( $24.8m, 7%), Travel ( $23.8m, 10%), and Business Services ( $21.6m, 10%).

Rose Lopreiato, Nielsen Ad Intel's Pacific Commercial Lead, said: In New Zealand, it's not only about how much you spend, but where you place it. With retail still leading the market and competition heating up in categories where consumers are comparing value and changing providers, marketers need a sharper view of where the pressure is building, both the sectors drawing the biggest budgets and the brands increasing their share of voice. Nielsen Ad Intel delivers an independent read on that competitive landscape, helping advertisers defend that share and invest where it will have the greatest impact

New Zealand's Top 20 advertisers for 2025

1. Harvey Norman, 2. Foodstuffs NZ, 3. Woolworths, 4. Spark NZ, 5. Chemist Warehouse, 6. McDonald's, 7. One NZ, 8. IAG, 9. KFC, 10. The Warehouse, 11. NZ Lotteries Commission, 12. Bunnings, 13. ANZ, 14. Reckitt Benckiser, 15. Bank of New Zealand, 16. Auckland Council, 17. Farmers Trading Co, 18. Uber, 19. Air New Zealand, 20. 2degrees Mobile

Several of the most notable shifts in 2025 reflected momentum in telecommunications, retail, and everyday purchase categories. Spark NZ climbed from #8 to #4, reinforcing the scale of competition among telcos, alongside One NZ holding at #7 and 2degrees Mobile entering the Top 20 at #20. In quick-service restaurants, McDonald's rose from #10 to #6, while KFC moved from #5 to #9, highlighting sustained investment in high-frequency categories.

Retail competition also strengthened, with The Warehouse moving from #12 to #10, Bunnings lifting from #16 to #12, while Chemist Warehouse remained in the Top 5 (slipping from #4 to #5).

New entrants also reshaped the 2025 Top 20. Auckland Council (#16) and Air New Zealand (#19) joined the rankings alongside 2degrees Mobile (#20), while Unilever Australasia, Brand Developers and Mitre 10 dropped out. Bank of New Zealand strengthened its position, climbing from #20 to #15, while ANZ moved from #6 to #13, pointing to shifting pressure among major banks.

Top 20 ad categories by investment in 2025 1. Retail: $675.4m, 2. Leisure, Entertainment: $465.4m, 3. Foodstuffs: $441.8m, 4. Government Departments, Services & Community: $379.2m, 5. Automotive: $346.3m, 6. Investment, Finance, Banking: $303.6m, 7. Travel: $264.4m, 8. Home Improvements: $263.5m, 9. Pharmaceuticals, Health: $251.6m, 10. Business Services: $246.0m, 11. Real Estate: $244.5m, 12. Telecommunication: $206.8m, 13. Beverages: $200.6m, 14. Insurance: $179.0m, 15. Computers: $171.0m, 16. Household Furnishings: $137.1m, 17. Household Electrical Products: $89.0m, 18. Toiletries/Cosmetics: $82.0m, 19. Clothing: $72.8m, 20. Household Cleaning Products: $46.3m

Despite ongoing economic pressures, the spread of investment across categories shows brands continued to prioritise advertising to protect share and stay front-of-mind in a competitive environment, especially in sectors where consumers are making more deliberate choices.

About the report Nielsen's New Zealand's biggest ad spenders of 2025 report provides an independent, comprehensive view of advertising investment across New Zealand, identifying the nation's top advertisers, the categories attracting the highest spend, and the key shifts compared with 2024. The report is underpinned by Nielsen Ad Intel, offering an authoritative perspective on where the advertising market is heading, and what it signals about competition, consumer behaviour and brand strategy in the year ahead.

About Nielsen Ad Intel Ad Intel provides the most complete source of cross-platform advertising intelligence available today. With intuitive software, review-and-compare ad activity across media, company, category or brand, plus historical data.

Note: Nielsen monitors gross advertising expenditure in major media at published rate card values. While discounts are made available from some media owners, rates are not openly available. Please also note that the category and brand/product groupings figures are grouped at Nielsen's discretion.

Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).

About Nielsen Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences now and into the future. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).

Media Contact Dan Chapman

Assoc. Director, Communications, Nielsen, APAC

dan.chapman@nielsen.com

61 404 088 462

LINK:	https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2026/nielsen-reveals-new-zealands-...
	See more stories from arbitron

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

02/03/2026

Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness

Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...

02/03/2026

L3Harris Appoints Ken Sharp Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Ken Bedingfield President of Missile Solutions

MELBOURNE, Fla., March 2, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) today announc...

02/03/2026

Nielsen reveals New Zealand's top ad spenders and categories for 2025

Harvey Norman tops New Zealand's biggest ad spenders as retail leads and telcos and beverages sure Auckland March 3, 2026 - Nielsen's New Zealand'...

02/03/2026

aconnic and Arqit join forces to present the first quantum-safe industrial OT security gateway firewall at Mobile World Congress 2026

aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...

02/03/2026

Advanced Systems Group Promotes Jody Boatwright to Chief...

Advanced Systems Group, LLC (ASG), a technology and services provider for media creatives and content owners, has appointed Jody Boatwright as Chief Strategy Of...

02/03/2026

Lightware TPN ecosystem powers smarter networks and strea...

Lightware, an industry leader in signal management, is reinforcing its commitment to simplifying complex AV environments with the continued evolution of its TPN...

02/03/2026

ZEISS Cinema Hosts First US Aatma Lens Demo Event in LA

ZEISS Cinema opens its doors to an exclusive screening, filmmakers Q&A and hands-on showcase of the new ZEISS Aatma lens family on Tuesday, March 10, 6:00-9:00 ...

02/03/2026

DoPchoice Introduces SNAPBAG Round for the New Astera Qui...

To expand the creative potential of the compact Astera QuikBeam, DoPchoice introduces the SNAPBAG Round. The new light-shaping accessory transforms the powerfu...

02/03/2026

Douglas Dubler Master of Light - Five Decades Shooting w...

Douglas Dubler On a rooftop in New York City, veteran photographer Douglas Dubler watched the sun's angle shift across the urban landscape, his internal cl...

02/03/2026

ZEISS Expands Otus ML Lineup with the New 1435

ZEISS is expanding its Otus ML lens family with the introduction of the new ZEISS Otus ML 1.4/35. This manual-focus lens is designed for photographers who live ...

02/03/2026

Matthews Intros White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit by D...

Matthews Studio Equipment now offers the new Dinkum Systems White FlexiMount and Phone Mount Kit, a compact, highly adaptable setup for mobile content creation...

02/03/2026

SES and Africa Mobile Network Reach Milestone: Connecting 5.8 Million in DRC, Expanding Rural Coverage

Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...

02/03/2026

Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative

02 03 2026 - Media release Ausfilm and Screen Australia launch joint UK market initiative Ausfilm and Screen Australia have announced Partner with Australia (...

02/03/2026

Netflix Unveils the Trailer for '53 Sundays', the New Film by Cesc Gay

Back to All News Netflix Unveils the Trailer for 53 Sundays, the New Film by Cesc Gay Entertainment 02 March 2026 GlobalSpain Link copied to clipboard Dis...

02/03/2026

Fox Corporation President and Chief Operating Officer John Nallen to Participate in Upcoming Deutsche Bank's 34th Annual Media, Internet & Telecom Conference 2026

28/02/2026

FOX Sports Waves Green Flag on 2026 IndyCar Season With Driver's Eye, Heads Up Display, Live Drones

With two features seen in Formula 1 coverage, the broadcaster aims to bring view...

28/02/2026

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth Visits L3Harris Solid Rocket Motor Site

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth addresses a crowd of approximately 1,500 L3Harris employees in Camden, Arkansas, as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour....