Viamedia released the first in a series of “Main Street” economic reports that showcase trends in the 70+ local markets it sells local cable advertising in around the country. “While our local advertisers (and the markets they reside in) do not represent a scientifically drawn random sample, we believe the dispersion (and sheer volume) of transactions we engage in on a daily basis places Viamedia in a unique position to comment upon local economic conditions,” Viamedia said.

For February, not surprisingly, automotive led spending, accounting more than 44% of total local dollars in Viamedia markets. (Click on the chart below to see full image.)

Screen Shot 2015-03-31 at 12.52.09 PM

Source: Proprietary Viamedia analysis of internal local advertising dollars based upon the primary reference of the contract (excludes national spot and regional ad dollars). Shares are based on the sum of 10 local categories. Note: Analysis excludes local political advertising, which in Presidential & Midterm Election years represents a top tier spending category. Copyright © 2015 by Viamedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

When comparing last month to February 2014, Viamedia found that seven out of 10 categories were up—lead by retail/department stores and medical/healthcare. Taking significant declines were financial services and restaurants. (Click on chart below to see full image.)

Ad Categories Image 1

Source: Proprietary Viamedia analysis of internal local advertising dollars based upon the primary reference of the contract (excludes national spot and regional ad dollars). Copyright © 2015 by Viamedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Viamedia’s deeper dive on automotive found that the category has consistently posted double-digit growth levels (with the exception of 3 months). Financial services appear to be on a downward trend, and healthcare spending seems to have benefited from the Affordable Care Act. Of the 10 categories Viamedia tracks, restaurants were by far the weakest. (Click on charts below to see full image.)

Auto Image 2

Source: Proprietary Viamedia analysis of internal local advertising dollars for the automotive category based upon the primary reference of the contract (excludes national spot and regional ad dollars). Copyright © 2015 by Viamedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Financial Image 4

Source: Proprietary Viamedia analysis of internal local advertising dollars for the financial services category based upon the primary reference of the contract (excludes national spot and regional ad dollars). Copyright © 2015 by Viamedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Medical Image 5

Source: Proprietary Viamedia analysis of internal local advertising dollars for the medical/health care category based upon the primary reference of the contract (excludes national spot and regional ad dollars). Copyright © 2015 by Viamedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Rest Image 6

Source: Proprietary Viamedia analysis of internal local advertising dollars for the restaurant category based upon the primary reference of the contract (excludes national spot and regional ad dollars). Copyright © 2015 by Viamedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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