The advertising business, especially display ads, is becoming a big business in Asia and this growth is all set to overtake the global advertising market, including the U.S and Europe.  The gross advertising expenditure has surprisingly escalated from 5.9 per cent in 2009 to 14.7 percent in 2010, making it approximately $12.6 billion.

The September report of Starcom MediaVest Group and eMarketer Inc. expects Asian advertising industry to surpass all records and grow it up to $22.2 billion in 2014.Some of the major advertising giants that expect to see further boom in the market are Ogilvy & Mather, Publicis Groupe, Grey Worldwide and R3.

“What is happening is that clients are sending their best marketers to the region.  Clients like Diageo and Nestle are sending world-class marketers to places like Singapore and Pakistan. Coca Cola is sending their best marketers to places like the Philippines. Everyone is interested in China,” says Mayo of Ogilvy and Mather.

Besides display ads, another segment that is luring Asian advertisers is digital marketing. The best part is that the advertising boom has consequently uplifted the hiring trends as well. For example, Grey Worldwide has just hired over a dozen creative directors, planners and strategic directors specialized in digital marketing. Ogilvy & Mather has also appointed three new directors and is roping up more managers in Asian markets.

“We’re investing massively in new creative talent,” says David Mayo, president of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising Asia Pacific.  “Its driven by the fact that marketing spend is going to follow the growth.”

Overall, Asian advertising market is opening up new avenues in the hiring industry and that day is not far when we will see it as a major job providing segment.  Display ads are regaining interest for social marketing trends in particular, and this will parlay well into growing retail efforts.  Marketing around this has brought new opportunities for display ads, especially as they’re able to be better targeted.  With retail taking off in China and Japan in the form of e-commerce, it’s easy to see the many possibilities display ads have before them.