Harvey Norman top's Nielsen list of biggest spending advertisers in 2023

Harvey Norman was the biggest spending advertiser in Australia for 2023, beating out Woolworths and McDonald’s, according to data from Nielsen Ad Intel.

The retail giant topped the list of the country's 20 highest-spending advertisers, which is calculated through analysis of advertising trends and spending between January and December.

Reckitt Benckiser was fourth on the list, ahead of e-commerce giant Amazon (5), KFC (6), Chemist Warehouse (7), Telstra (8) and Coles Supermarkets (9). The beleaguered telecommunications giant Optus rounded out the top ten.

Among the top 20 were online wagering company Sportsbet, national airline brand Qantas and Uber, which made its top 20 debut.

Rose Lopreiato, Nielsen Ad Intel’s Australia commercial lead, said the data was “pretty telling”.

"Marketers aren't just relying on advertising, they're its biggest champions. They know it’s still the best and most economical way of forging lasting connections between brands and consumers. Top-tier data, like that provided by Nielsen Ad Intel, is crucial if you want to get the edge on your competition.”

The list reflects the overall ad market trends of the past 12 months, highlighting the decline in government spending and the increase in retail and e-commerce spending.  The list also showcases the drop in spending across the finance category, with none of the big four banks making the top 20 list. 

See also: Nielsen ranks biggest-spending marketers, with Harvey Norman and Maccas on top