Local advertising spending in the Baltimore-Washington metro area will reach $7.9 billion in 2018 across markets in D.C, Maryland and Virginia, according to BIA Advisory Services’ 2018 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast.

The top six vertical market categories, which include retail, financial/insurance services, general professional services, automotive, restaurants and wireless telecommunications carriers (except satellite), represent more than 73 percent of the ad revenue, with total local spending going across traditional and online/digital media.

BIA will present the firm’s local and nationwide advertising intelligence at LOCAL IMPACT DC  on Thursday, May 10, at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Headquarters in D.C.

“The vibrant ad market and diverse population in the Baltimore-Washington corridor is reinforced by prominent vertical advertisers that are willing to spend money across multiple channels to reach their target audiences,” said Mark Fratrik, chief economist and SVP, BIA Advisory Services.

“Over the last five years, we’ve projected the rise of mobile and online as more mature technologies, such as those that deliver on-the-spot advertising, become available. Advertisers still remain committed to broadcast and traditional print partly perhaps because these channels remain consistent in their ability to connect with local consumers and synchronize quite well with digital advertising efforts,” Fratrik explained.

Top Media Nationally and in Baltimore-Washington

The top spending categories in media for the Baltimore-DC market reflect the national advertising buying trends. Direct mail, local TV, and mobile are projected by BIA to reach $151.2 billion in the U.S. this year.

BIA’s Baltimore-Washington forecast estimates that more than $5.7 billion will be spent between the top five media in the region:

• Direct mail ($1.99 billion) – 25.1%
• TV Over-the-Air ($1.10 billion) – 13.9%
• Mobile ($980.2 million) – 12.4%
• Online ($912.1 million) – 11.5%
• Radio Over-the-Air ($721.0 million) – 9.1%

Fastest Growing Vertical in Baltimore-Washington

The firm’s forecast shows that in Maryland and Virginia the wireless telecommunications carrier vertical market (minus satellite providers) is projected to grow by nearly 22 percent through 2022, with that business category putting their ad spend primarily in digital channels:

• Mobile (+$49.6 million)
• Online (+$14.3 million)
• Email (+$3.1 million)
• Newspaper Online (+$1.9 million)
• Radio Online (+$1.8 million)

About LOCAL IMPACT DC

BIA will examine the Baltimore-Washington region and the whole $150+ billion locally targeted advertising marketplace at its LOCAL IMPACT DC event on Thursday, May 10, at the headquarters of the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) headquarters in D.C. This half-day program will focus on local advertising, where ad dollars are being spent across top media in the metro area and where they will migrate over the next five years. Key topics throughout the agenda include digital ad spend, advertising intentions (findings from a small and medium-sized business (SMB) advertiser survey), ATSC 3.0, programmatic and the forecast for political ad spending.

Speakers at LOCAL IMPACT DC include:

• Brent McGoldrick, CEO of Deep Root Analytics
• Derrick DeCarlo, Sales and Business Development Executive at GroundTruth
• Steve Passwaiter, Vice President and General Manager, Political at Kantar Media
• Brendan Morrissey, CEO and co-founder at Netsertive
• John Clark, Executive Director at PILOT of NAB
• Barry Shawgo, SVP Sales at SalesFuel
• Dan Mellon, GM of WJLA, Sinclair Broadcasting
• Frank Friedman, President at Publicis Local Media Exchange

Details and registration can be found here.

About BIA Forecasts

BIA offers both nationwide and local market forecasts in its ADVantage dashboard, delivering a direct view of national and local market ad spending. For more details, email [email protected].

About BIA Advisory Services

BIA Advisory Services is the leading authority for data-centered research, analysis, strategic consulting and valuation services for the local media industry. Since 1983, BIA has been a valuable resource for traditional and digital media companies, brands and agencies, the financial and legal community serving media and telecom, as well as the FCC and other government agencies. Today, BIA offers comprehensive local market advertising intelligence in our BIA ADVantage data platform to help clients discover the path to their best opportunities. Learn more about its offerings and regional event series, LOCAL IMPACT, at http://www.bia.com.