SUPERMARKETS REMAIN the stalwarts of press advertising, a report prepared for Checkout magazine by Nielsen suggests.

The Supermarket Ad Tracker report shows that press is the beneficiary of 73 per cent of the ad budgets of grocery multiples.

However, this spend fell 13.5 per cent to €8.6 million in the first quarter of 2012 compared to the same period last year.

Tesco cut its press spend by 54 per cent in the quarter, which partially overlaps with the 13-week period in which it achieved its first like-for-like sales growth in the Republic of Ireland since 2010.

Overall, advertising spending by supermarkets fell by 12 per cent to €12 million, making the decline in the sector’s press spend more or less in line with the overall market.

Radio spend fell 35 per cent to €1.4 million, while television spend rose 13 per cent to €1.5 million and outdoor spend rose 46 per cent to approximately €300,000.

The total number of press ads taken by Tesco, Dunnes, SuperValu, Superquinn, Lidl, Aldi, Marks Spencer and Eurospar came to 1,008 during the quarter, down from 1,213.

Not all newspaper editions are created equal, the Nielsen Ireland Media data confirms.

Sunday was the most popular day for supermarket ads, with 241 ads placed on that day, compared to 199 on Thursdays, 153 on Wednesdays, 149 on Tuesdays, 144 on Fridays, 109 on Saturdays and a measly 13 on Mondays.

“Despite the multitude of media channels available, print media remains the vehicle of choice for supermarket advertising,” says Checkout editor Stephen Wynne-Jones.

“However, with most choosing to place newspaper ads on specific days, particularly Sundays, there is also a need for retailers to offer differentiation in terms of how they get their message across.”