AWS Outdoor Advertising Switzerland
- Strong medium for SMEs and public welfare organisations
- A large part of the added value totalling CHF 701 million flows directly or indirectly to the population and the public sector.
A study conducted by PwC Switzerland on behalf of the Swiss Outdoor Advertising Association (AWS) is the first to assess the economic contribution of classic, analogue and digital advertising on standard formats in public spaces and underlines the great social and economic importance of this sub-sector of outdoor advertising for Switzerland with facts and figures from the year 2022. The study demonstrates the importance and acceptance of outdoor advertising as a local and national advertising medium. It proves that the poster is an important element of economic freedom, freedom of information and freedom of opinion.
These are the most important results of the study:
- In 2022, the sub-sector of outdoor advertising examined generated direct value of CHF 397 million and indirect value of CHF 304 million with around 82,500 advertising sites (94% analogue/6% digital).
- For every franc of gross sales, a total of around 0.6 francs flows directly and indirectly back to the population and the public as financial contributions. Local actors in particular can benefit from this.
- Of the 227 million francs in concessions and rental fees for advertising media, 152 million francs flow to owners under public law. The local population in particular benefits from this, as a significant part of the levies goes to the cantons and municipalities. 7 million Swiss francs in tax revenue also go to the federal government, the canton and the municipality.
- The outdoor advertising industry employs a total of 779 people and offers 16 apprentices the opportunity to learn. It pays a total of 93 million francs in wages and social security contributions.
- The out-of-home advertising industry works closely with public welfare organisations and supports them with services worth 47 million Swiss francs. It provides a channel for socially relevant topics. These include, in particular, cultural offers, charity, elections and voting, emergency and crisis communications, and educational campaigns.
- Outdoor advertising is often used by local businesses. For example, the share of small and medium-sized companies and organisations with less than 10,000 Swiss francs in annual expenditure on outdoor advertising is around 63%.
- The energy consumption of Swiss outdoor advertising is moderate, accounting for approximately 1.5% of the energy balance of Switzerland-wide street lighting in 2021, and only 0.3% of the electricity consumption of Swiss data centres in 2019.
- Outdoor advertising contributes to a vibrant but also well-kept cityscape and townscape by also financing and maintaining public infrastructure in cities and municipalities (e.g. city maps, tram stations and bus shelters) - closely coordinated with regard to urban planning and spatial aspects within the framework of billboarding concepts.