Hat tip for Kareem for highlighting this chart. 

You might know think advertising is a big market. This chart shows you exactly how big it is and breaks it out by sector. 

Question:

1. What are the reasons that companies advertise? 
2. Which company's ads do you tend to see most frequently from the list above? Where do you see their ads (physical world, TV, digital world)
3. Which three companies spend the most on advertising? What types of products do each of them sell (may require some research)? 
4. Apple is generally considered one of the strongest consumer brands. Find their logo in the chart above and how much they spend on advertising. Why do you think they are able to spend so little on advertising? 
5. Which industry seems to spend the most on advertising (add up the top 3-4 advertisers to come up with this answer)? Why do you think so much is spent in this industry sector? 

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Like having your students analyze charts/graphs? Be sure to check out NGPF's Data Crunch for more. 

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.