Central publications in the first five weeks of 2001 grossed more than $350,000 in advertising from the IT and software field alone. The Internet Service Providers (ISP) ranked first among the IT & software companies to have paid the most to promote their products and services.
The quick development of the IT & software market in Romania showed in a large advertising volume in the printed press early in the year. The printed press is one of the main “battlefields” generated by the competition concept.
The figures in this analysis were calculated based on the advertising tariffs for each publication, on the ad space, on the position of the ad within the publication and excluding VAT or any other discount agreed upon between advertisers and the management of the various publications.
Throughout the first five weeks of 2001, the IT& software products benefited from a sustained promotion on the above-mentioned support, bringing the central publication over $350,000 in receipts.
The first conclusion derived from the study of this advertising bulk is that the Internet services were the best promoted category of the IT & software field during the interval considered, followed closely by the hardware products, while the promotion of the software products did not go beyond the stage in which it was last year, that is “low profile.”
Subsequently, according to a survey conducted by Mediafax Database on the IT & software advertising in the central printed press over the first five weeks of 2001, the companies dealing in the field considered had 204 ads placed in the press, ads amounting to $351,853, the bulk of which was registered by Internet Service Providers – 87 advertisements with a total ratecard of $169.417 followed closely by hardware and accessories – 85 advertisements worth $146,115 and finally by software – 32 advertisements worth $36,321.
The undisputed leader of the advertising in this field early in the year is DigiCom Systems, 39 ads (mainly run on the front or bottom page of the wide circulation dailies Adevarul and National, or in the Academia Catavencu weekly), worth $151,473 (nearly half the total advertising value for the interval considered).
As for ISPs, DigiCom is followed by Romania Data Systems, with 2 one-page ads worth $2,800 run in the Chip magazine and by Kappa Servexim with 14 low-space ads, run mostly in Adevarul under the “High speed Internet -100 dial-up access numbers” with a total ratecard of $2,392.
As for advertising aimed at hardware products and accessories, Compaq Romania ranks first within the five-week interval, with a number of 16 ads for Compaq Armada brand, worth $62,985 (printed mainly in Curentul, Cotidianul, Evenimentul Zilei Jurnalul National, in specialised publications such as Computer World, PC World and Net Report and in economic weekly Capital). Mediafax Database