The first half of 2009 witnessed a 26% fall in UAE advertisement spending, as compared to the figures of the same period in 2008.

As per the statistics published by the Pan Arab Research Center (PARC), "The biggest reductions were in both the property and financial sectors, which fell 75 percent and 43 percent respectively during the first two quarters of 2009."

It should be noted that a rise in advertising expenditure was seen on clothing, jewelry and household items, among others.

On the whole, a stable outlook was maintained on advertisement spending at AED1.2 billion during the first half of 2009.