• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 10, 2013

Global ad spending increased 3.2% to $557 billion last year, propelled by a robust third quarter, which included the Olympics. The quarter’s 4.3% bump outpaced the 2.5% increase in the final three months, which included the holiday season.
 
Spending in North America was up 4.6%, topping the 2.8% growth for the Asia-Pacific region. The Middle East and Africa saw the highest percentage growth -- 14.6% -- among the six regions. All were up, except for a 4.2% decline in Europe, where the Olympics were held, per Nielsen.
 
In March, Carat projected a 3.7% increase in the global ad economy in 2013 -- a reduction from the 5.1% projection issued last summer before the fourth-quarter moderate growth that Nielsen tracked.
 
Moving forward, Carat has issued a 5% increase for 2014 as the Winter Olympics come to Russia. Growth in digital marketing should also help, as Carat projects it will account for 20% of all ad spending globally then.