It’s Christmas day, ya’ll! 

From all of us to all of you, we wish you happy holidays and a very merry New Year. 

Over the last several weeks, we’ve delivered our own version of the 12 Days of Christmas to you and your sales team — and you didn’t even have to leave us milk and cookies!

Instead of golden rings and calling birds, we’ve called up our research to give you insight into the top advertisers across industries and platforms. 

Today is Christmas, and we have just one of our special blog posts left. Here are MediaRadar’s 12 Ads of Christmas so far:

On the first day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving,
11 Boxes Shipping,
10 Brands a-Sponsoring,
9 Pharmas Placing,
8 Planes a-Flying,
7 Banks a-Buyin’,
6 DSPs Distributing,
5 Onion Riiiiings!,
4 Rolling Tractors,
3 Sofa-Beds,
2 Podcast Ads…..

And today, on the twelfth day of Christmas, we bring you: 1 partner for your sales team!

MediaRadar: Your Partner in Ad Sales

We are truly an all-in-one ad sales enablement platform for ad tech, emerging media and event marketing. 

With our platform and unique data, we help you and your sales team identify ad sales opportunities — and close on those deals with robust insight. With MediaRadar, you can find the best prospects, see where they advertise, and deliver a compelling pitch that outshines your competitors. 

But we’re more than a DaaS or SaaS solution; we are dedicated to being your partner in ad sales. It’s why we are constantly growing to include rapidly growing formats like podcasts, and it’s why we write up posts each week detailing developments within B2B, ad tech and consumer media. 

If you want a peek into just how insightful our data tools can be, take a look at the resources built on top of our research:

• Trend Reports: From upfront info on quarterly RFPs to insight into how media companies can maximize revenue with event marketing, our trend reports give you what you need to coordinate ad sales effectively. 

• Top Advertisers: Quickly identify which brands control the largest ad budgets across linear TV, digital, print and social media. 

Want more? Check out our ROI Calculator to see how MediaRadar’s sales enablement platforms can create growth for your company. 

Thank You! 

We love writing these “12 Days” posts — it’s simultaneously fun and insightful. But we mostly love taking the time to put together a fun series to show our appreciation to you, our partners! As the year comes to a close, we are grateful for your cooperation, feedback and affirmation as we continue to build a useful sales enablement tool for you and your sales team. 

With that, we wrap up MediaRadar’s annual 12 Ads of Christmas! We’re sad to see it go, but we are looking forward to the New Year. 

More than 2,000 media and ad tech companies rely on MediaRadar to close more deals on a daily basis. Will you be one of them in 2020?

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas. 

On the third day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving,
11 Boxes Shipping,
10 Brands a-Sponsoring,
9 Pharmas Placing,
8 Planes a-Flying,
7 Banks a-Buyin’,
6 DSPs Distributing,
5 Onion Riiiiings!,
4 Rolling Tractors,
3 Sofa Beds,
2 Podcast Ads (that’s today!),
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the final days of our year-end countdown!

Today is the second to last day for our favorite annual series. It’s fitting, then, that we look at a formerly niche advertising format that continues to gain popularity for B2B and consumer brands alike: podcasts. 

From looking at why brands like podcasts for direct response advertising to why Spotify invested in podcasting player Gimlet, MediaRadar has spent quite a bit of time looking at the promise and power of podcast advertising. In fact, in January of this year we wrote that 2019 was going to be a big year for audio. 

Looking for more? See who is buying podcast ads — and their holistic ad strategy — with MediaRadar Podcasts. 

The Interactive Advertising Bureau estimated that brands spent nearly $700 million on podcast advertising in 2019 — and that number is expected to grow to over $1 billion two years from now. 

Instead of taking the broad view of podcast advertising, we want to look at two instances of how consumer advertising can do particularly well within the podcast format. 

Leesa Sleep Runs an Ad on Comedy Bang! Bang!

Comedy Bang! Bang! Host Scott Aukerman is known for irreverant and sometimes cringe-inducing humor, with shows like Mr. Show and Between Two Ferns. His podcast, then, is a perfect case study for just how informal and effective podcast ads can be. 

In one recent spot, the podcast is advertising DTC mattress company Leesa Sleep. Like with most podcast promotions, ads on the comedy show are read out by the host. “Leesa believes that a bed is also a place for relaxation and rest,” Aukerman begins, before going off script. “Sounds like that’s a subcategory falling under ‘place to sleep’, in my opinion. But, hey, Leesa you’re the boss and you can write whatever copy you want.” 

Aukerman also includes a detailed description of each mattress offering, using phrases like “perfect combination” and “Leesa’s mission.” But the draw of the podcast spot is that the host continues to sprinkle in personality: at one point he reads out that the mattress features “cooling LSA-200 foam… whatever that is.” 

The riffed promo leads into a typical podcast ad offering: a specialized Comedy Bang! Bang! landing page designed to both track ROI for the brand and provide additional revenue for the podcast. 

“I have a Leesa mattress, I sleep on it every night,” Aukerman concludes. “I never take a night off and just stand in a corner.”

Charmin Runs an Ad on The Ron Burgundy Podcast

Hosted by Will Ferrell in character as Ron Burgundy, this podcast combines comedy with late night style conversations with real celebrities. It makes sense as a forum for consumer advertisers — like Procter & Gamble’s Charmin toilet paper, for example. 

Burgundy (Ferrell) Reads out his ads in character:

“Ron Burgundy here to tell you about two kinds of toilet paper that are sweeping the nation: Charmin Ultra Soft and Charmin Ultra Strong. One is soft and the other is strong. One reminds you of a baby puppy, the other reminds you of the great American buffalo. The strong one is for really doing the job. The soft one? Well, let’s just say it’s for the love of softness. I like both! I keep about 800 to 1,000 rolls of both kinds of toilet paper in my house in case of emergencies. You never know when 800 people might stop by.” 

It’s silly, it’s simple — and it’s exactly the kind of thing that will stick in listeners’ heads for quite awhile. 

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas. 

On the third day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing
8 Planes a-Flying
7 Banks a-Buyin’
6 DSPs Distributing
5 Onion Riiiiings!
4 Rolling Tractors
3 sofa beds (that’s today!)
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the final days of our year-end countdown!

Today, we look at three ‘sofa beds’ instead of the more traditional three ‘French hens’. 

These are the top three furniture brands advertising programmatically in 2019 — both among DTC and major brick and mortar retailers. 

We’ve written a-plenty on programmatic advertising this year, ranging from the top industries buying programmatic ads to what programmatic ad spend looks like in Q4. 

Maybe these advertisers will give us an even better picture of how an industry spends programmatically. Without further introduction, these are the three top spenders. 

Wayfair 

Wayfair, a fast-growing furniture and home goods equivalent to Amazon, spent the most on programmatic ads by a long shot. The eCommerce platform has spent $12 million on programmatic advertising so far this year. Wayfair partners with over 25 programmatic partners to serve ads on properties as diverse as The Chronicle of the Horse. It also made our list of the top DTC brands spending the most on programmatic advertising last quarter. In that report, we wrote that Wayfair “positions itself against other eCommerce giants like Amazon and Walmart with the promise of both range and 2-day shipping.” 

Crate & Barrel

Crate & Barrel spent just over half what Wayfair spent on programmatic advertising in 2019: $7 million in total, so far. The brand partners with over 20 programmatic providers, placing programmatic ads on major consumer-focused properties like HGTV. Crate & Barrel was also included in our list of top retail and wholesaler advertisers. 

Bed, Bath, & Beyond 

Bed, Bath & Beyond, like many other brick and mortar retailers, has seen its revenue and stock prices fall in the past five years or so. Despite the adversity, BBBY is still a big player in digital advertising — we reported the retailer as a top spender in mobile advertising earlier this year. The retailer has spent $6 million on programmatic advertising in 2019 alone.

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the fourth day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing
8 Planes a-Flying
7 Banks a-Buyin’
6 DSPs Distributing
5 Onion Riiiiings!
4 Rolling Tractors (that’s today!)
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the final days of our year-end countdown!

Up today: four calling birds are replaced by four rolling tractors. 

Collectively, the farming and agricultural equipment industry spent has spent less than $50 million on display advertising in 2019. In general, B2B display advertising is either down or flat year-over-year. If you get even more niche (such as tractor brands), you can imagine the numbers are even smaller. 

But that doesn’t mean the spending isn’t there. For those advertising, which brands are doing the most? Here are the top four tractor brands advertising within the B2B space in 2019. 

John Deere Tractors

John Deere is one of the biggest names in agricultural equipment, both for consumer and B2B audiences. The brand, part of the larger Deere & Company, generally runs print and display ads on niche B2B publications like Farm Journal and America’s Horse. 

Grasshopper 

Grasshopper is as niche as B2B brands come, focusing on riding mowers for home and agricultural use. The brand relies on partnerships with both local suppliers (like Green Hill Farms, serving Western Pennsylvania) and industry properties like Farm Equipment, an online and print monthly magazine. 

Bobcat

The Bobcat brands is nearly synonymous with heavy duty equipment, including use within the agricultural industry. While information on advertising spend is light, Bobcat features in plenty of local news and industry publications, both in the form of news stories and press releases. 

Kubota

With farm equipment and mowers, Kubota was certainly a contender for the top tractor advertisers this year. Ads run the gamut from mower display ads on Mother Earth News to full page print ads showing the brand’s tractor planters in Top Producer. 

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the fifth day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing
8 Planes a-Flying
7 Banks a-Buyin’
6 DSPs Distributing
5 Onion Riiiiings! (that’s today!)
4 ???
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the final days of our year-end countdown!

Up today is the refrain we probably all sing with the most gusto (especially after a round or two of egg nog): five golden rings. 

It only makes sense that the stanza is replaced with fast food advertisers: the five onion rings. 

Below you’ll find the top five fast food advertisers; brands that have spent the most on advertising from January to November of this year, that is. Of course, this list doesn’t reflect viral successes like Popeye’s chicken sandwich number. 

If the relentless Christmas carols on the radio don’t put you in the holiday spirit, maybe a pizza special or Burger King sweepstakes contest will. 

McDonald’s

McDonald’s took the top spot for fast food advertisers by a long shot, spending $400 million on advertising in 2019 so far. The ubiquitous french fry franchise spends prolifically on direct digital ads, TV commercials, programmatic placements and social media offers. They have plenty of creative to throw around, including this holiday-themed digital display ad focused on McDonald’s coffee offerings. 

Burger King 

Burger King, one of McDonald’s biggest and most direct competitors, has spent $295 million on advertising YTD. Spending spans native ads on Reddit to print ads in major US newspapers. The burger chain is known for pushing the boundaries on advertising. It made headlines late last year with its Whopper Detour campaign, which used geofencing to offer 1 cent Whoppers to customers within 600 feet of a McDonald’s location. 

Taco Bell 

The beloved fast food, corporate version of a taco shop came close to Burger King in terms of advertising spend: $280 million YTD. The fast food brand runs plenty of display ads, like this holiday-themed creative, but also spends heavily on sports-related properties like Yahoo Sports and MLB TV. 

Domino’s 

Domino’s has spent $245 million YTD on advertising across the board. Spend includes social media ads on Snapchat, display ads on sports properties and TV promos. Like many of its competitors, the pizza chain runs holiday-themed creative toward the end of the year. 

Wendy’s 

Wendy’s spent less than half of what McDonald’s spent on advertising in 2019: $170 million total. So far at least. The fast food joint hasn’t run holiday-themed ads in the recent past, though it does keep up with Snapchat ads and programmatic placements on sports properties. 

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the sixth day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing
8 Planes a-Flying
7 Banks a-Buyin’
6 DSPs Distributing (that’s today!)
5 ???
4 ???
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the rest of our year-end countdown!

Today we hit the halfway mark for the month-long focus on advertisers and ad spend in 2019. While most of our Christmas ‘days’ are focused on brands, todays’ recap takes a slightly different turn: the top demand-side platforms placing ads this year. 

Just like those six geese a-layin’ in the original 12 Days of Christmas, these are the programmatic platforms laying proverbial golden eggs for their advertisers. 

Beyond the spending on their platform, these DSPs have made their mark on ad tech in 2019. Let’s recap with how the DSPs have fit in the headlines this year. 

DoubleClick

Google acquired DoubleClick over a decade ago, way back in 2007. Since then, the search behemoth has become the unquestioned king of digital ad dollars. DoubleClick has played no small part in that. 

The DSP holds one of the highest market shares according to HTF Market Intelligence, and took the top spot in our own research on DSP placements. On the supply side, nine out of ten publishers use DoubleClick for Publishers. The platform has come under antitrust scrutiny, with calls from presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren to “unwind” the Google-DoubleClick merger. 

Amazon

The recently redubbed Amazon DSP (formerly Amazon Advertising Platform) is a relatively unveiled bid at becoming more competitive in the digital advertising space. 

Since it’s the only DSP that allows ad buyers to leverage Amazon customer data for targeting, Amazon may just start to see a bigger piece of the pie moving forward. The platform focuses on both display ads and video ads on Amazon’s eCommerce store and owned properties, like Twitch. 

Verizon Ad Platform

Verizon’s advertising arm has made headlines a few times this year, with stories ranging from the telecommunications company partnering with Snap Inc. as the provider of 5G to its launch of a machine learning-powered transparency tool for programmatic advertising. 

Maybe its most interesting move for ad tech, though, is the launch of its digital OOH campaign planner tool, which will seemingly make OOH programmatic placement more realistic than ever. 

MediaMath

MediaMath focuses on digital video ads along with other major players like TubeMogul and DataXu. 

The DSP recently made the news when it partnered with LiveRamp, a data platform. The latter’s IdentityLink will integrate with MediaMath’s DSP to provide an “accountable and addressable ecosystem” for targeting and measurement. The combined effort will be called Source, and according to MediaMath’s CEO Joe Zawadzki it’s where the platform will put all new business by the end of next year. 

Sizmek

Amazon bought Sizmek back in June, making headlines and setting Amazon up to remain competitive against Google and Facebook. Since June, Sizmek and Amazon have operated separately, with Sizmek’s main value in its Dynamic Creative Optimization platform. 

“Rather than compete on ad serving, buying Sizmek is more likely a play by Amazon to bolster its own ad stack,” wrote Alison Weissbrot at Ad Exchanger at the time. “An ad server, which acts as a ledger for all of a brand’s media activity, could enhance Amazon’s attribution and measurement solutions – and pull its biggest customers deeper inside its garden walls.” 

DataXu

DataXu was acquired by Roku earlier this year, signalling the OTT company’s plan to grow ad revenue. “Acquiring DataXu is a natural progression of our ad tech strategy to offer more buy-side tools and to provide the industry’s best holistic TV plus OTT planning and buying solution that delivers better results for TV buyers,” Roku SVP Scott Rosenberg said in the press release. 

The deal was a natural fit, given that DataXu was already focusing on connected TV ads before the acquisition.

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the seventh day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing
8 Planes a-Flying
7 Banks a-Buyin’ (that’s today!)
6???
5 ???
4 ???
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the rest of our year-end countdown!

Banks and financial service companies may need to count every penny, but that doesn’t mean they’re all Ebenezer Scrooge when it comes to advertising spend. Today, we look at the ‘seven banks a-buyin’: seven financial services spending on digital ads in 2019.

These financial companies have both a B2B and a consumer audience; and it looks like they make a point of blurring these lines as they advertise personal banking services to financial professionals. It’s sure to get anyone who loves spreadsheets and a competitive interest rate in the holiday spirit. 

These are the top seven financial companies who have spent the most on digital advertising in 2019 so far. 

IBG 

InteractiveBrokers, one of the top online brokerages around the world, has spent $55 million on digital ads in 2019. Naturally, the group advertisers primarily on finance publications, like Investor’s Business Daily and Investors.com. IBG was also featured in our list of the top B2B advertisers from 2019. 

E*Trade

E*Trade, one of the earliest electronic trading platforms, has spent $42 million on digital advertising in 2019. Digital spend includes native advertising around investing education and more direct display ads focused on traders. 

TD Ameritrade

The popular online trading platform has spent $33 million on ads in 2019. TD Ameritrade will soon be acquired by Charles Schwab in an all stock deal valued at $26 billion. As we reported earlier this month, “The combination of the two financial titans will create an immense brokerage and wealth management firm, with at least $5 trillion in assets and 24 million clients.” 

Vanguard

Vanguard founder John C. Bogle was famously vocal about his opposition to heavy marketing efforts. Despite Bogle’s criticism, Vanguard has spent $14 million on advertising in 2019. The display ads coming from The Vanguard Group do tend to stay within the parameters of the Vanguard vision as a low-cost, consumer-friendly platform. 

PayPal

PayPal has spent $12 million on advertising this year, running digital ads focused on its core B2B business and its consumer offerings through Venmo and Xoom. 

CME Group

CME was part of both our top digital advertisers and top programmatic advertisers lists in 2019. The foreign exchange and trading company has spent $10 million on advertising this year. 

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab, which just spent $26 billion to purchase TD Ameritrade, spent a surprisingly low amount on digital advertising in 2019: just $9 million. 

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the eighth day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing
8 Planes a-Flying (that’s today!)
7 ???
6 ???
5 ???
4 ???
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the rest of our year-end countdown!

With eight days left in our celebration of 2019 advertisers, today we focus on the top airline companies advertising this year. It’s 8 planes a-flying!

With air travel ripe for everything from adventurous inspiration to tongue-in-cheek copy, airline ads are a relatively exciting niche to cover. 

This year, the top eight airline advertisers have collectively spent nearly $200 million YTD. Here are the top rankings. 

Southwest 

Southwest has spent $39 million on advertising in 2019, spanning digital, print and TV media. The airline places many ads — like this seasonal display ad promising low fares to match low temperatures — programmatically across a range of industries, including entertainment sites like Metacritic and Fandango. 

American Airlines

American Airlines has spent $34 million YTD, with ad spend ranging from direct display ads to full page takeovers. The airline places directly on travel sites like TripAdvisor and programmatically on more general consumer properties like HelloBeautiful.com. 

British Airways 

Part of the International Consolidated Airlines Group, British Airways has spent $21 million on advertising so far this year. In this display ad, the airline is advertising Avios, the company’s travel rewards program that spans flights, hotels, car rentals and shopping. 

Turkish Airlines 

Despite being the flag carrier airline of Turkey, this Black Friday display ad shows that Turkish Airlines tends to toe the line of holiday advertising. The airline has spent $21 million on advertising YTD. 

Emirates 

Emirates Airlines makes clever use of a snowflake in this display ad, implicitly promising warmer climates for those looking to get away in the winter. Emirates has spent $18 million on advertising in 2019, running programmatic ads on Snapchat, display ads on travel sites, and TV ads on US networks. 

Delta 

The Atlanta-based airline has spent $18 million on advertising in 2019. Delta advertises its flights and related offerings (like Delta Vacations) on Refinery29, NBC, Travel Weekly and more. 

Air France-KLM Group

The airline group consists of the flag carriers of both France and the Netherlands. Together, these airlines have spent $16 million in 2019 so far. Placement ranges from display ads on local news sites to programmatic placements on travel sites. 

Air Canada

Air Canada embraces the winter season by advertising ski trips through Air Canada Vacations. The airline has spent $14 million on advertising so far this year. 

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the ninth day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring
9 Pharmas Placing (that’s today!)
8 ???
7 ???
6 ???
5 ???
4 ???
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the rest of our year-end countdown!

Up today: instead of nine ladies dancing, it’s nine pharmas placing. Pharmaceutical companies placing ads programmatically, that is. 

While pharmaceuticals isn’t necessarily the biggest programmatic spender as an industry, several companies on this list made our list of the top programmatic advertisers this year. These nine companies have spent over $114 million on programmatic ads this year so far. 

Without further ado, these are the top nine pharma brands placing ads programmatically in 2019. 

GlaxoSmithKline 

The owner of Nicorette gum spent $22 million on programmatic advertising in 2019. It even specializes in holiday-themed display ads, as you can see from its ad creative from late 2018. 

Endo International 

The maker of erectile dysfunction medication Stendra spent nearly a quarter of its total digital advertising budget on programmatic advertising. Endo spent has spent $18 million programmatically in 2019. 

Bayer 

Arguably one of the more consumer-friend pharmaceutical companies (with brands like Alka-Seltzer and Aleve), Bayer has an advertising budget of over $100 million. It spent $15 million of that on programmatic ads in 2019. 

Sanofi 

Sanofi invests in premium ad units and takes out full page ads in print publications, but the pharmaceutical company also invests a good chunk of its advertising budget to programmatic:  $13 million 2019 so far. Its tongue-in-cheek holiday ad for heartburn drug Zantac is particularly well placed. 

Pfizer

Pfizer has spent $11 million programmatically in 2019, combining content marketing with programmatic advertising with headlines like: “How to tell if it’s a cold or the flue — read the story”. 

Abbott Labs 

Abbott Labs also spent $11 million on programmatic ads this year to promote popular brands like PediaSure and PediaLyte. 

Eli Lilly & Co. 

The Indiana-based pharmaceutical company has spent $10 million programmatically in 2019, promoting brands like migraine relief Emgality and animal health products like Elanco. 

Amneal Pharma 

Amneal runs programmatic display ads on top consumer sites like WebMD, and has spent $7 million programmatically in 2019. 

Novartis 

Along with Pfizer, Novartis recently made headlines for spending $2 billion on gene therapy production. The number makes the $7 million Novartis spent on programmatic advertising in 2019 pale in comparison, but it is still a top spender for pharmaceutical companies advertising programmatically in 2019. 

This week we continue the tradition of recapping the most notable brands spending on advertising across ad tech platforms, consumer media and B2B industries. And, of course, this is all styled after the most involved carol out there: the 12 Days of Christmas.

On the tenth day of Christmas, MediaRadar sent to me:

12 Engines Revving
11 Boxes Shipping
10 Brands a-Sponsoring (that’s today!)
9 ???
8 ???
7 ???
6 ???
5 ???
4 ???
3 ???
2 ???
And a ???

Be sure to sign up for our blog newsletter so you don’t miss the rest of our year-end countdown!

Up today: instead of ten lords a-leaping, it’s ten brands a-sponsoring.

This year we’ve given you a veritable (and virtual) treasure trove of resources related to event marketing within the B2B space. From why events are so important to B2B marketers to how B2B publishers can make the most of events, we’ve answered your questions on event marketing and made a case for event marketing ROI along the way. 

If we haven’t convinced you that event marketing is critical to B2B by now, well — let’s take a look at the big guys taking this channel seriously. 

These are the top ten brands sponsoring B2B events in 2019. The majority are tech companies, with a handful of financial services and professional services brands in the mix. 

IBM

As one of the biggest providers of computing power for enterprises, it makes sense that IBM would invest in event marketing. The tech company both sponsors major conferences and hosts hundreds of meetings, webinars and conferences itself. It can get quite granular — IBM was a lunch sponsor at the 2019 Linux Plumbers Conference in Portugal. 

Microsoft

As the PC counterpart to IBM’s computing power, Microsoft also recognizes the importance of event sponsorships. Bizzabo even published a post earlier this year highlighting event marketing examples from Microsoft. “Even though their products are mostly digital, Microsoft’s live events show just how dedicated the brand is to connecting with customers and partners face-to-face,” writes Maria Waida at Bizzabo. 

Google

Google excels as a thought leader in all things consumer tech, digital advertising and now cloud computing. The search giant highlights all of the events it is present at on its Build Your Future With Google site — even those that aren’t specifically focused on recruitment. Going beyond B2B, Google has partnered with GOODfest in the past. 

Amex

American Express is one of many financial service brands investing in event sponsorships — but the company is doing it in a big way. This year, Amex has sponsored everything from Social Media Week as the marquee sponsor in New York (presumably to reach vendors expanding both their social media presence and their payment portals) and the PGA Tour, where it trialed its new contactless payment wristband, the Amex Band. 

SAP

The international software company has fully embraced new B2B channels like native advertising and the renewed interest in more traditional venues, like event sponsorship. Along with its sponsorships, SAP hosted E’ffect, a huge one-day event highlighting its role in software innovation.  

Amazon

This eCommerce giant launched Amazon Web Services over a decade ago, and has since grown it to over $25 billion in revenue. Like other major tech companies, AWS both engages heavily in event sponsorships and leads its own events as a thought leader (or the thought leader?) in the cloud computing space. 

Salesforce

The CRM king provides customers all kinds of resources for learning its systems and staying up-to-date on changes to the cloud-based software. Trailhead is a digital learning platform focused on Salesforce, while the recently completed Dreamforce is its annual PR, networking and expo event all wrapped into one. 

Vista Equity Partners

Vista Equity “specializes in investments in the software, data, & technology industries, working with companies who have a long-term perspective.” It makes sense, then, that the VC would focus on building long-term relationships through events and thought leadership. Vista even acquired Cvent back in 2016, which in turn acquired event app DoubleDutch this year. 

Adobe

Adobe hosts its own summit every year, complete with a prospectus for potential sponsors of the event. But it also sponsors the events of noncompetitor tech companies, like Smartsheet’s Engage 2019, which it cosponsored along with AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft, and Salesforce. 

PwC

The consulting firm uses events as a chance to both build brand awareness (through sports sponsorships) and build up conversations. PwC even has a kind of mission statement associated with its sponsoring activities: “PwC supports and promotes a range of events and activities at national and international levels in various ways. PwC’s goal here is to make a valuable contribution to the community. In addition, sponsoring is one of the building blocks of good, long-term relationships with our clients, partners and employees.”