6 Invest in

6 Invest in China

This year China accelerated its development as the world’s fastest-growing marketing communications market. It is expected to surpass the U.S. in ad spend growth for the first time in 2006—increasing major media spending by $4.2 billion, compared to an increase of $4 billion in the U.S., according to WPP’s GroupM. (China posted a 21 percent increase in growth in 2005, to $40 billion, according to Nielsen Media Research.) If those numbers alone don’t explain the urgency behind industry investment in the region, the Chinese government—theoretically—made it easier this year for foreign firms in the sector, allowing them to come into the market without a joint-venture partner.