Samsung increased its US ad budget more than any other major company

Samsung increased its advertising by a larger percentage than any other major US advertiser, according to new figures.

The Ad Age figures, republished by Forbes, show the top 100 advertisers in the US increased their advertising budget by just 2.8% in 2012.

In contrast, the Korean electronics giant boosted its advertising spending by a massive 58% to $US88 million.

In total, one-fifth of the company’s worldwide ad budget was spent in the US, largely in a bid to dislodge Apple’s market dominance in its home market.

By percentage, the increase managed to beat out tech rival Amazon, which boosted its advertising spending by 47%, although with a total ad budget of $US1.1 billion, its total ad budget was larger.

Coming in third was another tech giant in IAC (InterActiveCorp), an online media company led by former News Corp and NBC Universal executive Barry Diller.

IAC, the parent company of around 50 online brands including About.com, Ask.com, Urbanspoon, DailyBurn, Vimeo and Dictionary.com, increased its ad spending by 43% to $US547 million.

The largest increase by a non-tech company came from Lionsgate Entertainment, which boosted its budget by 43% to a relatively modest $US418 million.