by: Tim Peterson | AdWeek

Between the Olympics and the U.S. presidential election, 2012 is a biggie for brands, so much so that they got out of hibernation early. The first quarter is usually quiet for advertisers, but the period's global ad spend increased by 3.1 percent from last year, according to Nielsen’s Global AdPulse Report released today. The research firm said the year got off to a slow start but hit $128 billion by the end of March, with that month in particular jumping 4.5 percent year-over-year.