IPA Bellwether Report | Ethical Marketing News

UK companies revised marketing budgets up marginally as caution remains

February 15, 2025January 16, 2025 Stuart Mitchell

After the uncertainty surrounding the Autumn Budget led firms to hit the pause button in the third quarter, the latest IPA Bellwether Report highlighted renewed marketing budget growth across the UK in the final three months of 2024. Over a fifth (21.7%) of panellists reported an increase in their total marketing budgets during the fourth quarter, which was higher than the almost 19.9% who made cuts, resulting in a net balance of +1.9% (up from 0.0% in Q3). This meant that upward revisions to advertising spend have been registered in…

UK marketing budget growth hits decade high as economic conditions improve

August 28, 2024July 18, 2024 Stuart Mitchell

UK companies upwardly revised their marketing budgets at the strongest rate in over a decade, and to the second highest level in almost a quarter of a century, according to the Q2 2024 IPA Bellwether Report. Rising from +9.4% in Q1 to +15.9% in Q2, the net balance of UK businesses that expanded their total marketing budgets was at its highest level since the first quarter of 2014 (when it measured +20.4%), This also marks the second highest upward revision in the survey’s almost 25-year history. Additionally, the net balance…

Joint statement on behalf of the Advertising Association, IAB UK, IPA & ISBA

December 5, 2023December 3, 2023 Stuart Mitchell

Effectively addressing illegal advertising, such as scam ads, and increasing the protection of children requires a united approach and meaningful collaboration between industry bodies and the Government. It’s not something that any one of us can do alone. This is why the Online Advertising Taskforce has been created and it’s that shared focus that has informed the Action Plan released today, which sets out both to improve the evidence of in-scope harms and enhance existing initiatives to tackle them. Together with our respective members, we – the Advertising Association, IAB…

Record sales promotions investment drives UK marketing budget growth

August 25, 2023July 21, 2023 Stuart Mitchell

Total marketing budgets were revised higher during the second quarter of 2023, fuelled by a record increase in revisions to sales promotion activity, according to the Q2 2023 IPA Bellwether Report. While this continues the positive trend that began two years ago, spending weakened slightly from last quarter as persistent inflationary pressures, ongoing interest rate hikes and an uncertain economic outlook led some companies to retrench. Just over a fifth of survey respondents observed growth in total marketing spend during the second quarter, more than the 14.4% who registered budget…

Companies’ total UK marketing budget growth hits one-year high

June 3, 2023April 24, 2023 Stuart Mitchell

Companies’ total UK marketing budget growth is at its strongest since Q2 2022, despite an intensely challenging economic environment both domestically and globally. This is according to the Q1 2023 IPA Bellwether Report. The data reveals the net balance of firms registering upward revisions to their marketing budgets in Q1 2023 is +8.2%, considerably higher than the +2.2% recorded in Q4 2022. While 21.1% of firms saw an expansion, 12.9% of firms registered budget cuts and around two-thirds (66.0%) recorded no change in spending. Growth by category in Q1 2023…