Direct mail spending by advertisers in the United Kingdom from July to September lagged behind the marketing industry average, according to research released yesterday by the Advertising Association and the World Advertising Research Center.
The Quarterly Survey of Advertising Expenditure said direct mail spending, which includes only direct marketing ads sent through the mail, grew 2.1 percent to $1.1 billion in the third quarter. This compares with 4.6 percent growth for the overall marketing industry. Total ad expenditures in the UK were $7 billion in the quarter.
Media covered by the survey include national and regional newspapers, consumer and business magazines, television, radio, outdoor, cinema and direct mail. The figures exclude spending on ad production as well as sponsorship and promotions, but include agency commission.
All media produced positive year-over-year growth in the third quarter.
The fastest-growing medium was cinema, which followed declines in the first two quarters of 2004 with an increase of 23.1 percent from the year-ago period to $77.7 million. Outdoor advertising produced the next-highest gain, 7.3 percent to $415.6 million.
Only consumer magazine advertising showed a smaller percentage increase than direct mail, up 1.5 percent to $374.7 million.
