Spending on advertising in the United Kingdom rose 2.1 percent last year compared with a 6 percent increase the previous year, according to research published yesterday in the Quarterly Survey of Advertising Expenditure. Direct mail dropped 3.9 percent from 2004 to 2005.
The survey, researched and compiled by the World Advertising Research Center on behalf of the Advertising Association, said a slackening in consumer spending and other adverse economic circumstances resulted in the slower ad expenditure growth. Media covered by the survey include national and regional newspapers, consumer and business magazines, television, radio, outdoor, cinema, Internet and direct mail.
The total figure excludes advertising expenditure in directories, for which annual data will be available later in the year, according to the survey. The survey also said that Internet figures are WARC estimates, and spending data for this medium will be published shortly by the Internet Advertising Bureau.
According to the survey, the Internet continued to show its capacity for growth with an estimated 73.1 percent increase in ad spending to $1.9 billion. Internet display ad spending grew 64.3 percent, and Internet classified advertising grew 78.0 percent. Other growth areas included outdoor advertising, which rose 5.8 percent, and television, up 3.6 percent.
Other areas that saw spending decreases from 2004 to 2005 include: radio, which fell 4.5 percent; total print press, 3 percent; and cinema advertising, 2.6 percent. Total advertising expenditure in the UK for 2005, including directories and production costs, will be published in June in the AA's Advertising Statistics Yearbook 2006. The equivalent total for 2004, published in the 2005 edition of the yearbook, was $32.1 billion.
