How advertising is supporting growth in constituencies across the UK
Advertising funds many services which are often taken for granted in our everyday lives. Accessing maps, using search engines, reading newspapers, and watching television would be unaffordable for most people without the support of advertising.
The new report, Advertising Pays 2025, created by the industry’s think tank Credos, not only updates the key numbers that demonstrate advertising’s economic contribution, but reflects on the societal, economic and political changes across a quarter of a century of advertising. Key findings include our industry’s growth in our regions and the success of UK advertising exports.
By supporting 5% of all UK employment (1.7 million jobs), the advertising industry is central to driving business growth. AdPays 2025 shows that 60% of UK-based jobs in the advertising and marketing industry are based outside London, stimulating local investment in talent in cities like Leeds, Edinburgh, and Manchester.
In fact, Credos’ report features industry insights from over twenty agency leaders and media owners who have invested throughout the UK, many of whom are living in your constituencies. These include Marie Owen, Founder and CEO of LS Productions, who said: “Being headquartered in Edinburgh and Manchester is not a hindrance. It is central to the company’s USP. This positioning provides access to distinctive locations, cost efficiencies and regional expertise.”
Simon Crunden, CEO of Republic of Media, also highlighted how his business thrives through investment in talent in their offices in Edinburgh and Manchester.
“At Republic of Media, we believe that diversity should extend to an industry that isn’t located solely in London but reflects the UK communities we serve,” said Simon. “Our locations are a benefit to clients not just because we provide a broader perspective, but because our lower cost base means more investment in talent.”
Advertising hubs in Manchester and Leeds were already developing at pace pre-pandemic. This trend continued in 2024. The North West has seen an increase in employment from 8% in 2017 to 12% in 2024, making it the second largest area of advertising employment in the UK. Similarly, Yorkshire and Humber have seen an increase in employment from 5% in 2017 to 8% in 2024.
Factoring in the contribution of these hubs, the advertising and marketing industries contributed £109 billion of Gross Value Added (GVA) to the UK economy in 2024, accounting for 4% of total UK GVA. What this means, in practice, is some 3.5 million out of the 5.5 million UK businesses rely on the services our sector provides.
Leader in e-commerce and exports
Since the pandemic, public spending habits have changed as consumers seek ‘experiences’, such as travel and live events, which accelerate the growth of online sales of services. As of 2024, the UK’s share of e-commerce in retail sales of goods is 30% - making it the highest in the world and Europe’s most sophisticated online economy.
On the international stage, the UK advertising industry is renowned for its creativity, innovation and effectiveness, yielding more export value than both engineering and legal services. The UK exported £17.9bn of advertising services in 2024, including services from production companies making ads for overseas clients to tech companies supplying ad tech to help run campaigns. Overall, our UK industry is one of the top three exporters on the planet.
We are pleased to see the Government has backed our trade mission for UK Advertising to return to Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity this year. This investment is vital to help ambitious UK companies accelerate their global growth and maintain UK Advertising’s position in the top three most-awarded nations in creative excellence.
Government support is vital
To sustain the growing contribution of advertising within the UK, the Government should first look to retain the systems already in place which help keep the regulation of our industry world-class, namely its nimble and trusted co-and self-regulatory system, led by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
Secondly, apprenticeship programmes in advertising and marketing play a huge role in ensuring that people can live and work in any area of the UK, whilst being part of the UK’s creative industries. To boost this already strong regional growth, the Growth and Skills Levy should offer employers greater flexibility by allowing unused levy funds to go towards the cost of supporting a new apprentice, thereby increasing apprenticeship starts.
To boost exports even further, the Government can help to maintain the UK’s leadership in global advertising by supporting more events to showcase our creativity at major international events, offer incentives to help agencies scale into new markets, and negotiate trade deals that ease global operations.
These actions can help UK Advertising to continue to be a world leading creative industry, encouraging economic growth and social contribution on all levels - regionally, nationally and globally.
Find out more about how advertising is shaping our economy by reading our Advertising Pays report here or at our APPG, taking place on 11th June. Alternatively, you can contact our Policy and Government Affairs Team at pga@adassoc.org.uk
