Mobile Ad Spend up 59 per cent Last Year in UK

UK & Ireland Great Britain Map PhonesMobile ad spending in the UK increased 58.9 per cent in 2014, to £1.6bn, according to new figures from the Advertising Association and Warc which detail the overall state of the UK advertising industry.

Mobile saw the highest growth of any channel, with digital advertising in general (combining mobile and desktop) growing by 15 per cent to £7.2bn, and comprising around 39 per cent of total UK ad spending for 2014.

Mobile is predicted to continue its rapid growth, although the growth rate will slow to 44 per cent in 2015, and 34 per cent in 2016 as the UK market matures. Digital ad spending growth in general will drop to just above 10 per cent by 2016, according to the report.

Many channels saw decreases in 2014, with national and regional newsbrands both seeing less spending, as did magazine brands and direct mail. Radio and cinema advertising, while still reporting increases, are predicted to see growth rates slow to around three per cent by 2016.

However, within national news, regional news and magazine brands, digital advertising through brand websites, apps or digital editions saw substantial increases, with regional newsbrands seeing digital spending grow by 24.7 per cent in 2014. A similar phenomena could be witnessed in TV ad spending, with spot advertising spend increasing only 5.4 per cent, but video-on-demand ad spend up 15.1 per cent.

“Its time to stop thinking of digital as something that lives on the internet,” said Tim Lefroy, chief executive at the Advertising Association. “In cinemas, outdoor, news, television and elsewhere, advertising is seizing the opportunity of new technology. That trend is transforming our media, driving growth and keeping UK advertising ahead of the global competition.”