advertising matters 2.2.18

Spend a penny (…or two)

UK advertising spend in Q3 2017 rose 3.5% year-on-year to reach £5.4bn – the 17th consecutive quarter of market growth according to AA/WARC Expenditure Report data, which we released this Wednesday. Our latest data underpin preliminary figures which show 2017 spending grew to £22.1bn – representing the eighth consecutive year of market growth.

Further findings indicate that total UK adspend over the first nine months of 2017 was 3.5% (£551m) higher than the previous year. The preliminary estimate for 2017 growth is 3.4% (to £22.1bn), an upgrade of 0.3 points since October’s forecast. And the projection for total market growth in 2018 is 2.8% (to £22.7bn).

Reminding us all that advertising is the “engine of growth for UK business”, Stephen Woodford commented: “As we work through Brexit, we need to help Government make the best decisions to support our industry and, by extension, the wider UK economy as we target growth across the nations and regions and in an increasingly global marketplace.” Read more on the report data here.

Well done all on these impressive figures, you’ve really worked your AdAssocs off!

Advertising’s FAST impact

At a time when trust and favourability in advertising is under pressure, it’s nice to be reminded of how advertising can make a positive social impact. BBC Radio 4 reported this week that the Act FAST campaign to recognise the signs of a stroke has a positive effect on stroke awareness and action.

This was highlighted as new figures showed the average age of people in England who have a stroke for the first time has fallen over the past decade. It dropped from 71 to 68 for men and 75 to 73 for women between 2007 and 2016, Public Health England data shows.

The results are a timely reminder of how advertising can be a force for good in society. Our industry think tank, Credos, explained how powerful advertising can save lives in its Advertising Pays 1 report:

“In 2009 a stroke-awareness campaign increased the volume of stroke-related calls by over 55% in the first four months of the campaign… 9,864 additional stroke sufferers got to hospital more quickly in that year because they called ‘999’ promptly as a result of the campaign activity. The value of Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) created in 2009 as a result of the campaign was £65.7 million. After taking account of additional care costs, the overall payback from the campaign is estimated to have been £26 million in 2009”.

Health Minister Steve Brine said: “Strokes still claim thousands of lives each year, so the message of this Act FAST campaign remains as relevant as ever.” Advertising can save lives, so remember if you see someone with the signs of a stroke Act FAST: Face, Arms, Speech, Time.

And finally…sorry, I ‘ad to complain

The ASA this week revealed the most complained-about adverts of the past year. The Authority received some 30,000 complaints last year and we imagine that investigating these is no easy task. But as the world’s first regulator for the ad industry (and still the gold-standard), the ASA somehow manages to do it.

The advert that received the most complaints was KFC’s ad featuring a dancing chicken. But these complaints were not upheld by the ASA, who said it was unlikely that the ad would cause distress or serious or widespread offence.

You’ve read the whole thing! You deserve a treat – our ad of the week: