"UK marketing budgets have risen for a second consecutive quarter, remaining in positive territory for Q3 2025. Just over 22% of panellists reported an increase in their market expenditure while 18.7% noted a reduction, producing an overall net balance of +3.6% (down from +5.5% last quarter). Growth was subdued compared to Q2, with economic uncertainties looming ahead of the Autumn Budget next month."
"As usual, events was the main driver of growth, followed closely by direct marketing (rising +10.9% and +9.7%, respectively). Main media budgets remained unchanged, staying put at 0% overall. Among main media categories, video and other online categories saw growth, unsurprisingly. Published brands, audio, and OOH budgets all saw a decrease, plummeting considerably lower than the previous quarter. More surprisingly, sales promotions budgets saw their first reduction within two years, dropping to -0.9% from +9.4% in Q2."
UK marketing budgets increased for a second consecutive quarter, with a net balance of +3.6% in Q3 2025 as 22% of panellists reported increases and 18.7% reported cuts. Growth slowed versus Q2 amid economic uncertainty ahead of the Autumn Budget, with reductions driven by market uncertainty, cost and margin pressures, and cashflow preservation. Events and direct marketing were the strongest growth drivers, while main media budgets were flat and published brands, audio and OOH declined. Sales promotions fell for the first time in two years. IPA's 2025 ad spend forecast stays at 0.6%, with 2026 revised down to 1.2%. Budgets are increasingly routed to activity delivering immediate, measurable impact.
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