"UK marketing budgets closed 2025 on a disappointing note, reflecting heightened caution among businesses amid economic and political uncertainty. According to the latest IPA Bellwether Report, total marketing spend recorded a net balance of 0.0% in Q4, down from +3.6% in Q3, marking a pause after two consecutive quarters of modest growth. With almost six in ten surveyed companies (57.4%) leaving budgets unchanged, the remaining panellists were evenly split between those increasing spend and those implementing cuts,"
"While overall spend stagnated, certain categories continued to attract investment. PR budgets rose to a net balance of +3.5% up from +2.5% in Q4, and events remained positive at +1.4%, though down dramatically from Q3's +10.9% highs. In contrast, main media advertising and sales promotions recorded no overall change, but the underlying picture was far from uniform. Out-of-home advertising posted the steepest decline (-17.6%), followed by audio (-10.2%), published brands (-6.5%), and video (-5.0%)."
"While the IPA Bellwether shows video ad spend declined in Q4, video overall grew in 2025, representing one of the largest shares of UK digital ad investment, with digital video accounting for nearly a quarter of spend, making up more than a third of that share. UK video sales also rose by around 8 % year-on-year, with streaming subscriptions driving much of this growth, demonstrating strong consumer demand for video formats supported by CTV and Smart TV screens."
UK marketing budgets ended 2025 largely paused, with total marketing spend recording a net balance of 0.0% in Q4, down from +3.6% in Q3 after modest growth. 57.4% of companies left budgets unchanged, while remaining panellists were evenly split between increases and cuts. PR and events saw positive net balances (+3.5% and +1.4% respectively), though events fell from Q3 highs. Main media advertising and sales promotions showed no net change overall, but out-of-home, audio, published brands and video declined materially. Digital video grew across 2025, driven by CTV, Smart TV home screens, streaming subscriptions, and rising video sales.
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