UK Ad Spend Plunges 9.6% in Q4, 3.9% for 2008

UK ad spending fell 9.6% overall in Q408, with the newspaper industry - which posted a 12% drop for the quarter - hardest hit, according to (pdf) data from the Advertising Association, reports MediaBuyerPlanner.

For the year, UK total ad spend was down 3.9%, compared with 4.6% growth the previous year, according to the recently released Advertising Association’s Quarterly Survey of Advertising Expenditure .

Other forms of traditional media also suffered the sharpest declines. Following newspapers’ 12% drop came the magazine sector, which had the next biggest falloff at 9.9% in Q408. Radio slipped 8.5%, while TV fell 5%.

Outdoor dropped 3.8%, with cinema advertising down just 0.9%.

Newspapers made up 25% of total ad spend, followed by TV with 23% and the internet with 20%. Direct mail accounted for 12% of total ad spend, followed by magazines with 10%. Outdoor had 6%, radio 3% and cinema 1%.

The UK ad market is expected to see signs of recovery in 2010, according to the report.

About the research: The quarterly report is researched and compiled by the World Advertising Research Center (WARC) on behalf of the UK’s Advertising Association.