News in Numbers

Business leaders list AI and tech skills gap among top 3 concerns for 2023

UK business confidence has stabilised, but with the skills gap still a significant cause for concern and generative AI growing, how can marketers and their organisations work together to keep-up with innovation?

Brits have been hit with festival fever and advertisers should be getting in on the fun

Data from eBay Ads UK has found that this summer’s festival season is primed to be one of the biggest in years, presenting an exciting opportunity for advertisers to capitalise on search and e-commerce trends.

Global adspend to rise by $23bn in 2023, but signs of slowing growth in digital pointing to maturity

The downgraded forecasts from dentsu’s latest analysis reveal media price inflation to drive growth and APAC enjoying the strongest regional uplift, but digital growth slowdown still paves way for the channel to take the lion’s share of spend for the next three years.

Audiences love CTV – but marketers are yet to crack the cross-platform code

Research from Nielsen has revealed that CTV’s booming popularity is driving marketers to invest, but inconsistent measurement solutions and difficulty reaching target audiences has them struggling to maximise ROI.

Post-cookie concerns: just 24% of publishers and advertisers have a plan in place

Publishers and advertisers are planning to prioritise contextual and attention-based solutions in the coming months, but the majority remain woefully unprepared for how they are going to compete in a cookie-less world.

Content marketing budgets boom but 58% of marketers unable to secure strong ROI

Research has identified a stark contrast between marketers’ use of analytics and data in their content marketing among those satisfied with their ROI and those not.

UK consumers prefer product placement in TV and film rather than traditional TV advertising

An affinity for product placement in TV and film over traditional commercials was identified because of the authenticity it adds to the viewing experience, creating an opportunity for brands to increase awareness in an era of ad-free streaming.

Six in 10 Gen Z social media users turning to platforms for money-saving content

Consumers are rethinking the value of social media and with a significant uptick in the popularity of money-saving content across platforms, brands need to be cautious they don’t fall “out of touch”.

Why women’s football is full of untapped advertising potential for brands

Women’s football has greater mass consumer reach than men’s, experts say, after a record breaking 77,390 spectators attended the Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley last week.

Head in the sand: brands risk losing their audience if they don’t switch to post cookie targeting solutions

Advertisers are far less aware of the cookieless targeting technologies available to them than they should be, prompting a need for marketers to educate themselves on what ID-less solutions are out there.

6% of ad spend was 'wasted on fake traffic' in 2022

Research estimates a total of $142bn in revenue was lost last year due to marketers inadvertently optimising campaigns for fake audiences.

When is the best time to post on social media in 2023?

Are you posting high quality content but not getting the engagement you expect? Check the time before you post to avoid social media dead zones.

Marketers are eager to leverage generative AI but lack the understanding to do so

Almost three quarters of marketers plan to incorporate generative AI into their martech stacks but 59% fear they lack the knowledge to fully capitalise on the tech’s potential.

CX disconnect: businesses believe in AI-driven personalisation but consumers aren’t sold

Over 80% of businesses maintain that AI-driven personalisation will improve customer experiences, but fear over how their data will be used is holding consumers back from embracing the technology.

Extra extra: advertising within news brands increases consumers’ trust and perception of a brand

Nearly four in five (79%) Brits are worried about fake news circulating on social media and almost three quarters are turning to news brands for help verifying stories.

“It seems that ‘going private’ is no longer just for the rich”: increasing interest in private healthcare spells trouble for the NHS

Analysis of online search data reveals a dramatic leap in interest for private healthcare and with the NHS floundering, with brands such as AXA, BUPA and Benenden reaping more SEO exposure.

Top 10 festivals for social reach: Creamfields is the 'most Instagrammable' event, but not the most attended

Bigger isn't always better for brands looking to amplify their social media reach at festivals. Glastonbury is the biggest live music gathering in the UK but only the second most popular for Instagram users.

AA/WARC: UK adspend growth to ground to near halt this year as social media falls for the first time in 2022

Adspend grew by nearly 9% in 2022 despite a drop in Q4, and while online dominated last year’s investment, all channels have downgrades in growth expectations this year.

Addressable TV ads trump broad audience advertising... providing 7% more happiness

Research from Finecast and System1 uncovered that targeting ads for addressable audiences and prioritising right-brain attributes that trigger “broad-beam awareness”, like humour and familiar places, is a recipe for advertising success.

AI's golden age? The technology revealed to be an essential part of marketing strategies for 87% of brands

More than half (61%) of senior brand marketers have revealed they are already using AI in their advertising, prompting some to speculate we are on the cusp of AI’s golden age.

UK’s e-commerce sector investment bucks European trends as Google catches Meta for ad spend

E-commerce companies across Europe are backing themselves with increased investment across inventory and ad spend despite variable economic conditions.

Multi-channel madness: 47% of retailers believe there are too many channels to sell from

To meet all consumers’ shopping expectations, 94% of organisations have a multi-channel retail strategy in place, but almost half (49%) struggle to evaluate which channel is working for them best.

IPA Bellwether: marketing budgets see growth spurt to kick off 2023

An 8.2% growth rate for the start of the year shows continued investment in brand support, while uncertainty looms, but sustainability and adoption of tech signal green shoots of opportunity for marketers.

Top 25 sectors for influencer marketing effectiveness: healthcare and accommodation benefit most

Influencer marketing is a cost effective solution that demonstrates ROI – but some industries hold more power than others, reveals latest data from Emplifi.

Media buying ‘platform paralysis’ is losing billions in revenue for agencies

First-party CTV and retail media campaigns are using more media buying platforms, costing marketers significant time and dollars switching and aggregating data between them.

“The consultants are coming for our lunch”: marketing leaders warn of rocky year ahead

Over 100 global marketing and advertising leaders portend a challenging 12 months ahead for the industry, but maintain a cautious optimism that businesses who get creative will carve out success.

Spring spike: Brits say their gardens will be the social space of the summer

Post-pandemic, people have become accustomed to maximising the value of their home’s outdoor space and are looking to invest in home and garden purchases this spring.

Linear and digital convergence: tailoring your ads to meet CTV’s booming popularity in Europe

Stringent data laws and changing viewer habits have made TV advertising more challenging, but the growing popularity of CTV and convergence of linear and digital presents an opportunity for everyone to win the ad game.

That’s how the cookie crumbles: consumers demand personalisation from brands without reliance on cookies

Brands generally enjoyed positive ROI in 2022 when investing in customer engagement, but research suggests many are still failing to meet consumers’ changing personalisation expectations.

Saving every penny: shoppers turning to mobile apps for deals and rewards

Study indicates increasing popularity of in-store use of retailers’ mobile apps as consumers look to get bang for their buck with offers and reward schemes.

Subscription-based companies outpace the S&P 500, says new research

In the face of economic uncertainty and low levels of consumer confidence, Zuora’s SEI insists subscription-based companies have been able to maintain growth and make their products indispensable for consumers.

Tick tock for TikTok? 488% increase in searches for ‘is TikTok banned’

With 5.2 million TikTok-related searches every month, a 32% rise in ‘delete TikTok account’ queries is not insignificant.

Cookie deprivation leads to an 8% year-on-year increase in contextual targeting spend

Data suggests UK advertisers will commit an additional £770m to contextual targeting in 2023 as they shift their focus to attention metrics by way of future proofing campaigns against the influence of signal loss.

The data privacy paradox: how brands can use data to navigate contradicting consumer expectations

A new study has identified a lack of consistency between consumer desires for brands’ use of their data and their willingness to share personal information online.

Almost half of UK Muslims have altered their Ramadan spending habits due to the cost of living crisis

Budget supermarkets lead the way as the Holy Month on the Islamic calendar approaches, and brands and advertisers need to be wary of consumer spending habits this Ramadan.

Digital publishing revenue ended 2022 3% up on 2021

Despite the increase in overall revenue, just 43% of companies reported growth, indicating that the rises are concentrated among top performers.

Half of brands eyeing a shift from paid advertising to earned content creation as budgets tighten

With a possible recession looming, brands’ marketing budgets are under increasing pressure to maximise ROI while minimising spend, and research suggests that UGC might be a winning strategy.

The state of martech: three-quarters of marketers looking for simplification in 2023

Software and services taking the lion’s share of marketing investment for businesses as they chase simplification, integration and yet… more data.

APAC: What the ‘metaverse generation’ wants

In one of the largest metaverse consumer surveys to date, some stark differences in expectations of the metaverse between APAC’s Millennials and Gen Z were identified, along with some interesting points of parity.

Carbon emissions from digital ads fall 63% when optimised for attention time

With digital technology accounting for 4% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, data reveals an opportunity for marketers to minimise their campaign’s impact on CO2 while improving overall effectiveness.

AI uncovers that digital ads which evoke emotions are four times more likely to drive brand equity

Kantar and Affectiva’s study suggests that “attention is necessary but insufficient for advertising effectiveness” and use of humour in digital ads presents a significant opportunity for marketers to leapfrog their competition and facilitate long-term consumer engagement.

Ride the viral wave: 76% of social media users would share content from a brand or celebrity they like

Brits are plugged into social media, with 7.5 million visiting social media platforms more than 10 times a day.

Brits are among the most active enforcers of their “right to be forgotten”

From 2015-2021, over 1 million requests were submitted to Google and Microsoft Bing seeking the erasure of their data from certain web pages, with half of the requests coming from Western European countries.

Connected packaging has grown by 27% in the past 12 months

Connecting with consumers by turning packaging into a digital experience by scanning, tapping or pointing a smartphone device is becoming increasingly popular, research has found.

76% of businesses can directly link email marketing to their success

Most businesses consider their own email marketing to be successful, despite it being under-resourced and too focused on open rates and clickthrough metrics.

Swamped by inflation: 3.6% boost for UK marketing salaries as pay becomes a sticking point during 2023

Remuneration tops the priority list in 2023, but digital marketing professionals are also on the lookout for opportunities to progress and the ability to flex their digital and technical muscle.

Almost half of consumers are annoyed by constant SMS marketing from brands

New research uncovers a fine line between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ SMS marketing, with purchase opportunities abound for effective use, but also the threat of losing customers if poorly executed.

Research finds real-life ratings and reviews trump influencer or celebrity-led endorsements

The new study indicates that consumer purchase decisions are impacted more so by authentic UCG from regular consumers as opposed to anything else.

Grey area: half of Brits ‘hold brands accountable for content they are adjacent to’

The study explored how consumers’ perceptions of a brand are influenced when it advertises alongside ‘questionable content’.

The gaming and tech affinity: are you in touch with a ‘typical’ YouTuber?

The preference for watching TV on mobile devices, the belief in their influence when it comes to tech and a skew towards a younger audience are just some of the revelations from new data profiling YouTube users.

Personalisation: 75% of marketers lack faith in senior leadership’s understanding of customer marketing’s value to business

Research from Planning-inc has identified a disconnect between senior marketers and senior leadership regarding the need for personalisation in order to facilitate consumer loyalty.

Unsuccessful search: 80% of consumers abandoning e-commerce retailers’ on-site search bar due to poor user experience

Despite almost 7 in 10 consumers going directly to an online retailer’s search bar, converting searches into purchases remains a tricky task.

Half of of digital advertisers don’t currently measure emissions produced by digital ads

IAB Europe’s study reveals that sustainability is one of the top three challenges facing advertising businesses, according to marketers themselves.

Two thirds of marketers to prioritise full-funnel media planning in 2023

PMW exclusive: “marketers need to apply a performance mindset across the entire marketing funnel and hold every penny accountable”

How the price of love adds up this Valentine’s Day

13% of Brits will not celebrate Valentine’s Day this year as the cost-of-living crisis compromises Cupid.

Hogwarts Legacy: top 10 Twitch streamers generate thousands in ad revenue just a day after launch

The 50 most-watched new streams uploaded since the year’s most anticipated video game launched have more than 16.2 million views - with each thousand views worth £2.92.

All to play for: gaming and CTV set to drive £4bn in adspend by 2026

Doubling of spend over the next three years means eyes are on these emerging channels, says new research.

Attention please: 83% of UK marketers believe attention is an important factor in reducing digital ads’ environmental impact

Research conducted by Teads in collaboration with CensusWide has revealed that 91% of UK marketers think attention measurement is important.

The point of most return: Out of home mobile searches are more likely to get consumers buying

Study reveals mobile searches conducted in out of home locations are 38% more likely to lead to a purchase compared to homebound mobile searches.

“It’s time to be where your audience is”: 92% of TikTok users are ‘purchase ready’

The TikTok audience is more receptive to influencers and social commerce than on any other platform. Just don’t make your content look like an ad, new research suggests…

AA/WARC: forecasters warn of a decline “in real terms” for UK 2023 ad market

3.8% forecast growth for adspend this year, with search and online display propping up many traditional channels, but 2023 set to see slowest growth for the market in a decade bar pandemic-hit 2020.

100 million TikTok views gets you a side hustle – worth the average UK salary

8.6 million YouTube views. 97 million TikTok views. No, we’re not talking about the latest stats, but what you’d need to earn the average UK salary with a social side hustle.

Performance marketing roles among top 15 fastest growing jobs in the world

Despite hiring slowing in many countries, the need to drive business growth is creating opportunities for marketing and sales professionals in 2023, LinkedIn research reveals.

IPA Bellwether: marketing budgets weather economic storm… for now

Cost of living crisis weighs heavily on marketers in the UK, with adspend forecast to fall this year by 0.3%, but opportunities remain with increased reliance on digital and “the importance of investing in resources” to get through the downturn.

Seven in 10 brand-side marketers plan to increase spend outside ‘walled gardens’ on the open web

Despite more than nine in 10 marketers believing that Google will finally stick to its 2024 deadline to withdraw third-party cookies, 73% admit their organisation is only “somewhat” prepared for the withdrawal of third-party cookies.

Mobile ad spend to top $360bn but growth to slow in 2023

Growth in mobile ad spend dropped to 14% year-on-year in 2022, while short video apps expected to drive ad spend this year.

KIA should have gone to Specsavers

44% of people can’t identify KIA’s new logo but confusion creates search queries. Was the redesign actually a success?

Meta cheaper than 2021 pre-Black Friday, as tech giant ‘reels’ in spend with 4000% rise on short-form video

Conversion rates recover post-iOS 14 as Black Friday alone attracts a 47% increase year-on-year, but TikTok shown to trump Meta in efficiency for Q4 2022.

Finance influencers outpace other industries in subscriber growth

Users are heading to social media for financial advice, as trust in government is tested.

Trust issues: 77% of marketers name a drop in consumer trust as biggest issue for social media advertising

Survey of marketing experts reveals that nine in 10 still plan to use social media to advertise this year, but most platforms will see a drop in advertising or monetising content.

Instagram stars and brands of 2022: Tom Holland, Dua Lipa and Mo Salah top list

With many UK sporting triumphs this year, sports accounts have had the biggest gain on social media platforms.

Blake Lively and the Kardashians battle for most influential fashion moment of 2022

The Met Gala’s influence ripples throughout the year. What other top fashion moments feature in 2022’s search trends – and how do they influence buyer behaviour?

Digital publishing revenues climb as subscriptions see positive growth

Multi-platform and mobile devices were the winners of revenue growth in Q3, while a growth in subscriptions indicates that even in a cost of living crisis, consumers will pay for quality content.

Going remote: marketing comes top in remote-working friendly industries

Marketing and media are the top two industries for remote roles, beating HR, finance and recruitment sectors.

Global adspend to grow next year to $741bn, but media price inflation drives the rise

Digital channels will see the strongest rates of growth and the biggest share of advertising investment in 2023 and 2024, but without inflation, adspend would actually fall next year.

Top 10 subscription services that Brits will cancel next year

A new study looks at which subscription services – including Amazon Prime, Spotify, Apple TV and Disney+ – consumers are likely to cancel in 2023. Which came top?

Tech talent search: 27% of UK businesses are looking abroad and even making the leap to emerging hubs

Tech professional? On the hunt for a new job? Then businesses are on the lookout for you – wherever you are – with one in four UK firms looking to hire abroad to curb their skills gap.

Christmas ad tracker: who’s in tune with their brand?

John Lewis loses out to Aldi, Lidl and TK Maxx in UK Christmas ad music league table.

Six in 10 SMBs will see static or slashed marketing budgets next year

UK small to medium businesses will zero in on acquisition in 2023 despite it costing more than retention.

Pinterest search trends reveal style ‘cheat sheet’ for 2023 marketing plans

Pinterest users are planners, and “guesswork is not enough”. How can brands use the platform’s search data to prepare for the year ahead?

Brand loyalty out the window as 64% of consumers switch to cheaper brands

Food and drink prices soar to their highest in 40 years, impacting consumer behaviour in the grocery sector.

Is client still king? Agencies now more comfortable being honest with clients

“Wrong KPIs” are a rising concern, as agencies don’t believe compensation should be linked to performance, WFA research reveals.

Cash flow concerns: 43% of marketing firms concerned about keeping up with salary expectations

Marketing and media firms are more likely to find running a business challenging in the current climate, with payroll and benefits named as the biggest single cost increase.

Black Friday rivalries: retailers focus on big ticket items and researching competitors

Businesses spend more time researching rivals this year as retailers shift away from non-essential Goods in 2022's Black Friday with internet sales to generate $1.12trn globally.

One in five Brits ‘can’t afford to be loyal’ to brands

More than half of UK consumers have switched brands they were previously loyal to because of the cost of living crisis.

Celeb-led, ambitious and young: are you reaching a ‘typical’ Reddit user?

New data profiles Reddit’s core visitors beyond standard demographics, revealing an affinity with influencers (and doing some influencing themselves).

Under pressure: CMOs feeling the push to prove short-term marketing ROI

The current climate is causing concern among CMOs that creative campaigns are to be curbed as budgets come under the microscope.

Six in 10 consumers will leave a brand if it’s advertised next to ‘misinformation’

Stay at home’ content consumption is on the rise amid cost of living concerns, but if your ad doesn’t catch interest in the first five seconds, you lose your customer’s attention…

Great British Bake Off final: who’s the Instagram showstopper?

Instagram’s most popular Great British Bake Off contestants are ranked in a new study, as the final takes to UK screens at 8pm tonight.

Data clean rooms: how urgently are marketers and publishers reacting to the cookie phaseout?

Over a third of publishers worldwide are more likely to use data clean rooms than marketers, but both cite privacy and budget as major challenges. The strategies for identity adoption are dividing opinions in the industry.

Meta tops the ranks as most used e-commerce platform but TikTok reach is on the up

New research reveals that despite tech giants pulling out of live shopping in the UK, almost two-thirds of surveyed customers bought more than one thing through a social platform over the summer.

The top Twitch streamers in Europe: revealed

US streamer Ninja is the top Twitch streamer on the continent, while France and Germany are the European countries that use Twitch the most.

APAC CTV adspend drops 41%, as Roku dominates the US

Programmatic ads on connected TV are soaring in North America and EMEA, but stagnating across Asia. Yet the arrival of closed premium networks on Netflix and Disney+ is heralding a two-tier ad ecosystem...

Money down the drain: 75% of marketers admit to customer data blindspots in their team as two-thirds are worried about budget cuts

Most marketers believe they’re under more pressure to prove ROI and ROAS during the cost of living crisis, but research reveals that marketers in Europe and the US have wasted at least 30% of budgets in the past six months.

NEWS IN NUMBERS