UK advertising and research exports reach £18bn

Advertising industry think tank Credos analysis for the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) shows the UK’s ad exports, which include advertising, market research and public opinion polling, have quadrupled in the past decade and grew 15% in 12 months. The analysis is based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) International Trade in Services Survey.

The UK leads Europe in terms of advertising industry exports, and is closing in on global leader the US, which is £3bn a year ahead.

The data shows that the UK now exports more advertising than engineering, telecoms, legal, accounting, audio-visual, or architectural services, according to ONS data for the other sectors.

"The UK advertising industry’s talent for effectiveness and innovation is a global success story, transforming businesses around the world," said Julian Douglas, chair of the UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) and group CEO at VCCP.

"We’re excited to showcase our world leading creativity at Cannes Lions this year, and look forward to celebrating record breaking export figures with our colleagues and clients from across the industry."

The announcement came as UKAEG and VCCP launched a digital out of home campaign at Cannes to champion the strength of UK creativity.

Timed to coincide not just with Cannes Lions but also the current UEFA European Football Championship, taking place in Germany, the campaign centres on a poster that looks like an England football shirt and reads ‘106 Lions on a shirt’. The UK won 106 Cannes Lions at last year’s festival.

The poster will sit on a digital out of home screen outside the Cannes Lions award show venue, Le Palais des Festivals et des Congrès de Cannes, throughout the week of the festival. It will be supported by a social media campaign. 

Aisling Conlon, international trade director for UK advertising at the Advertising Association, said: "In a week celebrating global creativity, we've harnessed the competitive spirit of the awards stage and infused it with UK humour. We are echoing the hopeful sentiment of England fans chanting ‘It’s coming home’ with our campaign to celebrate the UK’s long standing record of creativity excellence in a memorable and standout manner."