The latest IPA Bellwether Report showed UK marketing budgets holding up and strengthening despite economic headwinds, a new Labour Prime Minister in waiting, and even England’s World Cup defeat against Argentina last night…
So, we’ve canvassed some of the most dynamic and focused industry leaders in the UK marketing sector for their assessment of the IPA readings for the second quarter of the year…
Ross Cafferkey, Founder & CEO, Research Clever
“No one wants to see market research budgets reduced, but the fact the cuts haven’t been as severe as expected is a positive sign. Even in challenging economic conditions, businesses still need reliable insight to make informed decisions.
“The challenge for our industry isn’t whether research is valuable – it’s proving that value every day.
“Clients are becoming more selective about who they work with, and rightly so. The days of winning business and delivering an average service are over. When budgets are under pressure, expectations rise. Late delivery, poor communication, weak data quality or a failure to understand the client’s objectives quickly erode confidence.
“Quality alone isn’t enough; responsiveness, transparency and consistent execution are what turn suppliers into long-term partners.
“The agencies that will continue to grow are those that consistently deliver exceptional quality, operate efficiently and make life easier for their clients.
“When organisations can trust both the data and the team behind it, research remains an investment rather than a cost.”
Adrienn Major, Founder, POD LDN
“It’s encouraging to see marketing budgets remaining resilient despite wider economic uncertainty.
“It’s also no surprise to see video continuing to attract investment – every campaign today needs content across multiple platforms, formats and markets, and the challenge is no longer producing one hero asset but scaling hundreds of high-quality deliverables while maintaining brand consistency.
“This is exactly where efficient production workflows, supported by AI and experienced creative talent, become a real competitive advantage.
“From what we’re seeing across agencies and brands, they aren’t necessarily getting bigger, they’re getting smarter. Clients are looking for partners who can deliver it faster, more flexibly and without compromising quality.
“AI is playing a big role in that shift; the biggest gains come from automating repetitive production tasks so creative teams can spend more time on ideas, storytelling and craft. The companies seeing the greatest return are those investing in both AI capabilities and the people who know how to use them effectively.
Nick Beck, CEO & Founder, Tug
“The latest IPA Bellwether report shows UK marketing budgets still growing. +6.9% net balance in Q2. But confidence is falling. Marketers are spending more while feeling less sure about it. Despite that, we’re closer to the coal face, and we’re bullish about what’s coming.
“AI is part of that story. Panellists see it as an opportunity, more efficiency, more output. They also see it as a threat. Cheap DIY tools eating agency demand. One respondent called it “the threat of mediocrity from AI.” That’s the real risk. Not AI itself. AI applied without judgement.
“The agencies that win from here use AI to do the heavy lifting and still apply real expertise on top. That’s exactly how we’ve built Tug. AI specialisation at the core, with our team of AI search specialists with judgement layered over it.
“For us, our clients are putting agency partners in place as advisors to help them navigate AI change, which means we’re better set up to help them grow their business.
“Here’s my own read on where this goes next. As confidence dips, I’d expect scrutiny to rise. Clients will want proof, not vanity metrics. What was actually incremental, not just what looks good on a dashboard. It’s why causal measurement has been central to our approach.
“AI with judgement. Spend with evidence. Everything else is noise.”
Alicia Iveson, CEO & co-Founder, Hijinks
“What’s interesting about Q2’s report isn’t that businesses are still investing despite the uncertainty. It’s how they’re investing. There’s a clear shift towards backing stronger ideas, creating more meaningful connections with audiences and using AI to enhance creativity not replace it.
“For me, it’s another reminder that creativity isn’t the first thing to cut when times are tough. It’s often the thing that helps businesses come out stronger on the other side.”
Spencer McPherson, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, StillMoving Media
“The resilience in marketing budgets is encouraging, particularly the continued growth in video and events. Even in a difficult economic climate, brands recognise that strong visual content and real-world experiences create meaningful connections with audiences.
“It’s also positive to see that creative investment continues to support businesses across the UK, not just those based in London. The strength of the UK’s creative and production sector lies in the depth of talent available nationwide, giving brands access to a broad range of expertise, wherever they choose to produce work.
“At the same time, clients are scrutinising every pound they spend, so content has to work much harder. A single production now needs to generate assets for multiple platforms and audiences, making efficiency and versatility more important than ever. AI is helping streamline parts of the production process, but it isn’t replacing creativity. The ideas, storytelling and human judgement behind a campaign remain what make audiences engage and brands stand out.
“The brands that continue investing, despite economic uncertainty, are the ones taking a longer-term view. They understand that high-quality creative isn’t just a marketing cost, it’s an investment in building lasting relationships with customers.”
Rikke Wichmann-Bruun, Managing Partner, Worth Your While
“I am on holiday writing this, so perhaps I’ve got my glass-half-full hat on, but what I love about this year’s report is that brands (despite every penny still being turned twice) haven’t fallen into short-term thinking.
“The businesses that come out strongest from uncertain periods are not the ones that go quiet. They’re the ones that keep showing up. Amazon and McDonald’s continued investing through previous downturns while others pulled back, and they came back stronger.
“As an independent agency focused on making every bit worth the while, that’s what gives me optimism in these results. Creativity still works, great ideas still create value. Just like great stories, they stick around long after the moment has passed.
“And when everyone is feeling a little cautious, standing out matters.
“So optimism and hope are my headlines – now back to the beach!”
Amy Budd, Client Services Director Launch
“The marketing industry is currently facing an ‘attention recession’. Brands have exactly 1.7 seconds to stop the scroll. That’s why video spend is up. Brands are waking up to the power of visual storytelling to resonate with the customer and reap the reward of their attention.
“Quite simply, by using video to build familiarity with the 95% of people who aren’t ready to buy yet, brands win the battle before the search auction even begins. They are shifting focus further up the funnel, which makes a significant difference. It drives down acquisition costs and stops customers from switching to a cheaper competitor at the checkout.
“We’ve seen this in action in our work with brands including Icelandair and St Eval. It’s exciting to see that the worlds of brand x performance finally working to support one another!”
Ben Zloof, CEO, UniLED Software
“The findings of the latest IPA Bellwether report reinforce what we’re starting to see in the industry: advertisers are looking beyond short-term performance toward maintaining long-term brand strength.
“As investment increases, the accountability and transparency of every media channel become even more important. While budgets remain under pressure, advertisers want the confidence and reassurance that their ad spend is performing as hard as possible. This, in part, explains the resilience in UK OOH spend.
“The global picture tells a similar story. Recent WOO figures show global OOH spend reaching $54.2bn and growing 15%. OOH is a media channel known for its ability to deliver impact both alone and as part of an integrated media strategy. It offers broad reach and long-term brand building qualities.
“And DOOH adds further value with its flexibility and data capabilities akin to digital media.”
Sarah Cutler Chief Growth Officer, makemepulse
“The Bellwether numbers are encouraging, but the World Cup has a way of making everything feel more optimistic than it probably is (especially as I write this pre-England v Argentina, where it’s all to play for).
“When the final whistle blows, we’ll have another new Prime Minister and the underlying pressures won’t have gone anywhere: budgets are still being scrutinised, company-level confidence has dipped, and the global picture remains genuinely uncertain.
“What cuts through is where the growth is actually happening. Events and experiential leading the way isn’t a surprise – people are craving connection that a screen can’t replicate, and brands are responding to that. The shift away from short-term activation toward proper brand building is also long overdue.
“The brands making smart decisions right now are investing in experiences people will actually remember. That instinct is right, and it’s worth holding onto when Q3 gets harder.”
Romain Gauthier, Founder & CEO, Didomi
“While budgets appear to be expanding in some areas, challenging economic factors are driving the adoption of low-cost, AI solutions to drive efficiencies in others.
“As AI integration continues at pace, and with budgets under increasing strain, organisations must not lose sight of the costly implications of poor data management and privacy standards. An over-reliance on what the report highlights as “cost-friendly” AI solutions introduces substantial risk around data governance. At best, the result is mediocre marketing outcomes and wasted budget, at worst, severe regulatory penalties.
“Maintaining rigorous data quality and privacy standards ensures automation safely enhances workflows and campaigns. This must be front of mind for CMOs as they look to deliver value with advanced technology over the next quarter.”
Suzanna Chaplin, CEO, esbconnect
“My biggest takeaway from the latest IPA Bellwether report isn’t that budgets are up, though they are, with a net +6.9% of respondents saying they increased their marketing budgets in Q2. Rather, it’s that the industry is becoming more mature in how it judges marketing.
“Companies are switching from attribution to incrementality, and looking for new routes to find the right customer. For years, we optimised against whatever Meta or GA4 told us and believed it to be the truth, without understanding that those platforms are biased to their own inventory. They measure attribution, not necessarily impact, and definitely not incrementality. And they measure their own success first and foremost.
“The report showed that video is one of the few channels seeing an increase in investment, but this is a channel that always consistently underreported contribution in platform attribution. It shows that more marketers are asking, “Did this channel create incremental growth? rather than, “Did it get the last click?
“At esbconnect, we’re seeing the same pattern play through – brands are valuing the traffic more, looking at incrementality, not just at whether it drove the last click. It feels like, finally, people are moving from attribution to incrementality and mixed-media modelling, which are becoming mainstream.
“The conversation is shifting from optimising channels in isolation, to optimising the overall marketing mix, and that’s got to be a good thing.”
James Clee Head of Strategy, DUDE London
“What’s surprised me about this report is that we’re seeing signs of recovery – improving consumer confidence, resilience in the face of geopolitical shocks, a cooling of the ‘AI for everything’ attitude that has previously damaged industry self-belief – but the industry is just as pessimistic as ever.
“I’m optimistic and confident about the future of our industry – it will change, of course, but as long as there is a need for creative problem-solving, there will always be demand for our skill set. I wonder if this is a case of Target Fixation – we have become so obsessed with the looming threat of AI that we’ve made it impossible to see past it.”
Patrick Reid, Group CEO, Imagination
“The latest Bellwether findings reinforce what we’re seeing across the market. Experiential marketing has become a strategic investment rather than a discretionary spend. Even amid ongoing economic uncertainty, brands are prioritising live experiences because they deliver measurable commercial value and create lasting brand impact.
“We’re also seeing growing momentum behind permanent and repeatable experience platforms, from brand destinations to recurring event programmes, which reflect consumers’ willingness to invest in meaningful experiences.
“While AI accelerates the production of digital content, live experiences are becoming even more valuable as a source of authentic, human stories that fuel organic social engagement and influencer activity.
“The businesses placing experiences at the centre of their marketing strategy are positioning themselves for stronger, more sustainable growth.”
Xavier Sheriff, Founder, StudioXAG
“It’s perhaps no surprise that we’re seeing an increase in marketing spend invested in events. Bold brands understand the importance of impactful, experiential storytelling, and there’s no better way to do this than by creating evocative visual worlds and memorable moments that enable customers to immerse themselves in, and live, the brand.
“The power of events lies not just in the control a brand has over telling its story, but in the fact that its reach doesn’t end when the customer exits the door. It lives on through social and PR – engaging content curated by the brand itself or generated by creators and visitors. Think of the likes of Jellycat, Moncler and Coach – they all do it so well.
“I predict we’ll see many more brands waking up to the effectiveness of well-curated events.”
Alexander Igelsböck, CEO, Adverity
“While the industry continues to invest in AI to improve productivity, there is growing recognition that speed alone is not a competitive advantage.
“The real challenge has never been AI replacing human creativity simply by working faster; it’s the risk of producing increasingly average work at scale. That’s one reason why at least 50% of AI projects are abandoned after the proof-of-concept stage. The problem isn’t usually the technology itself or the pace of development – it’s the lack of context for AI models to work from.
“AI is only as effective as the intelligence, governance and context behind it. When models understand how campaigns are measured and the nuances of the data they’re trained on, they become a force multiplier for marketers rather than a replacement for them. This enables marketers to focus on what they do best, safe in the knowledge that they are making decisions based on accurate AI outputs.”
Dave Carpenter, Media Director, Active International
“The most striking finding is the gap between budgets and confidence. Total marketing budgets have recorded their second-strongest rise in two years, yet companies are less optimistic about their own financial prospects.
“That tells us businesses still see marketing as part of the route to growth, but every investment will face tighter scrutiny.
“Events and video sit in different parts of the plan, but both point to the value of attention and an emotional connection with consumers. Brands are backing formats that can create moments people notice and remember.
“That is encouraging when the temptation in an uncertain market is to retreat into the activity that is easiest to defend from one quarter to the next. However, whilst marketers will need to be brave to stay the path of long-term brand building, they will also need immediate outcomes and will look to agencies and commercial partners to de-risk this investment through inventive trading.
“Efficiency matters, but there is a point where squeezing the budget simply squeezes the impact out of the plan. Marketing teams cannot solve a business-wide confidence problem through media cuts alone.
“The next question is not just where the budget goes, but how the wider business creates the room to protect future demand and keep investing.”
Oliver Walker, MD, Hookflash
“It’s no surprise short-term online activation is the first thing getting cut. That’s exactly where the pressure is showing up: traffic is harder and more expensive to earn than ever, and a growing share of search demand never results in a click at all.
“The brands still budgeting as if performance channels alone will carry growth are optimising for an audience that’s shrinking.
“The smart play is investing in brand and in content that genuinely answers real user needs, because that’s what earns citations and mentions when people ask an LLM instead of a search engine, and that’s where tomorrow’s growth will come from”
Adrian Montero, Head of Global Partnerships, OnAudience
“AI is becoming part of everyday marketing, but the focus needs to be on helping people make better decisions based on the quality of the data that’s available.
“As AI tools are increasingly accessible, competitive advantage comes less from the technology itself and more from the quality of the data that powers it – and the expertise used to turn that data into meaningful action. The most effective campaigns aren’t simply driven by AI, but instead through combining trusted, privacy-first data with human consultancy, strategic thinking and experience.
“It’s also encouraging to see businesses investing in live events and face-to-face engagement. Trust, relationships and human connection remain at the heart of success for our industry.
“The same is true of consultancy: as AI automates routine tasks, bespoke advice, original thinking, strategic guidance and expertise are even more valuable.”
Pierce Cook-Anderson, MD Advertising, Mail Metro Media
“While marketers are continuing to invest despite ongoing economic uncertainty, they’re becoming more selective about where those budgets go and, crucially, the outcomes they deliver.
“It’s telling that video is the strongest-performing media channel. Advertisers are increasingly prioritising environments that build brands over the long term where they can tell richer stories and earn attention as audiences move seamlessly between reading, watching, and listening.
“The stabilisation of audio reinforces the shift towards more immersive, high-quality media experiences and we’re seeing growing demand from brands that want to reach audiences across written content, video, audio, and creator content. Our own insights show that premium, trusted environments are better at capturing attention, improving brand recall and delivering stronger commercial outcomes for advertisers.”
Debbie Oates, Director of Customer Engagement, Experian Marketing Services
“Even as economic uncertainty grows, businesses are continuing to prioritise marketing investment – an encouraging sign that firms recognise that sustainable growth depends on continued investment in their brands.
“AI will play a central role in helping marketers maximise that investment. As the report highlights, businesses are choosing to integrate AI into their operations to enhance marketing operations. But AI agents are only as intelligent as the data they are built on: without trusted, accurate and privacy-safe data foundations, organisations risk making decisions based on incomplete or unreliable information.
“Those that invest in high-quality data, identity capabilities and governance will be able to access more meaningful insights and deliver more relevant customer experiences, ultimately leading to stronger returns from AI.
“These foundations will distinguish the organisations that succeed in a market where marketing expenses are under increasing scrutiny. With budgets continuing to edge upwards despite the challenging outlook for the remainder of 2026, now is the time for businesses to invest not just in AI but in the data foundations dependent on its success.”
Warren Delicate, COO, ABM Alliance
“Marketing budgets have proved more resilient than business confidence, which suggests organisations are taking a longer-term view than many expected. The strength of events is no coincidence. When budgets tighten, every interaction has to count, and businesses are placing more weight on the moments where real conversations with decision-makers can happen.
“We’re seeing a clear move away from activity for activity’s sake. Businesses are choosing quality over quantity in how they invest, and that’s a healthy sign for the market, not a nervous one.”
Alex Marks, Head of Marketing, Posterscope
“The latest IPA Bellwether Report is a positive sign that confidence is starting to return to the market. But the real challenge is making sure that investment reflects the way people engage with media today.
“People move constantly between the physical and digital world. They discover brands on social, get recommendations from friends and creators, and often make purchase decisions when they’re out and about. As marketing spend picks up, brands should think less about individual channels and more about how different touchpoints work together to create impact.
“For marketers under pressure to prove effectiveness, the winners will be those taking a more connected approach. For example, combining the influence of social with the real-world presence of out-of-home creates a stronger, more joined-up experience that reaches people at the moments that matter.
“In a more confident but still cautious market, it’s this connected approach that will help marketing investment work harder.”
Paul Samuels, President – Global Partnerships, AEG International
“As many consumers remain hesitant to spend in the face of continued uncertainty, brands are recognising the need to give them a nudge in the right direction. These needs underpin overall increases in marketing spend – but rather than focusing solely on lead generation, brand equity is becoming a priority: well-loved and respected brands are typically more able to weather a storm.
“Events budgets continue to increase ‘in a convincing fashion’ because events themselves are convincing. Not only do events present an opportunity to engage directly with audiences at a time when that is becoming increasingly difficult through traditional and online advertising channels, but those face-to-face interactions also help to build deeper, longer lasting relationships.
“With festival season well under way, we’re seeing brands use live event partnerships to share their personalities and find common ground with hard-to-reach audiences, whilst also delivering against broader commercial objectives.”
Sonny McLean, Commercial Director, Studio FanClub
“The latest IPA Bellwether Report reflects what we’re seeing across the market: brands aren’t pulling back on investment, they’re becoming far more deliberate about where they place it.
“In a fragmented media landscape, that means thinking beyond one-and-done campaigns and investing in long-term brand building that creates sustainable fandom and lasting audience relationships.
“As AI makes content creation more accessible, the value of genuinely original ideas and human creativity only increases. Audiences still gravitate towards distinctive stories and entertainment they actively choose to engage with, rather than content created simply to fill feeds.
“Video remains the most powerful vehicle for attention and retention, even if the platforms continue to evolve. The brands that will win are those that combine great creative with entertainment-led strategies and focus on building owned audiences, rather than relying solely on short-term media efficiency.
“Entertainment is no longer just a marketing tactic, it’s becoming a long-term growth strategy.”
Daniel Todaro, CEO, Gekko Group
“Despite ongoing economic adversity, it’s encouraging to see the increase in overall marketing budgets for a second consecutive quarter. With continued pressure on consumer spending, brands have recognised that maintaining visibility and customer engagement is critical for long-term growth.
“What’s particularly interesting is the continued shift towards channels that are driving stronger customer engagement, with events and experiences leading growth at +11.0%, while spend on video content remaining resilient at +8.2%. Meanwhile, shorter-term performance channels like ‘other online’ have taken a hit for the first time in nearly two years.
“For retailers, this reinforces the importance of creating memorable customer experiences both online and in-store, while using technology and AI to deliver more relevant and efficient marketing.
“While technology and AI are vital tools to drive back-end efficiency and scale, those that continue to invest in meaningful customer experiences and clear, consistent brand story telling, will be the ones reaping the rewards with sustained customer loyalty when consumer confidence fully returns.”
Stephen Judge, Founder & Managing Creative Director, Bonfire Creative Intelligence
“The Q2 Bellwether tells a story of genuine commercial resilience – UK marketing budgets continuing to grow against a backdrop that would have caused previous generations of marketing directors to reach for the cut button. That is encouraging, and it reflects a growing understanding that investment in brand is not a luxury to be rationed when conditions get difficult.
“But the data also contains a warning that deserves more attention than the headline figures suggest. The surge in events spend, the modest uplift in direct marketing, the rise in video – these are all positive signals. Less discussed is what’s being quietly cut: market research is down for the sixth consecutive quarter. “Other online” – largely short-term activation – reversed sharply after seven quarters of growth. And the concerns raised by Bellwether panellists about AI-generated mediocrity point to a deeper structural risk the industry hasn’t fully reckoned with yet.
“Here’s the problem. When businesses are under pressure – geopolitical, inflationary, or political – they instinctively reach for the measurable. Direct response. Events with clear lead generation outcomes. Video that can be A/B tested to within an inch of its life. These are all rational choices in isolation. But six consecutive quarters of cuts to market research means brands are increasingly making those choices with less and less understanding of who they’re actually talking to and why those people should care.
“You cannot build long-term brand equity if you’ve stopped listening to the people you’re trying to reach. Research isn’t an overhead – it’s the intelligence that ensures every pound of brand investment lands in the right place with the right message. Cutting it in uncertain times is precisely the wrong response to uncertainty.
“The AI point is equally important. Panellists are right to worry about mediocrity – and right to see AI as an opportunity to complement human talent. The brands that will win the long game are those that use AI to sharpen their thinking, not replace it. Creative quality now delivers a 21x profit multiplier, according to System1 and the IPA’s own effectiveness data. A world of algorithmically adequate, AI-generated brand communications is a world where that multiplier collapses for everyone.
“The Bellwether’s most important message this quarter isn’t the +6.9% headline. It’s the quiet signal buried in the sub-categories: that under pressure, UK businesses are spending more and understanding less. That is a gap that will compound.”
Marcus Brown, Founder & CEO, The Great Pitch Company
“The most encouraging message from this Bellwether is that, despite falling confidence and considerable uncertainty, businesses are continuing to invest in growth.
“That is not blind optimism. Decades of IPA effectiveness research show that brands which maintain or increase their investment in communications during difficult periods tend to emerge stronger, achieving better market-share and profit growth as conditions recover.
“When competitors become cautious or go quiet, the businesses that remain visible have an opportunity to build greater share of voice, strengthen mental availability and create future demand. Cutting communications may protect the next quarter’s costs, but it can also weaken the next few years’ growth.
“The challenge is therefore not simply to spend more, but to invest well. Businesses need to balance activity that generates an immediate response with sustained brand building that creates pricing power, preference and long-term commercial value.
“At The Great Pitch Company, we know that growth rarely comes from retreating. The brands that continue to communicate confidently, distinctively and consistently will be best placed to emerge stronger and achieve GREAT growth.”
Edmund Hardy, Marketing Director, Kinase
“The latest Q2 Bellwether highlights a vital shift: UK budgets remain resilient (+6.9%) despite dipping business confidence.
“What’s worth watching is this pivot toward brand equity. “Other online” activation budgets shrunk for the first time in seven quarters, while video surged to a high of +8.2%. This indicates that marketers are playing the long game—using high-impact digital video to capture attention and secure sustainable, long-term growth for brands.”
Anthony Clements, Country Manager, impact.com
“One of the key sentiments coming out of the report was the fear among respondents of the march of AI and the risk it brings of poor-quality, templated content. This is a real and valid concern. In an age of auto-generated content, the content that will stand out will be that with the human touch – human ingenuity, creativity and emotion.
“If brands want to succeed in the post-search world, they need to make sure they are appearing in the answers that LLMs surface.
“To do this, they should be turning to platforms like impact.com to form and manage long-term partnerships with the creators, affiliates and publishers who are powering the answer era.
Tim Mitchell, CEO, CreatorOS
“The report results mirror conversations we had at Cannes Lions, about brands beginning to bed in for the long-term, especially around newer media channels like creator marketing. They’re thinking strategically about how they use budgets over the next few years, as the global outlook stays uncertain.
“Topics such as social shopping and optimising content for SEO, and AI optimisation using niche and expert creators are top of mind.
“We can see brands want to sit on solid foundations, like creator content, in contrast to a few years ago when the larger creators were being used to get spikes in attention.”
Ben Dimond, Managing Director UK, Parallel
“It was interesting to see that video is the only main media sub-category seeing increased investment, though this is unsurprising given the growth happening in CTV and on YouTube. This growth is one of the main reasons that Parallel chose YouTube as its launch platform.
“With more spend going into this platform, it becomes even more important that we help brands stand out and find the right content for their ads, from the view of their customers.
“For many people today, YouTube is not an alternative to TV – it is TV! This is what the money is flowing towards it – it’s important for advertisers that they spend it wisely and match the right ad to the right content for the right viewer. That’s what we aim to help them achieve.
Larraine Criss, COO, Preciso
“The latest IPA Bellwether numbers tell two stories. The ones looking backwards show optimism, with a net balance of +6.9% of respondents saying they increased their marketing budgets in Q2, which is great news.
“But when it comes to the forward-looking statements, things look less rosy. The net balance of respondents predicting better financial prospects at their own business slipped to -9.6%, (from +0.6% in Q1), and respondents’ were also less optimistic abut the prospects for the industry as a whole. This is a reflection of the uncertainty in the world in general, and in the UK in particular given the recent resignation of the prime minister.
“In times like these, advertisers seeking to extract maximum value for money should seek reassurance in proven user-friendly formats like native advertising, which deliver for advertisers, and don’t negatively impact the user experience.
Paul Dahill, Managing Director EMEA Sales, Koddi
“The Bellwether numbers tell a familiar but important story, budgets are still growing but confidence is fragile, and in that environment every pound has to work harder and prove itself faster. When executives are nervous about the wider economy, they gravitate towards long-term brand-building media, across channels they can measure and trust.
“UK marketers are being told to play the long game on brand investment at the same time as a structural shift is happening in how products get discovered and bought.
“We’re seeing this trend run across our conversations with advertisers. Commerce media networks which integrate rather than fragment and prove value through real measurement, will be the ones still standing when confidence returns.”
David Murphy, Senior Press & Commentary Writer, The Digital Voice
“There is some good news in the latest IPA Bellwether numbers, with a net +6.9% of respondents saying they increased their marketing budgets in Q2, with events and video leading the way.
“There’s some tension too, though, as seen in the fact that the net balance of respondents who predict better financial prospects at their own business slipped into the red at -9.6% (compared to a positive +0.6% in Q1.
“It’s a similar story when you look at respondents’ views on the prospects for the industry as a whole, where the net balance feeling positive slipped from -21% in Q1 to -25.1% in Q2. Despite this, the IPA forecasts that ad spend will grow by 2.1% in 2026. This may seem somewhat cautious, but I think it’s a fair reflection of sentiment globally.
“This is not time to go out all guns blazing, but one for advertisers to hold their nerve, stay present and continue to nurture the bonds with their customers that they have spent so long building.”
Matthew Thomas, Account Director, The Ingenuity Group
“PR budgets have grown for three straight years, which in the current climate feels a bit like finding a tenner in an old coat. The increase is modest at +1.4%, but it still matters when confidence in company prospects has dropped into negative territory.
“The message for PR teams is fairly clear. Businesses are nervous, but they are still spending on reputation and earned attention because both become more valuable when the market gets messy.
“PR has proved it can hold its ground. The next challenge is showing that it can make every other bit of marketing work harder too.”
Jess Aylett, Head of Sales UK & International, GumGum
“The latest IPA Bellwether Report offers a positive signal for the industry. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, it’s great to see that brands continue to recognise the value of advertising.
“However, it’s clear that advertisers are becoming more selective with their investments. This isn’t simply about driving lower costs; it’s about driving better outcomes.
“As budgets come under greater scrutiny, marketers are placing a higher premium on media that can demonstrate effectiveness, capture attention and deliver measurable business impact.
“Premium publishers remain critical to a healthy open web, but they need to prove the value they offer beyond scale. The future belongs to environments that create meaningful engagement through quality content, contextual relevance and trusted consumer experiences.
“The report’s findings on AI reflect the broader industry conversation. While AI will undoubtedly improve efficiency and productivity, it shouldn’t come at the expense of creativity and human judgment.
“The real opportunity lies in using AI to help us construct ideas whilst enabling marketers to deliver more relevant, contextual and effective advertising.
“Ultimately, the brands that succeed will be those that combine technology with human insight, balancing innovation with relevance to create advertising that people genuinely engage with and that drives lasting business outcomes.”