AA/WARC reaction: Trust or bust for a 2026 ad thrust

This week’s AA/WARC Expenditure Report has painted a far more positive picture than the recent IPA Bellwether Report, with the advertising and marketing industry continuing to grow at pace in the face of both domestic and global economic pressures.

While the report covers actual spend from Q3 2025, the authors forecast that 2026 will see a further 7.5% increase in budgets to reach a record-breaking £50bn. Naturally, the report makes its own conclusions, but Decision Marketing asks leading industry professionals for their take on the year ahead.

First up is Marketreach wholesale commercial director Philip Ricketts, who is quick to point out that while advertising is a powerful tool for business growth, it is not all made equal.

He continued: “With spend set to exceed the £50bn mark for the first time this coming year, brands are embracing our industry’s ability to drive growth, and I expect to see positive results.

“However, whenever there is big investment, there is scrutiny. Brands will demand to see effectiveness from their campaigns, and while short-term metrics may be tempting, industry research continues to find that consumer trust carries significant commercial impact.

“With the next year set to pit marketers and brands against economic headwinds, investing in channels and campaigns that drive long-term consumer trust will be the key to both drive short-term growth and insure against longer-term pressures, even if marketers are forced to downsize their budgets.”

Integral Ad Science managing director EMEA Csaba Szabo, meanwhile, urges advertisers to learn the lessons from the major sporting events that took place in Q3 2025, as we head into 2026’s busy calendar.

He explained: “The 2026 Fifa World Cup and the 2026 Winter Olympics, among others, will create powerful opportunities for brands to connect with highly-engaged audiences. However, history shows that when global attention peaks, so does the risk around ad fraud and brand suitability.

“During the Winter Olympics 2022, a seven-day rolling ad fraud rate nearly doubled the global Q1 2022 ad fraud benchmark – this near 100% increase in fraudulent activity showcases the importance of awareness around these major calendar milestones.

“The key for advertisers will be leaning into these high-impact moments by using the right tools to both protect investment and brand equity by optimising for premium inventory and contextually suitable environments, strengthening fraud prevention and suitability controls, and turning media quality metrics into an engine for growth for their campaigns.”

The sporting theme is also one that TripleLift UK country manager Rob Ishag is keen to take up. He commented: “This year the calendar is packed with major sporting events, from the Winter Olympics to the Fifa World Cup. While brands will undoubtedly double down on spend to capitalise on these cultural touchpoints, the sheer volume of content means the marketplace will be more crowded than ever.

“In this environment, simply buying space isn’t enough, advertisers must earn attention. The brands that will be remembered are those that can create true impact. The secret to resonance lies at the intersection of creative innovation and intelligence.

“By merging high-impact creative formats with data from curated audiences and real-time effectiveness insights, advertisers can ensure their stories don’t just reach their audience, they actually stick.”

Over at Usercentrics, senior privacy expert Tilman Harmeling warns that, with the vast majority of the growth running on consumer data, the key question for marketers isn’t just where to invest, but how to earn the permission that makes performance possible.

He added: “Consumers are more privacy-savvy and selective than ever, and far quicker to opt out when trust isn’t clear. That’s why consent is fast becoming more than a legal requirement – it’s a trust signal and a core part of the brand experience. Marketers who get transparency and user choice right will be best placed to keep targeting, measurement and results working as digital investment continues to rise.”

However, Launch client services director Amy Budd reckons advertisers should not just plough their budget into digital.

She explained: “We’re seeing adspend rise again for 2026, but the smartest brands aren’t just adding budget they’re broadening their presence across the full ecosystem of consumer touchpoints. Investing in sustainable growth and pushing their acquisition costs down through a combination of brand building and conversion focused campaigns. We are living in a low attention, noisy world, but the brands that build familiarity will win in unpredictable times.”

Finally, to Audion head of sales for EMEA Elie Kauffmann, who insists the report reinforces the case for audio advertising, with online radio adspend seeing a 19.2% increase for Q3, and this growth forecast to continue.

He said: “There’s no denying that the economic environment is challenging, both at home and abroad; against this backdrop audio is cutting through as advertisers increasingly experience the vital role it plays in achieving business goals – from raising awareness to driving sales – while delivering ROI.

“The increase in audio adspend also reflects what we are seeing as brands recognise the clear and measurable benefits the channel offers in enabling them to engage with consumers across the whole marketing funnel.”