Direct mail spend put in its strongest performance for nearly six years in Q3 2017, growing by 5.9% over the same period in 2016, as UK ad spend rose for the 17th consecutive year to reach £5.4bn for the quarter.
While mobile ruled the waves, grabbing almost one in four pounds spent on total advertising in Q3, direct mail more than held its own.
The AA’s preliminary estimates for 2017 predict that, overall, ad spend grew by 3.4% to £22.1bn last year, although, due to a challenging period in the first half, direct mail will only record growth of 0.9% for the full 12 months. However, it will retain its place as the third largest medium behind Internet and TV and will still come in close to the £2bn-mark.
Advertising Association chief executive Stephen Woodford said: “UK advertising is vital for the economy, generating £6 for every £1 spent and we know from the work of Credos, advertising’s think tank, that advertising is the engine of growth for UK business.
“As we work through Brexit, we need to help Government make the best decisions to support our industry and, by extension, the wider UK economy as we target growth across the nations and regions and in an increasingly global marketplace.”
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