In a further sign that the industry is emerging from the recession, predictions for 2014 have been revised upwards. Next year’s adspend is expected to be £18.7 billion, which would be the highest figure recorded by the Advertising Association/Warc Expenditure Report since it began in 1982.
According to the report, nearly a third of expenditure (£2.7 billion) in the first half of this year was on pure-play digital media, an increase of 16 per cent year on year.
Within the internet category, spend on mobile rocketed 128 per cent, while search spend rose 18 per cent.
Total spend on TV was £2.2 billion, a rise of 2 per cent, while out-of-home spend increased 3 per cent to £456 million.
The report is another positive sign for agencies after UK adspend returned to pre-recession levels for the first time in 2012, reaching £17.2 billion.
Jonathan Barnard, the head of forecasting at ZenithOptimedia, said: "TV has done particularly well this year, thanks to things like the competition between Sky and BT. There has also been a lot of spending from the telcos around the launch of 4G. I am not surprised that search has risen, as I expect there is a lot more search activity through tablet and mobile devices."
Spend on magazine and newspaper brands fell 7.5 per cent and 7.4 per cent respectively, but digital spend on newspaper brands rose 11.9 per cent to £151 million.
The report predicts total adspend will grow 3.3 per cent year on year across 2013.
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