2015 – the turning point for digital ad spend in the UK

A recent article on The Drum has revealed a surprising statistic. Research conducted by Group M, the media buying arm of WPP, has forecast that in 2015 “£1 out of every £2 spent on advertising in the UK will go to digital and online media.”

It’s been predicted that £8bn will be spent on digital advertising in 2015. This projection is staggering, as it shows that more and more businesses within the UK are shifting towards digital advertising methods. I thought I would explore some of the reasons why we as consumers are contributing towards this ever-expanding digital revolution.

I can remember word for word the title of an essay in my final year at university: “Advertising is dead. Discuss as to how far you agree or disagree with this statement”. After an initial panic of how broad the subject was to fit in a word limit, it became clear to me that in fact the statement could not be more wrong. In short, I believe that advertising is absolutely not dead, but has for some time been in a digital evolution where brands are actively seeking new and innovative ways to advertise online. It’s only now I wish I had access to this information when writing the essay to get an even better mark!

The developments that have been made in smartphone and tablet devices have almost revolutionised the way we advertise and capture our target audience. Having debit or credit card details being stored online has made it incredibly easy to browse, compare and buy online. Many brands already know this however, and reactively create and implement new and innovative ways to advertise to us accordingly. Adam Smith, Futures Director at Group M, says that we as Brits have become enamoured with buying online: “The British are the most enthusiastic online shoppers in the world in terms of spend per head”. He also states that because of our almost inseparable relationship with our smartphones and tablets, advertisers know to spend their money online.

We all at some point start browsing aimlessly and then ‘accidentally’ end up purchasing something you’ve come across that you didn’t previously have any desire for. With the help of analytics in particular, brands can see exactly how we spend our time online and through which device and they act on upon it in quick succession.

So, why will more and more businesses contribute to the forecast UK online ad spend of £8bn in 2015? Here are a few reasons why:

• • You have full control of your budget. You are in complete control of how much you want to spend, and you only pay for your ad once a user has clicked it. On top of this, if you appoint a specialist PPC agency (like us) to manage your campaign then we can further optimise your results.

  • You can stop and start campaigns without delay. The numbers of ways to innovatively advertise online are constantly increasing, so it’s important to be able to adapt your advertising campaigns to keep up with, and ahead of, the latest trends.

  • You can target exactly who sees your advert, resulting in a highly receptive audience that see ads that are relevant to them. Your target audience can then respond immediately to your adverts.

  • Your campaigns are instantly measurable – whether it’s the number of clicks, impressions, conversions rates or cost per click, you are able to see exactly how your campaign is performing in real time.

We at MCM Net have certainly noticed that year on year our PPC and online advertising client list continues to grow. If you want help in getting your business ‘out there’ then please do get in touch, we’d be more than happy to help make online advertising work for you.