In real terms (in other words after adjusting for inflation) this represents a decline of 4.4%. This figure of £16.5 billion for total UK adspend includes agency commission and production costs and covers newspapers, magazines, directories, television, radio, outdoor, cinema, direct mail and the internet.
Among the findings were the following statistics:
- In 2001 adspend on the internet grew by 7%, or 5% in real terms, to reach £166 million.
- The share of advertising as a percentage of total economic activity in the UK fell from 2.04% in 2000 to 1.89% in 2001;
- All press advertising, including classified and production costs, totalled £8.5 billion in 2001, down 1% on 2000, or 3% in real terms. The press accounted for 51.5% of total display and classified advertising in 2001, and 35.7% of total display advertising. Directory advertising was the fastest growing press sector in 2001, up 10% on the figure for 2000, or by 8% in real terms;
- Television adspend, hard hit by recession, was down 10.7% on 2000, a fall in real terms of just over 12%;
- Advertising expenditure on radio meanwhile declined by 9% in current prices, and 11% in constant prices;
- In 2001 adspend in the outdoor sector was £788 million, down some 3% on 2000, and representing a fall in real terms of 4.5%;
- Cinema adspend reflected the success of the medium in attracting growing audiences through the year and expanded by 28% to £164 million, an increase in real terms of some 26%; and
- Expenditure on direct mail totalled £2.2 billion in 2001, up 9% on 2000, and representing an increase of 7% in real terms.