UK Marketing Budgets Jump 14.3% to Highest Level in Two Years

British companies raised marketing budgets by a net 14.3% in the third quarter of 2026, compared to 6.9% in the second quarter, making it the strongest quarter in over two years, according to the Bellwether Report published by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising.

This increase is the third in a row and the highest since the second quarter of 2024. All seven categories grew, with the public relations sector recording a series high of 15.3%, events reaching 15.1%, while main media recorded a nine-year high of 9.8%.

Against the backdrop of these data, S&P Global Market Intelligence raised its forecast for UK ad spend growth in 2026 to 2.8% from 2.1%, but lowered its forecast for 2027 to 1.3%.

This means advertisers are re-injecting money into marketing as the holiday season approaches, a sign of improving confidence while remaining cautious about the coming year.

What do these terms mean?

Net balance: The difference between the percentage of companies that raised their budgets and the percentage that cut them; a positive value means those increasing outnumber those decreasing.

Ad spend: The total amount spent by companies to purchase advertising space across various media.

Main media: Traditional advertising channels such as television, press, and radio, termed main media because of their massive audience size.