The amount of money spent in the UK on advertising rose 6.3% last year to reach £23.6bn in 2018. All the predictions suggest that it went up again – this time by approaching 8% in 2019.
Indeed 2018 was the ninth consecutive year in which advertising rose and the highest rise since monitoring began in 1982. If the predictions for 2019 are anything to go by this again will have been the tenth successive record year.
Which might seem a bit strange when our government has been having a bit of difficulty in getting legislation through, and schools and other public services have had their funding cut.
Indeed there has also been what we might choose to call a certain amount of economic uncertainty. Many high street chains are in trouble. And yet advertising is going up and up. So why is this?
The reason in part comes from the fact that advertising is now being targeted much more accurately than ever before which has resulted in it bringing in greater returns than ever before.
Added to which companies have learned exactly how they can produce advertisements that those they reach will respond to.
Old notions such as “A picture is worth 10,000 words”, which were based on a belief or a catchphrase rather than actual research and hard facts, have now been replaced by the same sort of awareness as has existed for years in broadcast and press advertising.
Of course it is true that schools in England have been seriously affected by the government’s austerity programme, but with this now ending the money is going to be spent once more.
And any temptation that schools have had to spend it on extra teachers are going to be stifled quite simply by the lack of teachers. Even with the promised increase in salaries, the number of teachers being recruited will remain dramatically below the number of vacancies.
What’s more, there is no sign that the tendency of newly trained to leave within the first four years will come to an end. High turnover is still going to be the order of the day.
So next term looks to be something of a bonanza for firms that are adopting the new approaches to advertising.
If you would like to book your advertising for next term now we are open this week before we shut for our annual Christmas break.
And by way of a little encouragement for you to book now, rather than leave it to the new year when we expect to be rather busy, all bookings we receive for our 4-Email or 6-Email programmes between now and when we close for our Christmas / New Year holiday in four days time will receive an extra email free.
Details and costs of the 4 Email and 6 Email programmes are available on the web site links above. Bookings must be made by email to Stephen@schools.co.uk