The UK government has unveiled a suite of measures it hopes will “unlock” the marketing industry’s global growth potential, part of a wider plan to grow investment in the creative industries to £31bn in the next decade.
With an ambition to make the UK the “best place in the world to produce advertising” by 2035, the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) wants to see more ad agencies explore their “export potential” and ramp up production across the UK, building on creative hubs in Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol.
Describing the UK ad market as the most “digitally mature” in Western Europe, the DCMS Creative Industries Sector Plan published today (23 June) seeks to “unlock the growth potential of Al” and boost exports, with a view to increasing the number of UK-created advertising campaigns worldwide.
The UK government has unveiled a suite of measures it hopes will “unlock” the marketing industry’s global growth potential, part of a wider plan to grow investment in the creative industries to £31bn in the next decade.
With an ambition to make the UK the “best place in the world to produce advertising” by 2035, the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) wants to see more ad agencies explore their “export potential” and ramp up production across the UK, building on creative hubs in Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Bristol.
Describing the UK ad market as the most “digitally mature” in Western Europe, the DCMS Creative Industries Sector Plan published today (23 June) seeks to “unlock the growth potential of Al” and boost exports, with a view to increasing the number of UK-created advertising campaigns worldwide.
The report points to the £109bn the sector already contributes in indirect gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy, according to data from Enders Analysis published earlier this month.
Next year, the government will launch an expanded ‘GREAT’ campaign to raise the profile of advertising and adtech to “ensure the UK retains a consistent top three position among Cannes Lions awards winning countries”.
Marketing apprenticeship numbers plummet with resourcing flagged as biggest barrier
DCMS has also pledged to introduce accelerator programmes for adtech businesses to upskill founders on international expansion and connect them with key investors. The aim is to open up new markets for trade, enabling the UK to build on its position as the second largest exporter of advertising and marketing services behind the US, according to Advertising Association (AA) figures released last year.
The government believes there is clear room for growth. While AA figures show marketing and advertising service exports hit £18bn in 2023, currently only a third of UK ad firms export, suggesting “untapped potential for growth”.
Our ambition is that every corner of this country will flourish as part of the UK’s position as a creative superpower.”
Lisa Nandy, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Singling out digital marketing as the “driving force” for continued growth in the sector, the government warns the “complex nature of the online ecosystem” breeds concerns about transparency, which means maintaining consumer trust is crucial.
To help facilitate this, DCMS wants to develop best practice in collaboration with the Online Advertising Taskforce, which unites government and industry to address illegal harms and the protection of children online. In its latest report, published in December 2024, the taskforce claimed it was making “promising progress” in tackling several interconnected challenges facing the online advertising ecosystem.
Another route to growth identified by the government is helping smaller ad agencies navigate the Crown Commercial Service and Local Authority procurement process for public sector ad services contracts. The idea is to make the process “simpler” and more “transparent”, the specifics of which will be set out via an upcoming procurement consultation.
‘Landmark moment’
The wider vision to “kickstart growth” will see DCMS more than double targeted funding for the creative industries, including “significant increases” in support from the British Business Bank and UK Research and Innovation.
The government is also set to appoint a creative freelance champion to advocate for freelancers and is relaunching the Creative Industries Council, a forum of government, creative businesses and other creative organisations.
“Our ambition is that every corner of this country will flourish as part of the UK’s position as a creative superpower, maximising the value and impact of our content, services, products and skills,” says Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy.
“That is why this sector plan is setting out an ambitious target to increase annual investment in the creative industries from £17bn to £31bn by 2035. This is just the start of a 10-year journey and the government is committed to playing its part.”
Revamping the skills agenda is part of this push, which will see the Department for Education and Skills England “refine and develop” apprenticeships and skills training tailored to the creative industries.
This revamp will include shorter duration apprenticeships and short courses funded through the Growth and Skills Levy (formerly the Apprenticeship Levy), in areas such as digital and artificial intelligence. The government’s forthcoming post-16 education and skills strategy will include a framework for how the skills system can specifically support the creative industries.
When it comes to key metrics for success, DCMS intends to analyse the increase in creative industry exports in services and goods on a value and volume basis, as well as a rise in productivity, growth in investment and decrease in skills shortages.
Caroline Norbury, chief executive of national membership body for the cultural and creative industries Creative UK, describes the sector plan as a “clear signal” creativity is central to the UK’s industrial strategy and long-term growth ambitions.
“The recognition of the creative industries as one of eight high-potential growth sectors is a landmark moment. This plan reflects the economic and cultural power of the sector – and the vital role we play in driving innovation, exports and opportunity across all regions of the UK,” says Norbury.
Earlier this month, IPA director of legal and public affairs, Richard Lindsay, welcomed the “clear commitment” outlined in the government’s Spending Review to provide a “significant increase” in funding for the creative industries.
