advertising and marketing

The UK advertising industry employs nearly 250,000 people and has a Gross Value Added (GVA) of £6.2bn to the UK economy each year. In 2009, advertising expenditure was £14.5bn and this figure grows to £15.7bn when production costs are considered. According to the Advertising Statistics Yearbook, the UK advertising industry – centring on London - is the fourth largest in the world.

London hosts Europe’s largest cluster of marketing services business – the Office for National Statistics indicates they employ over 100,000 people and London is home to international industry bodies including the Marketing Society and the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising found that seven of the top ten PR agencies worldwide had their corporate headquarters in London, generating combined revenues of more than $3.5 billion. The UK market research industry is worth around $2.5 billion.

The sector is a fast moving and vibrant one – with the global organisations facing non-stop competition from newly formed and fast expanding (often through consolidation merger activity) start ups. As technology drives the pace of change into new media and platforms, so the industry contracts, expands and adapts at a phenomenally fast rate – which means companies operating in the sector need tight financial management, access to additional funds and the ability to change strategy and operations quickly.

Our services to the sector extend from day to day audit and assurance services, to corporate taxation and personal taxation planning for the owners of advertising and marketing businesses to support for due diligence exercise for mergers, acquisitions and raising funds from private and public markets.

Our clients include traditional advertising and marketing services companies as well as specialist digital distribution and marketing agencies, media buyers, public relations consultants and branding and design companies. We also work with a significant number of television and radio production companies and fashion businesses so we are often able to facilitate helpful introductions to our clients.