A healthy, responsible advertising sector is good for people, good for business and good for the economy but to sustain that, we need policies which strengthen the advertising sector. For brands… that means the best regulatory climate to obtain returns on investment in advertising. For media… that means the best climate to create ad-funded content, and monetise it in the UK and worldwide. For agencies and services… that means protecting and developing the UK’s position as a global hub in the face of international challengers.

So in 2011, when UK business spent £16 billion on advertising, what happened? At the very least, those businesses expected a return on investment. But what about the rest of UK plc – how widespread were the effects? With the help of Deloitte’s modelling, we showed that when a pound is spent on advertising, it adds six to UK GDP. That meant a £100 billion boost to GDP in 2011 and over 550,000 high quality jobs.

The report shows how SMEs are significantly underweight in their use of advertising, how that could be stifling revenues, jobs and growth, and what industry and Government can do to change things.

Getting noticed by overseas customers is the number one reason why smaller British businesses start exporting. And if the UK could raise its SME export performance to just the EU average, it would mean a £40 billion boost to the economy.

Through its seat on the Creative Industries Council, the AA works to build recognition and support for advertising’s role in British creativity and help Government create a supportive policy environment for UK brands, media and agencies.

Wherever available, we use actual data, not estimates or models. And with total market and individual media data stretching back to 1982, it’s the most complete picture around, in fact, the Bank of England uses our advertising spend data and nobody else’s. You’ll find the most recent highlights and trends here. The really detailed stuff is over at WARC.com.

According to its critics, advertising corrupts childhood, fuels obesity, targets the vulnerable, misuses data, even encourages alcohol abuse. We don’t shirk these tough topics, but we also believe that the freedom to advertise, within a clear, responsible framework, is good for people, good for business and good for the economy.

The AA runs industry networks around all of advertising's key issues and through these groups we improve the quality of available evidence, develop understanding of advertising's role and help brands, media and agencies keep practices responsible. In doing so, we hope to ensure that advertising’s benefits can be maximised for all concerned.