TV will be the main driver of UK advertising expenditure growth for 2010, with revenues to increase by an estimated 9.1% across the year, according to the latest AA/Warc Expenditure Report.

The report provides the most comprehensive measure of UK advertising activity – encompassing print, TV, digital, cinema and out of home – and expects TV to outperform online, which should grow by 7.7%.

It also predicts overall market growth of 3.3% in 2010, up from the previous forecast of 2.3%. Total adspend is now expected to reach £14.98bn in 2010, an increase of £0.5bn from 2009.

In a response to the opinion published today, the European advertising and media industry has labelled the Article 29 Group of data privacy regulators ‘out of step’ with online businesses and their consumers.

Supporting the industry statement, the AA said that:

“Advertisers use cookies to make the internet more relevant, and media owners rely on them to build viable ad revenues online. For consumers, cookies personalise their use of the internet, allowing them to find the information, products and services they need.”

In a speech to Barnardo's yesterday, Nick Clegg set out his plans to make our country a better place for children. This included a 'crackdown on irresponsible advertising and marketing'.
His intentions are noble, but they are not new to the industry. The UK has some of the world's strictest advertising rules, rigorously enforced by the ASA and carefully designed to protect children from the very concerns he outlined.

UK advertising has a global reputation for self-regulation which puts consumer protection first. We therefore welcome the OFT’s view that, although online behavioural advertising (OBA) is in its infancy, the industry’s self-regulation efforts are a good start and a move in the right direction.

We absolutely support the OFT’s vision of an industry-wide, transparent system of self-regulation that works for the consumer. We will be working with all sides of the industry including ISBA, the IPA and the IAB, to ensure that self-regulation in this area meets the standards set elsewhere by the Advertising Standards Authority. That way we will realise the benefits – to consumers and to industry – of OBA, while addressing any potential concerns.