Leading figures from across the UK advertising and digital marketing industries have reacted to the findings of the latest IPA Bellwether Report for Q2 2025…
Paul Wright, Head of EMEA Sales, Uber Advertising
“Even as economic uncertainty continues, one thing’s clear: marketers will be looking to drive efficiency in their budget usage. Therefore, two areas to focus on are standout creativity and media budget utilisation – targeting people, not devices. The latest IPA Bellwether reflects this, with marketers doubling down on engaging visual content to stand out in a noisy media landscape.
“Our research with Lumen has shown that when you pair rich first-party data with seamless, relevant creative, this can turn fleeting moments of engagement into sustained interaction and action. As the media landscape continues to evolve, those who focus on holding consumer attention through authentic, context-driven campaigns will be best positioned to deliver meaningful business outcomes.”
Phil Acton, Country Manager UK, Adform
“The latest IPA Bellwether offers grounds for cautious optimism. Budgets have been fairly robust in Q2, with advertisers rightly keeping their brands in front of consumers to lay the groundwork for further growth, but recent figures from the ONS show that inflation remains persistent. To navigate these headwinds, advertisers are having to prioritise effective media. In particular, the report’s respondents highlighted the value of direct targeting in online channels, and the use of AI-driven automation to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and deliver the scale, speed, and insight needed to optimise campaigns.
“As advertisers consider which channels will drive business-specific outcomes, it’s essential to consider the media mix as a whole. While channels like OOH and audio had a reported decline, this does not align with the interest we’ve seen from clients in testing these buoyant environments. These ‘top-of-funnel’ channels, including premium video, are evolving rapidly, and technology is uniting insight across them to close the traditional gap between brand-building and performance. With consumer journeys increasingly fragmented, brands that embrace this complexity, ensuring consistency and relevant campaigns across all touchpoints, will succeed. Identity-driven solutions are key, enabling better measurement and optimisation, and more meaningful engagement at scale.”
Graham Field, Chief Revenue Officer at Outra
“After several years of reduced marketing budgets, things have turned a corner and the year ahead is looking strong, according to the latest IPA Bellwether report. In particular, the uptick in advertising budgets is a welcome respite for the industry following years of uncertainty – and the innovation that followed – centred on how to connect with consumers while prioritising privacy.
“As the report alludes, the need for more precise audience targeting has driven investment in smarter, more data-led approaches. Understanding consumers at a granular level, such as through household signals, offers brands a unique opportunity to engage with their audiences during key life moments. Brands that harness this predictive data gain a competitive edge, as it provides the opportunity to get ahead of the decision-making process, enabling them to reach the right people at precisely the right time.”
Justin Reid, Senior Director of Global Partnerships Solutions at Tripadvisor
“The latest IPA Bellwether report shows a welcome renewal of confidence, with marketing budgets rising and reversing the decline of the previous quarter. This rebound creates an exciting opportunity for brands to think more strategically about how they connect with audiences in meaningful and impactful ways.
“Now is the time for non-endemic brands to use this budget optimism to collaborate with the right partners and meet consumers where they are, whether through platforms, experiences, or communities that resonate. Understanding consumers means looking beyond age or generation to the life stages that shape their motivations and behaviours.
“For instance, college students often seek adventure and memorable experiences, while newly engaged or married couples prioritise unique, milestone-worthy moments. Add to this that retirees tend to travel more slowly, valuing comfort and convenience while managing health considerations, and there’s a mix of priorities to contend with. By recognising these unique differences, brands can tailor their strategies more effectively, creating deeper and more meaningful connections that resonate with each consumer’s current needs and aspirations.
“Brands that embrace these insights by activating creative partnerships and cultural relevance will be best placed to capture attention and build lasting connections. Delivering experiences worth sharing, they can turn the excitement of rising marketing budgets into meaningful growth and deeper consumer engagement.
Ed Wale, VP International, LG Ad Solutions
“The rebound in UK marketing budgets in Q2 signals renewed confidence from brands, with spend directed toward channels that balance creative impact with measurable outcomes. A key insight from this quarter’s Bellwether report is the rising influence of visual content in driving consumer engagement, particularly as marketers navigate a crowded and fragmented media landscape.
“Smart TVs and the home screen in particular are playing an increasingly important role in how brands connect with viewers during key discovery moments. Native, high-impact formats are gaining traction as advertisers look to capture attention in more innovative ways in a world where ad loads are increasing in streaming environments while attention spans are getting shorter.
“As audiences come to expect seamless and premium visual experiences, the focus is shifting toward solutions that combine strong storytelling with accountability and performance. The home screen, as a first point of contact, presents a valuable opportunity to achieve both.”
Guy Jackson, Chief Commercial Officer, RAAS LAB
“It’s no surprise to see AI and visual content flagged as key growth areas in the latest Bellwether. In today’s fractured media landscape, they’re becoming the price of entry for effective digital campaigns. However, with online marketing budgets also rising, the battle for attention is becoming increasingly fierce.
“Automation alone no longer cuts it. What matters now is nuance and using the right tools to deliver relevance at scale. That’s where agentic AI comes into its own. By analysing enriched, impression-level signals from editorial context and imagery to tone and sentiment, advertisers can understand what elements are driving performance and why. This powers real-time creative optimisation and brings sharper transparency to media effectiveness at a time when scrutiny on outcomes is only growing. Those who tailor their creative using these signals to purchase-ready audiences will be the ones who turn engagement into real results.”
Mateusz Rumiński, VP of Product at PrimeAudience
“It is encouraging to see marketing budgets on the rise, despite the geopolitical and economic challenges we have been facing globally in recent months. What is particularly interesting is that direct marketing budgets have increased, showing the ongoing shift towards personalisation and measurement within marketing strategies.
“Despite Google’s decision not to remove cookies, the industry has moved on, with the report stating that many companies are recognising the need for more direct targeting of audiences. In fact, our data shows that 84% of UK marketers are likely to adopt AI-driven predictive modelling to support marketing efforts as user identifiers become less available. This means recognising its use cases and the long-term impact that AI technology can have on marketing efforts. Those who embrace AI tools to refine creativity, boost effectiveness and improve results will be best positioned to thrive in the long term.”
Maciej Kabata, Head of Sales Development and Efficiency at RTB House
“The most recent IPA Bellwether indicates that priorities are shifting, with budgets generally on the rise. The long-term growth predicted in Q1 has been proven as we’re now in a period of optimism, with the report showing that marketers have reworked their plans to set themselves up for success.
“As the report provides anecdotal evidence for the need for businesses to be able to connect with their audiences on a deeper level, prompting an increase in investment in digital channels. AI-driven and programmatic advertising solutions should be at the forefront of this shift. By leveraging these technologies, particularly Deep Learning, brands can create highly targeted campaigns while maximising their engagement and ROI in a digital-first arena.”
Maor Sadra, CEO & co-founder, INCRMNTAL
“Marketers aren’t just cautiously optimistic, they’re increasingly strategic. The flatlining of main media budgets and rising investment in direct and event-led channels reflect a broader shift: brands are prioritising measurable outcomes over traditional assumptions.
“What’s missing from the Bellwether breakdown however, is how channels like CTV are quietly becoming performance drivers. Our data shows CTV now delivers up to 10x the conversions of linear TV using just 60% of the spend, yet too often it’s lumped into ‘video’ or treated like a branding-only play. That’s a disconnect.
“The major shift in 2025 isn’t budget movement – it’s measurement maturity. With incrementality-based insights, marketers can finally see which channels truly drive impact. The result? Smarter spending, not necessarily bigger spending.”
Julie Selman, SVP, Head of EMEA at Magnite
“The latest IPA Bellwether report highlights a notable expansion in total marketing budgets, marking the most significant increase since Q2 2024. This renewed momentum signals a broader resurgence in advertiser confidence and an evident willingness to invest in brand and performance-led activity. Looking ahead, 2026 is poised to be a pivotal year, with ad spend growth projected to more than double, creating a strong environment for key channels, such as video, to flourish.
“Among all marketing categories, video emerged as a standout performer. It was one of only two sub-sectors to avoid a negative net balance, with spend stabilising and improving. This resilience reflects the ongoing effectiveness of video as a high-impact, results-driven medium that delivers both scale and emotional resonance.
“Video continues to play a vital role in helping brands cut through the noise and perfectly aligns with how modern audiences consume content across platforms. As streaming habits evolve and digital platforms become increasingly central to consumers, video presents brands with a compelling opportunity to reach and engage audiences in more personal, immersive, and measurable ways. Those that fully harness its capabilities will be best equipped to drive results, and stay ahead in a rapidly shifting industry.”
Alexia Nakad, VP Brands and Commerce Media, UK & MEA, LiveRamp
“The Q2 IPA Bellwether report shows total marketing budgets growing at their fastest pace in a year, with particularly strong gains in direct marketing. Brands are still seeking to drive ROI more effectively through their owned channels as they focus on maximising budget efficiencies. Yet, overall, the total growth in marketing budget spend suggests a balanced approach is being taken, and that data insights learned from paid media are informing owned media strategies.
“Promotional marketing budgets have now been rising for four consecutive quarters, yet a heavy tilt toward promotional activity should come with some caution. While discounts deliver immediate results, an overreliance on them risks damaging long-term brand equity and cannibalising sales from those willing to pay full price. Marketers would be wise to consider how they manage audience segments and use data insights to activate personalised promotion, and further measure that activity frequently to understand optimisation opportunities.
“Leveraging AI can help transform and accelerate consumer interactions and campaign measurement, but its access to high-quality data through data collaboration with partners that enable these meaningful and measurable customer experiences. Brands that embrace this kind of strategic thinking will enjoy a more holistic view of the customer journey, and will be best placed to thrive in today’s outcome-focused environment.”
Michael Brown, Sr. Group Director, Regional Leadership, DoubleVerify
The latest IPA Bellwether confirms that advertisers remain focused on measurable impact from every pound of spend. With direct marketing and automation being prioritised, there’s a clear push to bridge the gap between performance and brand-building through a more holistic analysis of the customer’s path to purchase.
This is increasingly important as media engagement patterns remain fluid across devices and platforms, including in fast-growing environments like social media and Connected TV. Engaging visual content, highlighted in the report as a key growth area, plays a central role here, but it isn’t enough by itself. Cut-through, for attention and business-specific outcomes, requires data-driven insights delivered at scale and speed.
Automation and AI are key to success in activating quality campaigns, especially on social platforms, where there is growing demand for greater transparency and control. As advertisers amplify their campaigns in different channels, technologies capable of providing this insight will help them to better measure, optimise and prove outcomes across the full media mix.
