The IPA Bellwether Report is a quarterly survey that outlines companies’ marketing spend intentions and financial confidence, featuring data from around 300 marketing professionals at the nation’s top companies, and it provides key indicators of the health of the economy. According to the IPA Bellwether Q4 2025 reading, total UK marketing budgets remained unchanged in the final quarter of last year.

In a report published by Mediashotz, our Media Director, Dave Carpenter, had this to say:

“The report highlights a shift toward real-world engagement, with brands increasing investment in events and PR to build deeper, more authentic connections. As digital channels fragment, in-person experiences and earned media offer standout moments, trust-building, and memorable interactions that drive long-term brand value. However, ATL still offers unparalleled reach and impact. Smart marketers will be more commercial with their budgets to allow their marketing spend to do both real-world and ATL comms.

Flat budgets driven by a lack of confidence in the global economy are unsurprising. Advertisers will naturally gravitate to channels that seemingly give confidence in their ability to deliver, namely, digital performance channels.

However, increasing AI usage could reduce paid search spend as fewer impressions become available. AI-driven answers, on-platform experiences, and zero-click results could limit traditional search queries, shrinking inventory. With less need to compete for declining impressions, advertisers can achieve results more efficiently, leading to lower overall spend and a greater focus on quality over volume.

This is a massive opportunity for advertisers who can take the principles of digital performance marketing and apply this to above the line brand building, derisked by smart investments such as utilising Corporate Trade.”

Read more in Mediashotz here: IPA Bellwether Q4 2025 – Industry reactions –