A UK-government-backed campaign is to be launched this autumn aimed at profiling some of the country’s leading advertising and marketing brands.

The campaign, “Made Global”, highlights the global nature of the UK’s advertising market. It will be rolled out at industry events, including Advertising Week 2020, and the British Council Virtual Festival, which will run in both the UK and China.

A two-minute film will feature the work of UK-based agencies for global brands. The message is that the UK’s ad industry is not only a gateway to Britain, but one that offers access to countries around the world, and it is one that remains open for business even as the coronavirus pandemic continues.

Along with the film, there will be B2B social media targeting international buyers “interested in world-class advertising and marketing services”.

The campaign is spearheaded by the UK Advertising Export Group (UKAEG), an industry partnership with the UK government’s Department for International Trade, which is aimed at promoting industry services and generating sales in key markets, including China, Japan, South Korea, North America and Europe.

Alex Hesz, CSO at adam&eveDDB, which is responsible for campaign strategy said: “The UK has a rich history and strong global reputation for creativity. Our strategic positioning ‘UK Advertising. Made Global’ celebrates this – showing the world what we can do and how we do it.

“We are in the perfect time zone for working globally, able to service businesses in the USA and Asia and everywhere in-between. We speak many languages and attract creative talent from all over the world. It’s this genetic make-up that makes the UK advertising industry rich in cultural perspectives and innovative ideas.”

Annual UK advertising service exports were worth £7.9 billion in 2018, according to the latest government data. The industry is now the second largest services for exports behind Computer Services. £3.7bn worth of advertising services went to the EU, making up for 53% of overall advertising exports. Overall, 55% of UK ad export services went to Europe (EU and non-EU).

In terms of individual countries, the US is the biggest market, buying £1.1 billion of UK advertising services, followed by Germany (£1bn), France (£733m), Switzerland (£661m), and Ireland (£640m).

Sourced from Advertising Association