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Marketers remain trapped between execution pressure and strategic ambition today. Optimizely research finds 74% of UK marketers say the industry is stuck in survival mode.
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Agency pay transparency is becoming a test of workplace trust. Neverland’s Equal for Equals pledge asks UK agencies to make pay structures, progression, and challenge routes clearer.
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TikTok Shop is testing alcohol sales under tighter customer checks. The UK pilot uses account, checkout, and delivery-stage age verification for approved licensed retailers.
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YouTube is bringing shopping through creators deeper into UK retail. Boots, Debenhams, Etsy, M&S, Next, and Wayfair are among the early partners for its Shopping Affiliate programme.
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B2B marketing still struggles to win boardroom growth credit today. Propolis research finds most CEOs value marketing, but do not see it as a direct growth driver.
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Advertisers are using GenAI widely, but impact remains uneven today. ISBA says effectiveness-led organisations are more likely to see business results than those focused mainly on efficiency.
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Advertisers are learning that AI adoption is not impact yet. ISBA’s latest survey finds widespread generative AI engagement, but far fewer advertisers are reporting significant business results.
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Christmas retail planning is stretching further ahead of consumer demand. John Lewis’s extended timetable shows how disruption, forecasting, and margin pressure are reshaping peak-season operations.
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UK marketing budgets expanded again despite weak economic confidence overall. Events, direct activity, and video led growth as companies concentrated spending on channels offering engagement, adaptability, and measurable commercial results.
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Creator marketing is moving further into governed brand strategy. ISBA and IMTB will focus on measurement, transparency, responsibility, procurement, and skills.