An Overview of the UK’s Digital Advertising Industry

Posted on: Tuesday 16 February 2021 | IAB UK

Download an overview of how digital advertising works, its economic benefits and how it is currently regulated 

The internet has transformed how we work, shop, share, stay in touch and stay informed. It’s given rise to new industries, democratised information and unlocked innovation – and all of this is possible because of the advertising that supports our free and open web.  

In the UK, we have a world-leading digital advertising market that is worth over £15 billion and empowers businesses to grow, big and small. The creativity and technological advancements that digital advertising is fuelling are significant, while at an individual level, allowing people to benefit from ad-funded content and services.  

However, there is no denying that this is a complex industry. In this briefing we set out...  

  • How digital advertising works 

  • What the digital advertising supply chain looks like 

  • The value digital advertising offers to both society and businesses 

  • Current regulation of digital advertising  

  • What’s next for this essential industry  

DOWNLOAD THE GUIDE

Written by

IAB UK

Related content

Computer screen displaying report

AA/WARC: UK ad market to reach £36bn but growth will slow

The latest AA/WARC Ad Expenditure report shows that the UK ad market continued to recover in Q3 2022, but growth is expected to slow due to economic...

Snap Inc. logo

Snap Inc.’s Digital Upfront: What we learnt

Read our key takeouts from Snap Inc.’s Digital Upfront hosted at the Outernet, with speakers including Roman Kemp, Nishma Robb and Chunkz

IAB Tech Lab

IAB Tech Lab launches initiative to reduce carbon impact of digital ads

The Green Supply Path Initiative aims to support the advertising industry in meaningfully lowering carbon emissions via supply path optimisation

People pointing at a computer screen

Toolkit proven to help deliver programmatic transparency

The second Programmatic Supply Chain Transparency Study from ISBA and PwC shows that the Programmatic Financial Audit Toolkit is a significant benefit to...

Why digital advertising works

Discover why digital advertising is effective for reaching your customers and building brands.

Find out more