Figure 8.5 shows total advertising spending in the UK between 1985 and 2002. After
ten years of steady growth up to the year 2000, total spending on advertising has fallen.
The total spending on advertising in 2002 represents 1.8 per cent of GDP which is
slightly higher than the percentage of GDP that is spent on research and development.
It can seen from Figure 8.5 that advertising expenditure is related to the trade cycle, with
downturns occurring in adspend both in total and as a percentage of GDP in the early
1990s and 2000s. Figure 8.6 shows the breakdown of advertising according to media for
2002. The press accounts for the largest category and there has been little change in the
patterns of advertising between these types over the last ten years.