Your guide to using the AA/Warc Expenditure Report

Every quarter, the UK media are surveyed by AA/Warc to produce the UK’s most reliable advertising expenditure data. The Expenditure Report also includes comprehensive advertising forecasts for the next two years.

The data are available exclusively online, meaning that subscribers have access to these vital data as soon as it becomes available. Data can be downloaded in Excel format, making it easy to work with.

Media covered:

Newspapers (national and regional)

Magazines (business and consumer)

TV (terrestrial and multi‐channel)

Radio

Cinema

Out of home

Internet

Direct mail

Accessing the Expenditure Report online:

You can access the Expenditure Report using the following link:

http://expenditurereport.warc.com/

For all further information on the AA/Warc Expenditure report, contact your Client Service

Manager on 0207 467 8114 or enquiries@warc.com

The Expenditure Report homepage:

The 3 key areas of the Report are as follows:

1. Executive Summary

2. Standard Tables

3. Custom Tables

These can be accessed via prominent links on the homepage or through the left hand menu.

The homepage also provides a 'Latest' headline, with links through to the most recent press release,

as well as a guide to the data release schedule.

Executive Summary

For a quick, topline overview of the most recent trends and data then the Executive Summary

provides a good starting point. The most recent data are featured first, but there is also an archive of

past releases.

The Executive Summary can be downloaded in PowerPoint and provides insight and analysis of the

latest results and predictions. The charts can also be downloaded individually in the Takeaway

Charts section of the site. The slides have been designed to slot straight into internal presentations

or reports.

The slides are made up of a mixture of key bullets and charted data. E.g.

Sample slides from the Executive Summary:

Standard Tables

Standard Tables are ready‐made tables which allow you to take a quick snapshot of a particular data

series:

The data series are included in a list categorised according to medium, with additional sub‐sections

for product categories, production costs and economic data.

Data are shown quarterly with each data series displayed in terms of current prices, constant 2005

prices (accounting for inflation) and as year‐on‐year % changes. All data download into Excel.

A sample of the standard download format is given below:

The Media Forecast Summary table is an exception to the above and has been designed to provide a

quick reference snapshot of actual and forecast data across all media. It shows 5‐year trends of both

annual and quarterly information at both current and constant prices, inclusive of year‐on‐year %

changes.

It is listed first in the list of standard tables. A sample layout can be seen below:

Custom Tables

Custom Tables allow you to build your own datasets according to time period and medium. If you

have specific requirements or are carrying out analysis, it is often helpful to be able to pick your own

data parameters.

We have designed this area of the site to be as straight forward as possible, but please find below

some step by step instructions to help you get started.

1. Start new/Load

a. Select 'start new' if you wish to create a table from scratch. This button also enables

you to clear all data parameters chosen from a previous table build.

b. Hit 'Load a saved table' if you want to access stored data that has been saved on a

previous occasion.

2. Select time period

a. It is possible to select data on a quarterly or an annual basis. Where available, data

go back to 1982, with forecast series projecting ahead two years (or eight quarters).

3. Select data series

a. Click the relevant check boxes to drill through the advertising spend data by medium

or by product category etc. The slide below shows national newspapers, accessed

via the 'Press' checkbox.

b. You can check any combination of series. Please note that data series with forecasts

are indicated by an (f).

e.g. Total national newspapers (f)

It is worth remembering that not all series have forecast data available, especially

some of the smaller, more detailed data.

4. Output/preferences

a. Choose whether you want to download the data in current prices or constant prices,

with the option to also include annual year‐on‐year % changes.

b. See the Glossary for background information on constant 2005 prices.

c. Once you have selected your preference, you can now 'Download' the data.

However, you may wish to save your setting first:

5. Save custom table (optional)

a. If you want to save the data settings you have chosen for future occasions, then

select an appropriate name for the data and click 'Save'.

b. You do not have to save your settings to download a data table

6. Download

a. Once you have hit 'download', you will be asked if you want to open or save the

table.

b. Data will download into Excel in the following format:

Other areas of the site (accessed via the left hand menu are the following:

Takeaway charts o PowerPoint charts for easy use in reports and presentations

Media cost data 2004–2012 o UK media costs by medium, provided by OMD

Media audience data o Topline audience data in Excel and PowerPoint, according to medium

About the Data

o Learn more about the AA/Warc data collection methodology

About the Nielsen Category Data

o Detailed information on the Nielsen category data

Frequently asked questions

o Key questions about the data

About Warc

Terms and Conditions

For all further information on the AA/Warc Expenditure report, contact your Client

Service Manager on 0207 467 8114 or enquiries@warc.com