22
Feb
UK BUSINESS CONFIDENCE 'GROWING'
The number of UK businesses planning to increase their spending
on marketing has risen sharply from last year, a survey
suggests.
A net proportion of 38.5% of businesses intend to raise their
marketing budgets this year, according to a survey of more than
2,000 firms carried out by research group Mindmetre.
In 2011, the survey showed no net increase in companies raising
spending.
Mindmetre said the results showed that business confidence was
growing.
The survey comes at a time when many fear the UK will slip into
recession.
On Tuesday, a survey by the Institute of Directors showed one in
three UK company directors thought there was a high or very high
risk of the UK falling into recession this year.
In Mindmetre's research, 57.1% of companies said they planned to
boost their marketing budget in 2012, while 18.6% said they
intended to cut it.
In 2011, 41% planned to increase marketing spend, and 42% planned
to cut back.
The survey, which covered businesses of all sizes, also showed a
higher proportion of big businesses (those with more than 1,000
employees) intended to raise their marketing budget than small
businesses.
Source: BBC News