UK charity sector stuck on traditional methods and investing minimum on internet advertising
Despite a double digit rise in the internet advertising spend in the UK, charities are only spending a minimal 5%, according to charity marketing consultancy, nfpSynergy.
UK charity sector stuck on traditional methods and investing minimum on internet advertising
UK's internet advertising increased from £5.4bn in 2012 to £10.3bn in 2016, an increase of 46% of all advertising spending. The charity sector continued to spend more than half of its advertising budget on direct mail and door drop which accounted for 56.4% of advertising spending in the sector last year.
However, new policies by General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the increasing control over direct correspondence to individuals will enable charities to shift from direct mail.
The report further stated that Macmillan is the only charity to have increased its ad spend from £0.65m to £2.9m in three years. The activation has helped it increase awareness.
TV is one area which continued to grow but only among charities which have a large advertising portfolio.
Debbie Hazelton, research assistant, nfpSynergy, explained: "One of the main arguments against the investment in internet advertising is the lack of engagement with older audiences, who are also those who state that they give most regularly and the largest amounts to charity. But this is no longer the case."
As seen in data from the Office of National Statistics and widely broadcast in the media, older generations are increasingly active both online and on social media. The percentage of internet users in older age groups is ever increasing. In 2011, 19.9% of people over the age of 75 used the internet, which has nearly doubled by 2016 up to 38.7%."