This is the 78th edition of the Advertisers Annual which has come to be recognised as an essential reference source on the advertising market. Known as The Blue Book, it aims to be a complete source of information on the entire UK advertising industry. For readers unfamiliar with this title, the directory comprises four main sections.
The “Agencies” section allows for easy identification of appropriate advertising agencies by grouping them according to location, activity, industry sector specialisation and type. There are therefore sections covering, for example, advertising consultants, media buying specialists, recruitment agencies and public relations consultants. Some 2,800 advertising agencies are listed with the entries for each firm providing full contact details, key personnel, date established, employees, billings and a client list. Section Two covers the top 1,800 spending advertisers. The company information is similar to that given in the “Agencies” section. However, in addition we are given the advertising spend, brand and trade names, and the advertising agencies used. The alphabetical list here is supplemented by an industry sector classification and a brands, trade names and client index. The “Media” section provides full contact information for every type of advertising media including newspapers, magazines, television, radio, cinema, outdoor and ambient media contractors. The final section provides a master index to all agencies, advertisers, clients, brands and advertising media. There is also a useful listing of abbreviations and a directory of trade associations which interestingly extends to some European countries and the USA.
A 20 page statistical section provides some insight into the UK advertising market. Tables are presented listing the top advertisers, the top brands, the top cinema advertisers, the top advertising sectors and the top spenders within each sector. The media advertising revenues are given for the top national and regional newspapers and TV stations. Finally circulation data is presented in tabular form allowing the user to easily see the newspapers and magazines with the largest circulation. The inclusion of all the industry awards together with their most recent winners is a very handy feature. These pages make for interesting reading showing, for example, that the UK has at least 50 TV stations, that the highest circulation magazines are all given away by retail companies, and that the Sunday Post comes top of the regional daily/Sunday newspaper list.
A new feature to this edition is the inclusion of an Ads of the Year CD‐ROM. This captures 70 of the leading advertisement campaigns run during the past year including the Yellow Pages advert featuring James Nesbitt, the Stella Artois shoes ad and the Club 18‐30 press advertisements.
Unlike British Rates and Data (BRAD)and Willings Press Guide, the Advertisers Annual does not include advertising rates. It also in no way competes with either Benn's Media or Willings in its coverage of magazines. However, it does live up to its name and, focusing on the advertising industry, allows for easy identification of agencies in specific locations or operating within specific business sectors and for sourcing agencies working on specific contracts. It is also an extremely compact, comprehensive and easy to use volume.
