FOR every £1 spent on advertising in Scotland, £5 is returned to the Scottish economy, a new report has found.

The ‘Advertising Pays Scotland’ report, commissioned by the Advertising Association and prepared by business advisory firm Biggar Economics, found that the £1.7bn spent in 2015 resulted in an total contribution of £8.8bn, which equates to 5.6 per cent of the entire Scottish economy.

The report, published this morning, also found that 42,000 jobs in Scotland are supported by advertising, with more than half of those directly involved in the commissioning and creation of advertisements. A further 7,000 jobs in Scotland’s creative industries are supported by advertising revenues.

Brian Coane, chairman of IPA Scotland said: “Whatever lies in Scotland’s future, we need to be competitive at home and abroad – and advertising is at the heart of effective competition.

“This report shows how advertising is part of our economic infrastructure – helping all companies reach customers, create return on investment and grow.”

One quarter of the total economic impact of the advertising industry is generated directly by the activities of people employed in the production, procurement and distribution of advertising in Scotland, while report said the remainder, totalling some £6.8bn, was derived from indirect means such as driving competitive prices.

Of the £1.7 billion spent in Scotland on advertising, largest share of media was the internet, on which advertisers spent £714m. Television followed, on £423m, with advertising in the press worth £279m.