All roads lead to Manchester

After two years of extensive stakeholder engagement across England & Wales, the IAB’s local digital advertising roadshow arrived in Manchester – marking the last stop in a journey that has taken in Newcastle, Stoke, Cardiff and Leeds. Each roundtable has brought together a rich mix of voices, including MPs, councillors, academics, small business owners, local journalists and community leaders. 

The Manchester event saw the launch of our latest report, Powering-up, and offered a moment to reflect on – and celebrate – the vital role that local media, small businesses and digital advertising play in supporting communities across the UK. 

Powering-up high-quality journalism 

Despite the diversity of local contexts and challenges, one message rang loud and clear at every event: local journalism matters. It supports civic engagement, holds power to account and drives growth by giving small businesses a platform to be seen and heard. Across the roadshow series, there was overwhelming consensus on the importance of protecting and sustaining local media. 

Yet, this comes at a time when high-quality journalism faces mounting financial pressure. With consumers used to receiving free access to information and budgets constrained, subscription-based models alone aren’t viable – particularly for local publishers that serve broad communities. 

Digital advertising has a crucial role to play here. By funding professional, trustworthy content, it supports a business model that keeps journalism freely available to the public. For small businesses, it offers a cost-effective, targeted way to reach local audiences – helping them grow and connect with customers in their area. 

Government support & shared priorities 

The Manchester event – kindly hosted by Reach at the Manchester Evening News site in Oldham – was lively and well attended. We were particularly pleased to welcome the Leader of the House of Commons, The Rt Hon Lucy Powell MP, who joined as a local representative with a strong interest in the city’s flourishing digital economy and vibrant media landscape. 

She echoed many of the points raised throughout the roadshow series, recognising the value of digital advertising in supporting both local journalism and SME growth. This message was reinforced in her speech and will also feature in a forthcoming episode of The IAB UK Podcast. 

Lucy Powell also thanked IAB UK and our members for the work we’ve done so far and encouraged us to keep pushing forward with our efforts to empower small businesses across the country. 

What’s next? 

Supporting SMEs remains an important focus for IAB UK’s policy & public affairs team. As highlighted in both Powering-up and our earlier Digital Dividend research, the majority of SMEs in the UK now see digital advertising as essential to their success. But many also want more guidance – and greater confidence – to maximise its potential. 

That’s why we’ve launched the Digital Advertising Champions initiative. Later this month, we’ll host a Parliamentary Reception to spotlight SMEs that are using digital advertising effectively and launch a free SME Resource Pack co-created with IAB members. 

While this leg of the journey ends in Manchester, the work continues – back out across the UK, championing the power of digital to drive local growth, support high-quality journalism & unlock opportunity in every community.