• by Sean Hargrave , Staff Writer, March 15, 2017

We do like a good worry, us Brits. We also love to put ourselves down. I still recall talking with the designer Laurence Llewlyn-Bowen, made famous by the tv hit series "Changing Rooms." His fantastic quip was that us Brits are great at convincing ourselves we're "pants." This was just as he was off to China to secure another distribution deal for his designer wares. He decided that Britain was just a little better than we let ourselves believe, and he has never looked back.

So it's interesting to see the Chartered Institute of Marketing has released research today on the challenges facing UK marketers in 2017. Brexit and recession are cited as top concerns by more than half and just under half of marketers, respectively. Far fewer are worried about GDPR changes, at just 13%. Maybe that's a sign of the overarching point of the research -- that marketers are mainly concerned about what lies out of their control.

The conclusion is that marketers can be negatively impacted by these political and economic events, just as they can by the CEO acting irresponsibly over pay or some other ethical issue.

But here's the thing when it comes to marketers' biggest concern. It's a point made very well by a former Sunday Times colleague here. Us Brits don't quite realise the power we have, so consider this. As a gross contribution, the UK accounts for 10% of the EU's budget. As a net figure, this works out to around 7%. Only the UK and Germany are such large "net" donors, meaning that we give a lot more than we receive. The upshot is that the EU will have to find another source for the GBP8.5bn net contribution made by the UK.

Budgeting aside, the UK has a deficit with the EU -- we're Germany's biggest market for cars and France's biggest European consumer of its fine wines and produce. Unfortunately, for the creative industries, we're actually a success story for the UK -- it's part of the services surplus we have with the EU.

So adland would have more to lose from no deal and ultimate hard Brexit.

But just think -- is that really going to happen? Article 50 will be triggered this month, and then the negotiations will begin. As long as Britain remembers what a strong position it has, the only thing we have to fear is EU member states ganging up on us and punishing the UK with a terrible deal or no deal. The upshot is that both are the same, since a bad deal won't be accepted. But just think what this will say to EU members.

Do France and Germany really want to make members feel they're in a prison they can't get out of unless they take an economic beating? More to the point, what about all those tariffs they could incur on cars and wine?

I've blogged about this before, but the uproar in British sentiment would happily see UK consumers buy a Honda, Nissan or Ford made -- at least in part -- in the UK. The inevitable trade deal with large swaths of The Commonwealth would only make Kiwi, South African and Australian wine and produce a lot more appealing.

Here's the unspeakable truth the politically correct cannot face up to. We are a rich country -- the EU let in a bunch of poor countries. Hard-working individuals came here to better themselves, and good luck to them -- nobody would ever chastise anyone for legally going out on a limb to better their family's fortunes. A lot of Brits felt swamped by mass, uncontrolled immigration and they voted to reverse the trend. If, or when, that freedom of movement is withdrawn, who will suffer more -- the people who come to seek a better life in the UK or the UK itself?

It's a no-brainer isn't it? The rest of the world has to get permits to work in the UK, as we do over there. If that's how we move forward with the EU, then so be it. There simply is no "cliff" that everyone keeps talking about for the UK to fall off.

So, marketers are typical of the UK. They are concerned about a perceived weakness rather than seeing our strengths. The services are in a precarious position, granted, but so too is the vast majority of economic power across the EU.

If anyone should be having sleepless nights it's German carmakers and French vineyard owners.