America wants what Britain does best: Creativity
From where I’m standing in LA, “Made in Britain” isn’t a weakness. It’s a selling point. We’ve got to talk up our creative industries more, says Michael Frohlich
The latest Ipsos Economic Optimism Index (EOI) reveals that net economic optimism in Britain has fallen to the lowest levels ever recorded since Ipsos began collecting this data in 1978. Worse than the Winter of Discontent, worse than the 2008 financial crisis, worse than Covid. While this pessimistic outlook is concerning, here in Los Angeles, the story looks very different.
I’m here as part of the UK government’s Greater Together business delegation, meeting American business leaders every day. And what I’m hearing is not pity. It’s demand. In room after room, US executives are asking the question: how do we get more British talent? More British ideas? More British creativity? While the British are busy doubting themselves, the Americans are busy buying what they produce. And what they produce is world-class.
Britain’s creative success is not a niche story
The visual effects that brought Dune, The Mandalorian, Inception and Interstellar to life? British. The biggest entertainment product in history – Grand Theft Auto? Built in Dundee, not Silicon Valley. Global hits like The Crown, Bridgerton and Peaky Blinders? Driven by British writers, actors and producers, then watched in nearly every country around the world.
This isn’t a niche success story. It’s one of the cornerstones of the British economy. The creative industries in Great Britain contribute more than £120bn a year. They employ 2.4m people. They export tens of billions in services. And they’ve grown four times faster than the wider economy. The UK is one of the most creative nations in the world – second only to the United States for attracting investment. The frustrating part? Americans seem more convinced of that than the British are.
So, what’s going on? Part of it is that the British misunderstand their own strength. Britain isn’t built to win on scale. We can’t outspend America or out-scale China. But what we do better than almost anyone else is collaborate. For decades, we’ve seen the magic of British creativity fuelled by global reach. The Beatles didn’t just conquer America – they reinvented it, blending British originality with American influence to create something bigger than either could alone. That instinct still defines the UK creative industry today. It’s how British ideas travel. It’s how they scale. And it’s why they succeed.
Brits must become better cheerleaders
This isn’t about culture for culture’s sake. It’s about real economic growth and global competitiveness. The UK government is right to put creative industries at the heart of its Industrial Strategy, with plans to boost investment to £31bn by 2035. But money alone won’t fix the problem. The issue of confidence is equally important, if not more so. Somewhere along the way, the British have developed a habit of talking themselves down – of treating one of their greatest strengths as an afterthought.
In the UK, finance and manufacturing are celebrated, but too often the sector where they genuinely lead the world is overlooked. From where I’m standing in LA, that just does not compute. Because out here, “Made in Britain” isn’t a weakness. It’s a selling point. My challenge, to all of us, is this: let’s stop talking ourselves down and back great British creativity as one of the UK’s most valuable economic drivers. The rest of the world gets it. It’s time Britain did too.
Michael Frohlich is co-chair of the Creative Trade Forum (formerly Creative Industries Trade & Investment Board) a member of the Creative Industries Council and chief marketing and corporate affairs officer at WPP. He is in Los Angeles as part of the UK Government’s Greater Together business delegation.