Six years is a long time for any industry, and for the Irish advertising world, it has been a not altogether pleasant aeon. Next week the Institute of Advertising Practitioners in Ireland (IAPI) will publish its Industry Census 2013, the first such study since 2007.

The business "has undergone an unprecedented challenging time" over the period, IAPI says. The new report, due to be published next Tuesday, will give an insight into how advertising agencies are performing in a climate when clients have cut budgets and signs of a recovery always seem to be just around the corner.

Five new agencies – Acorn, Bloom, ICAN, Lucidity Digital and TMP – have joined IAPI this week, bringing the total number of members of the trade association and professional institute to 50.

IAPI chief executive Tania Banotti described the addition of new members as "a vote of confidence" in its work.