The Advertising Association promotes the role and rights of responsible advertising and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy. We represent UK advertisers, agencies, media owners and tech companies on behalf of the entire industry, acting as the connection between industry professionals and the politicians and policy-makers.

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The Advertising Association focuses on major industry and policy areas that have huge ramifications on UK advertising. This section contains our work around public health, gambling advertising, data and e-privacy, trust, the digital economy and more.

Credos is the advertising industry’s independent think tank. It produces research, evidence and reports into the impact and effectiveness of and public and political response to advertising on behalf of UK advertisers in order to enable the industry to make informed decisions.

Front Foot is our industry’s member network of over 90 businesses across UK advertising. It aims to promote the role of responsible advertising and its value to people, society and the economy through a coalition of senior leaders from advertisers, agencies and media owners.

We run a number of events throughout the year, from our annual LEAD summit to the Media Business Course and regular breakfast briefings for our members. We are also the official UK representative for the world’s biggest festival of creativity – Cannes Lions.

THIS WEEK: UK ADVERTISING IN THE MEDIA

/ October 29th 2021 / Matt Bourn
Industry News

Tesco’s Alessandra Bellini appointed Advertising Association president

The chief customer officer at Tesco will succeed Keith Weed.

Tesco, LinkedIn, Morrisons: Everything that matters this morning

Good morning and welcome to Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world today.

Advertising Association picks Tesco’s Bellini for president

The Advertising Association has chosen Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini as its new president for the next three years.

Can deliberately provoking ad complaints work as a marketing strategy?

Two very different types of campaigns from BrewDog and John Lewis have drawn consumer complaints recently.

Comedy legend John Cleese on why less work and more play aids creativity

A firm believer that creativity can be taught, Cleese also notes that the people in charge of companies seldom understand the process.

Global e-commerce is booming, but are consumers happy with the environmental cost?

As part of The Drum’s Globalization Deep Dive, we take a look at the environmental impact of the global e-commerce boom, and what brands are doing about it.

The Supply Chains Crisis Is a CX Issue – Here’s What Brands and Agencies Need to Know

Experts from VMLY&R Commerce, Media.Monks, Digitas, M&C Saatchi and Uncommon share insights about how design, data, smart media spend and empathy can help brands and shoppers navigate the worst of the global tangle.

UK pilots app nudging people towards healthier lifestyles

The UK government is nudging the public toward healthier lifestyles with the launch of an app-based pilot scheme to reward walking and healthy eating with gym passes and discounted clothes, food and entertainment.

STAMMA Marks International Stammering Awareness Day With Joke-Infused Film

The creative, by VMLY&R, takes a pop at the ludicrousness of some online petitions.

Govt urges public to ‘get vaccinated, get boosted, get protected’ against flu and Covid

“Boost your immunity” is aimed at those eligible for the winter vaccines in an effort to build immunity ahead of a possible rise in flu cases coinciding with continuing or rising Covid cases.

Peter Field responds to ’emotional’ critics of purpose research

Peter Field says criticism of his research was launched before his full findings were released, stating backlash was “emotional” instead of “rational”.

As Cop26 approaches, one agency is launching its own eco-focused practice

PR agency Red Consultancy has launched a new service offering to help corporate clients market their eco-friendly credentials, with Avon, McDonald’s and Sky among the founding clients.

VCCP Opens Academy To Help New Talent Into The Industry

The VCCP Stoke Academy will create talent pathways in Stoke through training, mentoring and apprenticeship opportunities for more than 500 young people next year.

Spotify poaches LinkedIn’s Keane to run UK and pan-EMEA ad sales

Spotify has hired Sally Keane, the long-serving commercial chief at LinkedIn, to be the music streaming giant’s head of UK and pan-EMEA ad sales, Mediatel News can reveal.

Pop queen Grace Jones and Barclaycard mock ‘cool’ BNPL services

Barclaycard first entered the controversial ‘buy now, pay later’ market back in April when it teamed up with Amazon.

ITV remixes shows for ads promoting sustainable changes

‘Masked Singer’ and ‘Love Island’ appear in the behaviour changing campaign that marks COP26.

The ESG Audit: MSQ

This week MSQ Partners CEO Peter Reid talks about helping clients maximise their ESG agenda.

AOP survey: 100% of publishers to reduce advertising dependency as 67% eye cuts

Research from the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and Deloitte has laid out the mixed returns of the industry – despite 92% of members reporting positive revenue growth, 67% have said cost-cutting remains a high priority.

Alphabet profits hit record as Google and YouTube rack up ad revenues

Profits at Alphabet hit a new record as businesses spent heavily to catch the attention of consumers online with adverts on Google and YouTube.

Why empathetic leadership is not just a Covid-era goal for the ad industry

Campaign’s Smarter Working series sees Jeremy Hine reflect on how the pandemic elevated the need for empathetic leadership. As adlanders return to the office, it’s crucial not to disconnect from others’ feelings.

NABS: Demand for therapy referral surges 50% in last two months

NABS, the employee support organisation for advertising and media, has revealed a spike in referrals to therapy services for counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy in the last two months.

Freeview looks to drive ‘active choice’ with new brand building campaign

Once ubiquitous in UK households, Freeview has become a brand only passively engaged with. The platform hopes to change this with a new campaign, while attracting younger audiences and pushing its credentials in innovation.

UK advertisers poised to spend an extra £1bn on Christmas campaigns

Broadcast extravaganzas to return as British companies forecast to spend a record £7.9bn, up 13% on last year.

Marketing trade bodies lament government’s ‘missed opportunity’ to address skills crisis

Following today’s budget announcement, which unveiled skills funding, business rates relief and changes to alcohol duties, the DMA, MRS and AA are calling on the government to better support industry-led training programmes.

British Airways hires Uncommon Creative Studio

IAG-owned airline moves its advertising and CRM account from WPP after four years, scrapping its integrated model.

John Lewis forced to pull controversial insurance ad

The creative was criticised for sexualising a child, but that’s not why it was withdrawn.

Greenwash isn’t the problem. Green wallpaper is

An abundance of net-zero commitments is creating a sea of sustainability sameness. Advertising must step up to convert ambition into collective action.

Inside the Grand Prix winning Direct Line campaign that delivered against all measures

Direct Line Group’s ‘We’re On It’ campaign took home the top prize at the Marketing Week Masters last week, after driving long and short term business impact and surpassing the already admirable efforts of its previous brand platform.

ASA study shows ‘very concerning’ potential for children to receive alcohol ads

Alcohol brands could do more to ensure their ads are not seen by children on social media, according to new research from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Publicis•Poke Rolls Out Murals Of The Emerald Isle For Tourism Ireland

The OOH contrasts inner-city London with the greenery of Ireland.

Facebook corporate is now Meta

The company’s new moniker reflects its shift from social network to the metaverse.

Facebook rebrands to Meta as virtual worlds become ‘new North Star’

Admitting the previous brand name was too “tightly linked” to one product, CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants his business to become “metaverse first, not Facebook first” in a bid to graduate from social media to virtual worlds.

‘More than a cyclical recovery’: WPP Q3 growth exceeds pre-Covid levels

Share price rises to its highest level since pandemic.

Co-op “Co-op26” by Lucky Generals

Co-op has launched a national store and funeral home campaign encouraging people to ask how they can impact climate change at a community level.

Tena awarded Channel 4’s sixth diversity in advertising prize

This year Channel 4 invited advertisers to address issues relating to ageism, in particular the inauthentic and sometimes clichéd portrayals of different age groups within current UK advertising.

Bruce Daisley on the office’s future: ‘Whatever you do now, frame it as an experiment’

Bruce Daisley is a former vice-president of Twitter, creator of the Eat Sleep Work Repeat podcast and author of the book The Joy of Work. He sat down with members of The Drum Network to talk about building workplace culture in the new hybrid work environment and retaining talent amid the recent wave of resignations.

Don’t forget the golden rules of trust and effectiveness

The role of ‘distinctive assets’ or ‘fluent devices’ is a critical foundation stone in improving the effectiveness of advertising, writes Ebiquity’s UK MD.

17 Spooktacular Sounds Chosen by Sound Designers this Halloween

This Halloween, LBB’s Nisna Mahtani and Ben Conway speak to sound designers from the UK and North America who share the spooky sounds that keep them up at night.

Spooky season

Alexander McQueen returns to familiar imagery and dials up the spooky just in time for Halloween with this intriguing film. Making great use of practical FX and creature design, the film draws on the brand’s flowers and skull motifs, foregrounding their latest line of accessories via skittering spiders, crawling stag beetles, and a generously-proportioned moth.