UK Advertising Industry Releases New Campaign for SXSW

UKAEG and DBT collaborate for UK’s largest international showcase of innovation and creativity

London, February, 22, 2023: The UK Advertising Exports Group (UKAEG) and the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) have launched a new campaign to help promote the UK as the global hub of advertising and innovation to the world’s buyers. The campaign comes ahead of preparations for an extensive programme of activities at SXSW. Over 40 UK companies are participating in this year’s trade mission to Austin from March 10-14, many featuring in the special UK House at SXSW.

The campaign is a first for UK advertising, targeting North America, and features the work of several UKAEG members to showcase the UK’s global leadership in embracing technology and changing the way brands connect with audiences.  As part of the new campaign, a podcast series produced in association with Advertising Week will launch during SXSW. Hosted by Dino Myers-Lamptey, Founder at The Barber Shop, the podcast will look at how brands can use new ways to connect with audiences and capture their attention. Speakers include: Nikkita Sidhu, Croud; Andy Cooper, Draw and Code; Charli Cohen, RSTLSS; Hans Stolfus, Epic Games and many more.

UK House will be the place to go for brands and agencies to discover the very best of UK Creativity at this year’s SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Following a tremendous 2022 at its new home at The Courtyard at 4^th, UK House provides networking opportunities for those looking to build business connections worldwide, with a four-day programme of panels and roundtables featuring top UK executives and industry experts hosted by UKAEG.

Significant moments planned for UK House at SXSW include:

Partnership with the American Advertising Federation (AAF):

For the first time, the AAF and UKAEG are uniting global brands and the advertising community. On March 11^th, the AAF & UKAEG will bring together several senior leaders from the UK and US at a roundtable event to discuss the future of the creative economy. On March 12^th, UKAEG and the AAF will host The Branding Arms – the only meet up for SXSW attendees working in content creation and branding.

Over 50 talks from March 11-14: UKAEG members will be participating in a variety of discussions featuring guests from WIRED and Vogue Business. Topics range from storytelling in the Metaverse, How the Creator Economy is Redefining Brands, and Climate change. The full event programme can be found here.

UKAEG members adam&eveDDB, Creature London, VCCP, and Qumin will also feature in SXSW’s advertising and brand track this year. Topics include: the C word, Advertising’s guilty secret, and Les Binet heads to SXSW for the first time to discuss why brand building matters. VCCP have two sessions Be more Dog and Come play in the real Metaverse as does Qumin, with The Great Metaverse of China and Prepare for the Social Commerce Era and Look East.

Aisling Conlon, International Trade Director, Advertising Association said: “We are delighted to return to SXSW and launch this new campaign in partnership with the Department for Business and Trade. This year is set to be our strongest year yet, as we continue our mission to showcase the power of the UK advertising industry as a true force for economic growth. UKAEG is delighted to open the doors of UK House and co-host two exclusive networking events with the AAF at SXSW 2023. The UK is a concentrated hotbed of new ideas, diverse skills, global talent and smart thinking and we look forward to bringing US businesses and UK talent and innovators together for the first time.”

Helena Abbing, Co-President, AFF Austin said: “AAF Austin is proud to collaborate with our friends at UKAEG during SXSW 2023. This is a great opportunity to bring our vibrant advertising communities together to discuss pressing topics, broaden our views and develop new friendships. We look forward to this being the start of a great partnership for our organizations!”

David Moody, Sector Specialist – Advertising and Creative Technology, Department for Business and Trade said: “The UK Government recognises the size and value of the sector to the UK economy and as a way to break down barriers between creative disciplines from music to fashion to film. We see the central role that advertising plays in connecting the whole spectrum of our creative industries to brands and buyers around the world. Great advertising is worth celebrating at prestigious events such as SXSW.”

Any companies interested in finding out more about SXSW or Cannes Lions should contact Aisling Conlon, International Trade Director.