Annual Review 2023: Our Industry is Only as Good as the People Who Work in it

Alessandra Bellini, President, Advertising Association

Talent was the golden thread running through the Advertising Association’s work in 2023. We launched our latest Credos research at LEAD in January, exploring the factors affecting recruiting, retaining and developing talent. We sought to explore how both Government and industry can play their parts in ensuring that advertising is a career that is attractive to the best talent.

I passionately believe that if we address the issues of trust, inclusion and sustainability, we will be much closer to addressing all the key components required for a workplace that is desirable for the stars we need in our industry.

Alongside the work of our Talent Taskforce, the Advertising Association has been accelerating its workstreams on public trust – with new research released in September, inclusion – with a record 19,000 responses seen in March’s All In Census, and on sustainability – with global expansion from Ad Net Zero, the introduction of science-based targets as mandatory for all
supporters, and a second Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards. All with the shared aim of building a better industry for our people.

In tandem, our Policy and Government Affairs team has stepped up its engagement with policy makers ahead of 2024’s likely general elections. Creating a more workable Apprenticeship Scheme, ensuring our country’s digital and data skills needs are met, and leading on AI (Artificial Intelligence) policy are to name but a few of the issues we have discussed with parliamentarians. The Government looks to the advertising industry (and the
AA) for leadership – our All In Census beat its own record as the largest industry survey of its kind.

In the summer, I had the privilege of attending Cannes Lions to see the pioneering work of our UK Advertising Exports Group. Through the AA’s role as country rep, I was proud to see the UK maintaining its excellent second place in the ranking for number of Lions won worldwide.

Our creativity is world-renowned, with our latest advertising exports figures showing an astounding 15.5% year-on-year growth to £15.6bn in 2022. We celebrated this and more, including the Chair of the Advertising Association, Annette King, being made a Dame, at the President’s Reception in July.

We also know advertising is a major indicator of economic growth and as the UK economy remained flat this year, so did its adspend while businesses tackled how to manage rising costs and maintain profitability.

It is important to remember that the industry’s best research shows advertising and marketing spend should be seen as an investment, not a cost, and certainly not a budget to cut when times are tough. Studies demonstrate that investing in advertising during a downturn leads to a greater recovery compared to competitors who cut back.

The same can be said about investing in our workforce, whether that is spent on training schemes to upskill existing employees, ensuring workplace inclusion is at the heart of what we do, or finding the right workplace propositions for helping people return to in-person environments following the pandemic. These are all areas where we are trying to help our members with advice, solutions and leveraging the best practices we see in the industry.

Our industry has always been about innovation and I’ve no doubt that AI is going to dramatically change it once again, perhaps in an even more seismic way than the digital transformation seen over the past two decades. To that end, we have established an AI Taskforce, chaired by Google and VCCP, to help understand and prepare for the shifts taking place in our industry. AI will develop with pace – how we use this technology to get the absolute best out of our strategic, creative, and technical talent will be critical as we harness all that it promises.

There are some things however that automation simply cannot replace. It is our people that ensure our many advertising campaigns reflect society with humanity and empathy. In 2023, much of my work was focused on how advertising could help customers respond to the cost-of-living crisis that affected everyone up and down the country, even through to how people could best enjoy Christmas, however limited their budget might be. The latest crop of Christmas ads show once again how advertisers can bring joy to the festive season.

Our people are at the heart of our work. All our efforts must be focused on how we create a workplace where everyone belongs, to ensure our advertising industry powerfully and responsibly reflects and shapes the world around us for the better.

You can download a full copy of our 2023 Annual Review here.