AA response to DCMS Minister’s speech at LEAD 2025

Following the speech by the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, Sir Chris Bryant MP, at advertising industry summit LEAD this morning, we issued the below statement in response.

Lisa Hayley-Jones, Director of Policy and Government Affairs, Advertising Association, said:

“The Advertising Association was pleased to hear the Minister acknowledge the important role of our industry both domestically and through exports, with its rich offering of imagination and craft. This is further supported by our emerging Ad Pays report, which will show advertising sits at the heart of the creative ecosystem, supporting over 4 million jobs across the UK economy. 

The DCMS Minister shared his views that advertising’s success is fundamentally built on trust. We agree and our latest work shows that trust in advertising is on the rise, with more work being done to ensure the public has the very best advertising experience. 

We welcomed the Minister’s recognition of the importance of a creative education. There is a wealth of work being done by our advertising literacy programme, Media Smart, to help young people in schools up and down the country consider creative careers and create a steady stream of talent into our future industry. 

Finally, we welcomed the Minister’s commitment to working with the ASA to find a sensible solution around Less Healthy Food. Businesses urgently need clear guidance that reflects the policy on brand advertising that governments have stated for the last 4 years. We will continue to work closely with the Government and regulator to find a workable set of regulations.”

Photo credit: Bronac McNeill