Ad Matters 28.03.2024

I love a good debate – the cut and thrust of minds pitted against each other to convince the listening audience that their point of view is the one to support with a vote. Even better when you witness a debate first hand at the Palace of Westminster, and have the opportunity to put forward your own views in a bid to make sure the debate is as informed as possible.

Debating has long been at the centre of properly functioning societies, and I’m a great believer we should all have the opportunity to learn and participate in debates throughout our lives. Which is why it’s brilliant that the Advertising Association is a founding member of The Debating Group. It has been running since 1975, debating the advertising and marketing issues of the day between 4 and 6 times a year, every year since then.

This week I attended a debate in Committee Room 14 hosted by the Market Research Society. The motion was ‘the real problem with opinion polls is the way they are reported’, a hot topic given the fierce political discussions taking place in the run-up to the next General Election.

The team proposing won… but only just. The central theme was around responsibility. Who is responsible for the poll and its impact – the company that conducts the polling, the individual or organisation that funds it or the media which chooses the headline to run based on the findings? I voted for the motion… my take, whatever the polling company does to be responsible, they are ultimately in the media’s hands and the way it chooses to report and comment on the poll’s results, like it or not.

Interestingly, the number of polls run each year has grown from numbers below a hundred a couple of decades ago to close to two thousand in recent years, perhaps because of the needs of 24/7 media which use polls to feed the constant need for political stories… Thought-provoking stuff, as always.

I highly recommend the debates and they’re now free to attend so if you fancy joining one at a future date, you can find out more here.

Our must reads:

• Want insights from 3000 marketers and industry leaders on the current creative landscape? Cannes Lions’ ‘State of Creativity’ report gives you just that! (Creative Salon)
• Remote vs office working: which one would you choose? (Marketing Week)
• ITV is all for achieving its climate goals – take a look at how they plan on doing so. (BusinessGreen)
• From Media Smart to Channel 4, hear from some of the contributors at the Sustainable Advertising launch. (VideoWeek)
• Are the creative industries a closed shop for the working classes? (Marketing Beat)

Our pick of recent ads:

• Our Ad in the A for this week is Sky Zero Footprint Fund finalist Milliways’ first TV ad.
• Cadbury’s suitably small campaign called ‘Easter’s biggest egg’ for its 3cm tall Easter treat by VCCP.
• Footballer Bukayo Saka’s the new chef in town in Nando’s’ ‘Yes chef’ ad by New Commercial Arts.
• Valspar is encouraging people to shake up their homes inspired by the paint-mixing process in this new ‘Shake it up’ ad by Dentsu Creative.

Events:

• The Future of Brands, taking place on 17 April, will delve into the inner workings of some of the world’s best performing brands, providing a fantastic opportunity for networking with leaders and emerging talent. Book your tickets here!
• Join us at RISE, Creative Equals’ unmissable one-day conference on 24 April focusing on how to deliver best-in-class inclusive marketing. Book your tickets here!
• LEAD North agenda is out! Speakers include Councillor Bev Craig, Gamal Fahnbulleh, Sarah Jenkins, and Jonathan Warburton, amongst others. Join us on May 9 in Manchester and book your tickets here.

And finally, wishing everyone a Happy Easter! Hope you all have a restful long weekend.