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CHANGING OF THE (PA) GUARD
This week, we welcomed Lisa Hayley-Jones as our new Public Affairs Director, following the news that Sue Eustace is stepping back after 20 years of service. As former Chair of Westminster Forum, Lisa joins us at a vital time as we prepare to work together with our members ahead of the party conferences and General Election next year.
Lisa’s career has spanned public affairs, financial services and management consultancy. Her most recent role has been working in the Houses of Parliament on engagement with MPs and Peers on the restoration programme for the magnificent home in Westminster. To find out more, head to Politics Home.
This, of course, means we say huge thank you to Sue, who is stepping down from her role today.
Sue has been instrumental in the AA’s role as the voice of the industry to Westminster, Brussels and Holyrood. Representing a range of policy issues, Sue has defended advertising’s rights and promoted the industry as a jewel in the crown of the country’s creative economy with passion and great energy.
But this isn’t goodbye, oh no. Sue’s next project will be writing the history of the AA and its role over the last 100 years of UK advertising, to be published as part of our centenary in 2026. We can’t wait to see what she uncovers!
LATEST ADSPEND FIGURES
It’s been a busy week for us as we revealed the latest AA/WARC adspend figures. The data showed adspend remained flat in the first three months of 2023 to reach a total of almost £9.0bn, but there is a slight uplift in outlook this year – with total adspend set to grow by 2.6% totalling £35.7bn.
The latest figures reflect the inflationary pressures which continue to affect businesses and families alike. However, key sporting events including the Women’s World Cup are set to provide a boost to adspend over the summer.
As confidence increases next year, the dataset suggests the UK’s ad total market will grow by a further 4.0% in 2024, to a value of £37.1bn.
Head to our adspend hub to read the full figures. Members can download the report’s executive summary here.
THE POWER OF BARBENHEIMER
Last week saw the release of two much-awaited movies – Barbie and Oppenheimer, which once again proved cinema’s unique ability to create cultural moments.
Our Front Foot member Digital Cinema Media’s (DCM) article talks about how both movies went beyond expectations to gross a huge £29.4m, contributing to this being the biggest weekend for box office since the opening weekend of Avengers: Endgame in April 2019, and the second biggest ever. It’s also the first time ever that two films have opened with over £10m.
The “Barbenheimer” boom has clearly contributed to the growth of cinema as a media channel, which, according to our latest AA/WARC figures, is projected to see 20.8% year-on-year growth as it continues its post-pandemic recovery this year.
You can read more about Barbenheimer’s success via DCM’s article here and our latest AA/WARC figures here!
THIS WEEK: UK ADVERTISING IN THE MEDIA
It’s our specially-curated selection of must-reads from across our industry media.
AD OF THE WEEK
You made it this far – why not check our ad of the week?
Want the full edition to land in your inbox every Friday? Drop us an email on aa@adassoc.org.uk and quote ‘Ad Matters’.
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