A big week for our Ad Net Zero colleagues as we marked the 5th anniversary of our climate action programme. Havas kindly hosted the UK leadership breakfast where I was asked to reflect back to where we were at the start of this crucial decade for action to tackle climate change. Cue lockdown flashbacks, the idea of a 5-point Action Plan and the hope people might support it. Time to harness my inner Ted Lasso and give the half-time team talk to help explain the shift we are seeing.
We started out because of the challenge thrown to our industry, and the need to ‘do the right thing’. What’s clear now from our analysis of the Ad Net Zero supporter base is the commercial benefits that come from accelerating into sustainable advertising practices. You can read more on that here.
Advertising has always been about promoting innovation, and encouraging competition between new products and services, bringing the exciting, the aspirational and the improved to people. Guest speaker, Chris Skidmore, neatly described how working towards net zero is really about replacing the old with the new, as we have done throughout history.
The growth is in the new, the opportunities to capitalise on lie in what’s coming next and the benefits are multiple, from individual to society-wide. Now, the second half’s about to begin and we need more players on the pitch. If you haven’t joined in yet, there’s still time thanks to the new supporter structure which Ad Net Zero is rolling out in 2026. I’ll leave you with this final thought from football’s greatest ever (fictional) manager, “Every day is a chance to be better than we were the day before.”
Our pick of the ads:
- Our Ad in the A is ‘New year. New century. New wishes’ for Publicis Groupe, which is celebrating their centenary next year, with a live action and AI short film. Huge congratulations to our centenary twin!
- McCann London are working with viral artist SLAWN to create hand-sprayed football shirts for Sky Sports.
- FCB London’s AI-generated ‘Undeterred’ emphasises the benefit for small businesses by adding Intuit Quickbooks to their teams.
- Apple has highlighted the importance of accessibility features in products in ‘I’m not remarkable’ by their in-house team.’
Our must reads:
- New CAP guidance on Less Healthy Food Advertising Restrictions has been released. (ASA)
- John Wren outlines his vision for the “new” Omnicom following the merger with IPG last week. (Campaign)
- Newsworks has shared their predictions for trends, technology and trust which will shape the news industry in 2026. (New Digital Age)
- Incoming DG Simon Michaelides and outgoing DG Phil Smith debate the future of ISBA and Origin. (Media Leader)
- Ipsos data reveals the most recognised and empathetic Christmas ads. (Marketing Week)
Dates for your diary:
- LEAD 2026 will be celebrating our centenary with a focus on Leadership Through Trust. Join us on 5 February here.
- Early bird tickets are selling fast for our Media Business Course, taking place from 7-10 July. Learn about the art and craft of media planning from the best in the business. Book your place here.
And finally, Spotify Wrapped is now out! We’ve been having fun in the AA office sharing our favourites. Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny was the world’s most-played artist this year – who’s yours?
