Ad Matters: 04.07.25

It was fantastic to convene our members to join new AA President, Andria Vidler, as she hosted her first President’s Reception this week. On a very warm evening at IPG MediaBrands office overlooking St Paul’s, Andria set out her stall for her tenure as President. She explained her plan to use her time in post to help drive the recognition advertising deserves and show the value it brings to the UK economy. The starting point for this is our in-depth report Advertising Pays 2025, which includes findings such as £66.6bn having been invested in advertising in 2024 – which Andria put into perspective by pointing out it is equivalent investment to 100 Wembley Stadiums.

Andria also highlighted the importance of the fact that the majority of UK businesses – from the smallest to the largest – rely on the services we provide to help create 1.7 million jobs. Elaborating on her plan, Andria said that “Advertising Pays 2025 is a springboard, not a snapshot. It gives us evidence and it gives us credibility. We can now start to join the dots and build the narrative further.”

This is where you come in. To build on this starting point, we want to create a new series ‘Stories of Success’. So please do get in touch with us to share your best case studies of businesses of all sizes, that are using advertising to help deliver economic and social value that we should all be proud of.

Our must reads: 

• Channel 4, ITV and Sky spoke about their collaboration and preparation ahead of the LHF ad restrictions. (Campaign)

• Reflecting on Cannes Lions, our International Trade Director Aisling Conlon discusses how the UK’s new industrial strategy can turbo-charge exports growth (The Media Leader)

• Brazil’s Creative Data Grand Prix win has been withdrawn due to concerns regarding AI-generated and manipulated footage. (The Drum)

• A potential alcohol advertising ban is reported to have been dropped from the Government’s 10 year health plan following concern from industry. (The Times)

• The IPA has released their latest report, ‘The Price Isn’t Right’, which calls for a fundamental reassessment of how agencies structure their commercial models and client partnerships while proposing a new roadmap. (Creative Salon)

Our pick of the ads: 

• As the Women’s Euros gets underway in Switzerland, our Ad in the A is ‘Everyone Needs a Squad’ by Saatchi&Saatchi for EE, designed to help young girls build confidence and community – on and off the pitch.

• BBH shares ‘There’s no taste like home’ for Ribena, where the soft drink evokes childhood nostalgia for siblings.

• McCann London celebrates the beauty of simplicity in ‘It Simply Does It’ for Shredded Wheat cereal, reminding consumers to choose an easy and healthy breakfast option they can trust.

• If you love The Simpsons, you’ll definitely appreciate Channel 4’s Simpsons-themed title sequence, highlighting that viewers can catch up with the show on E4.