Ad Matters: Who’s The ‘Yorkshire Jesus’?

So, I studied media and business at Manchester Uni and I can’t help reflecting on my days as an undergrad after my chat onstage at our LEAD North conference this week with content creator, Em Wallbank. Would I have had the bravery and self-belief to make and publish content like she does? And what sort of content would I make? Most likely, fan-boy reviews of floppy-fringed indie bands or obscure cult movies… But would any advertiser trust me enough to make an ad for them?! I’d probably want to give it a try…

Anyway, our Advertising Association-backed industry gathering in Manchester was another moment to remember, for multiple reasons. For my chat with Em (please check out her Gravity Defying post) especially when she described Sean Bean as the ‘Yorkshire Jesus’. For advertising industry legend Robin Wight’s shout-out for Salford Lads and Girls Club (made iconic by the likes of The Smiths). Not least for seeing lots of familiar, friendly faces from the Manchester advertising scene. And of course, for the launch of Advertising Pays 2025, which shows how advertising accounts for 4% of the UK’s GVA and for 5% of total employment.

The latter has been a real labour of love for the Credos team and, take it from me, it properly equips anyone who reads it with some concrete stats and facts about how and where advertising makes a positive difference to the UK’s economy and people’s lives.

Our must reads/ listens:

• The ninth addition to our Ad Pays series studies the contribution the ad industry makes to the UK’s economy and employment. (Media Leader)
• Did you miss our All In Census results? Credos’ Dan Wilks sat down with the IAB UK’s Sophia Haynes to unpack the data behind the latest findings on the industry’s talent. (Listen here on Spotify)
• Have you entered our Talent Trailblazer Award? Our Commercial Director and Talent & Inclusion Lead, Sharon Lloyd Barnes, talks about the new talent initiatives she hopes to discover in the entries. (Marketing Week)
• ISBA and the IMTB have announced a new wave of signatories to their Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, which promotes collaboration between everyone involved in the advertising chain. (LBB)
• Our Public Policy & Regulation Director, Konrad Shek, has featured in ‘The AI Adoption Podcast’ with Ashley Braganza to discuss how AI is reshaping advertising campaigns. Listen here.

Our pick of the ads:

• Our Ad in the A is Adam&EveDDB’s collaboration with Pepsi Lipton International to launch ‘Tea Changes Everything’ in a pirate-themed ad.
• Leo Burnett UK and Confused.com have added to their ‘Just Used Confused.com’ humorous campaign where the relief of having great insurance turns people into helium balloons.
• BBH London have used acapella and light to advertise the innovation of their sunroofs in their ‘Light, as you like it’ campaign for Audi.
• Charity Shelter took Craig David back to his childhood social home in their recent ad with The Beyond Collective.
• OVO has launched its campaign ‘Do Energy Differently’ with Saatchi & Saatchi to encourage customers to control their technology to keep it affordable.

Dates for your diary:

• The Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards are open to entries which celebrate the industry’s very best examples of work in support of sustainable behaviours and better business outcomes. Submit your early bird entries here by 29th May.
• Tickets are still available for SXSW London, taking place 2-7 June in Shoreditch. Front Foot members can use the discount code here to get 25% off Platinum and Conference Passes.

One last thing for next’s week diary, it’s our turn to host a debate in the Palace of Westminster next week as part of The Debating Group. This is a fabulous way to experience what it’s like to walk the corridors of political power and take part in a democratic debate as per the rules followed by our parliamentarians. The motion is “Merit is the most important consideration when making hiring decisions” which is sure to be hotly contested. Tickets are available here, and you can even make a point from the floor of the debate which will be noted within the records of Westminster.