Annual Review 2023: Rebuilding Public Trust in UK Advertising

James Best, Chair, Credos

Credos has always sought to understand public sentiment towards advertising, and trust is a key element. It matters, with its value to our industry summarised in the three Rs: Results, Regulation and Recruitment.

Results – trust in brands and trust in advertising media increases effectiveness, market share and brand value.

Regulation – politicians and policy makers are more likely to impose regulation on an industry deemed untrustworthy.

Recruitment – trust in our business, its values, and ways of working, is key to attracting andretaining the best and brightest talent to work in advertising.

We began the work to help the industry rebuild public trust in advertising back in 2018.

More than five years on, the work continues. We know more than ever about what levers to pull in the efforts to ensure the public has trust in the work of our industry.

Every organisation in our industry has a role to play in ensuring our work can be trusted, and share in all of the benefits that trust brings.

Our Trust Programme:

At LEAD Scotland in September, the latest Credos report ‘What Drives the Public’s Trust in Advertising’ revealed that the UK public’s advertising experience is integral to trust. Creative quality of advertising remains the top trust driver, while ad bombardment is the most damaging.

Informed by our pioneering research, our mission to rebuild public trust in advertising is one of the most crucial issues we face, and we are committed to working with our members and peers on a system change that will help rebuild its decline.

As our CEO, Stephen Woodford, said: “Understanding the drivers of public trust in advertising underpins the industry’s work to sustain and grow this trust. It is the top priority for the AA’s membership and is at the core of our work.”

The Trust Working Group, led by co-chairs Phil Smith (ISBA) and Paul Bainsfair (IPA), now comprises representatives from the AA, AOP, ASA, Asbof, Credos, DMA, IAB, IMTB, ITV, Meta, NMA, OMG, PPA, Pinterest, Royal Mail, TikTok and Yahoo.

As a group, we are mapping what regulation, policy or member initiatives exist to address these drivers. This will help us discuss and create an overview of all the industry and regulatory initiatives in place or in planning that could impact these Trust drivers and build value through the three Rs.

Raising Awareness of the ASA

One of the most powerful levers we have to help build trust is public awareness of the industry’s regulator. We have seen how the Advertising Standards Authority’s (ASA) ad campaign can boost trust in advertising.

Thank you to all the brands, media owners and partner agencies, EssenceMediacom and The Leith Agency, for their support. The ASA advertising campaign results, revealed at a virtual event in May, show that relevant action can make a difference, with those aware of the ASA’s
comprehensive regulation of advertising content via this campaign having a 50% higher level of trust than those unaware of it. A new campaign ran from October to December 2023 and we will continue to raise awareness in 2024.

Join us at LEAD 2024 where we will reveal the results of the latest ASA campaign and discuss the ASA’s five-year plan which will continue to impact Trust in our industry.

Tackling Suspicious Advertising

The AA convened a working group to consider the issues on suspicious advertising that also arose from the Credos drivers of Trust research. Chaired by Christie Dennehy-Neil (IAB), the group considered a gap analysis, looking at what we could do in addition to what was already being done by industry, or through regulation.

Actions included:
• A Media Smart awareness campaign through social media about scam advertising aimed at 18–25-year-olds, which will launch in 2024.
• Raising industry awareness of best practice in influencer marketing compliance. A Front Foot Insights session was hosted in partnership with ISBA and the IMTB in June to help promote ISBA’s Code of Conduct for Influencers.

The Power of Creativity

We know that creativity is the number one positive driver of Trust and that’s why, in 2021, we launched a partnership with Kantar and Marketing Week called ‘The Works’. Through monthly featured articles, ‘The Works’ celebrates the advertising campaigns that generate the most positive public response and shares what marketers can learn from them.

In February we hosted a virtual breakfast event led by Lynne Deason, Head of Creative Excellence, Kantar, aimed at companies who wanted to gain insights into what drives a successful campaign. The session brought to life what it takes to succeed using examples of top-performing ads from The Works.

Creative effectiveness is the second most important factor after brand size in determining the profitability of advertising investment. At a time when brands are under pressure due to the cost-of-living crisis, making the most of every opportunity to positively engage with consumers in a way that differentiates brands from others has become even more important.

You can download a full copy of our 2023 Annual Review here.