We were delighted to celebrate the AA’s 100th anniversary at our Centenary Reception on May 6, bringing together over 250 senior industry leaders at Rose Court in London.
Our Chief Executive, Stephen Woodford, set out in a keynote that since the Advertising Association was founded, UK advertising spend has grown from around £30 million in 1926 to an estimated £50 billion this year. Stephen called for advertising to be recognised as an engine for economic growth by businesses and policymakers.
The keynote also addressed our ongoing mission to build public confidence. The latest Credos research found that public trust in advertising recently hit a five-year high of 40%, following the success of the ASA awareness campaign.
A major highlight of the centenary celebration was the presentation of the Mackintosh Medals. Introduced in 1952 to recognise exceptional individual contributions to the industry, President Andria Vidler broke with tradition for the centenary to award two medals instead of one.
We would like to congratulate Kathryn Jacob OBE, who was recognised for her outstanding leadership across media businesses and her instrumental role in spearheading the All In programme on Talent and Inclusion.
Congratulations to James Best CBE, honoured for his deep strategic contributions, his critical role within the ASA system, and for being a key architect of Ad Net Zero and co-author of Trusted Advertising.
Guests at the reception also received copies of Speaking up for Advertising, a newly commissioned book detailing the AA’s rich history, authored by Sue Eustace MBE, historian Jim Ring, and leading book designer Ocky Murray.
Looking ahead, we look forward to launching our new Trust Action Plan at our Parliamentary Reception in July to further build public confidence in the industry we are proud to represent.
Thank you to to our partners Bauer Media Advertising, Digital Cinema Media, IPA, ISBA, Ocean Outdoor, Ozone, Pinterest and WPP Media.
Please find below a gallery of photos from the evening.
Photo credit: Bronac McNeill
