The Advertising Association promotes the role and rights of responsible advertising and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy. We represent UK advertisers, agencies, media owners and tech companies on behalf of the entire industry, acting as the connection between industry professionals and the politicians and policy-makers.

A A A

The Advertising Association focuses on major industry and policy areas that have huge ramifications on UK advertising. This section contains our work around public health, gambling advertising, data and e-privacy, trust, the digital economy and more.

Credos is the advertising industry’s independent think tank. It produces research, evidence and reports into the impact and effectiveness of and public and political response to advertising on behalf of UK advertisers in order to enable the industry to make informed decisions.

Front Foot is our industry’s member network of over 90 businesses across UK advertising. It aims to promote the role of responsible advertising and its value to people, society and the economy through a coalition of senior leaders from advertisers, agencies and media owners.

We run a number of events throughout the year, from our annual LEAD summit to the Media Business Course and regular breakfast briefings for our members. We are also the official UK representative for the world’s biggest festival of creativity – Cannes Lions.

MBC Agenda Day 1, 8 July

/ June 2nd 2025

The Brief – Inspiration and Planning

A strong client brief is essential for crafting impactful media plans. Throughout the day, industry leaders will provide inspiration and practical advice to help you interpret briefs, develop strategic direction, and harness creativity to make your campaigns stand out.


10:00 Coffee & Registration


10:30 Welcome from the Advertising Association

  • Sharon Lloyd Barnes, Commercial Director, Advertising Association
  • Suzanne Costello, Events Director, Advertising Association

10:40 Welcome from our Convenor

David Grainger, Comms Planner, Grave Danger Ltd


10:45 How to Plan

In this planning masterclass you’ll learn how to tackle business challenges by leveraging audience insights, crafting focused media strategies, and aligning creative solutions with clear KPIs. Gain tools to allocate budgets effectively, embrace ethical planning and deliver impactful campaigns that drive measurable results.

Vicky Fox, Chief Planning Officer, OMG


11:10 Psychological Moonshots. Or Why We Can’t Always Solve the World’s Problems with Logic Alone

Industry legend Rory Sutherland will share his unique perspectives on the role of creativity and psychology in marketing and how tiny changes can have enormous effects on the decisions people make.

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman, Ogilvy


12:00 Weird Séance

This is a session filled with surprise, science and ridiculousness. It’s an experience that encourages people to allow themselves to be the weird they naturally are – it’s different for everyone. But our hypothesis is that the weirder you are, the happier and more creative you are, too. Not only will we cover the psychology and science of weirdness, we’ll explore unusual techniques like doodling, masking and lucid mindsets to take us outside our everyday life. Be prepared to feel very strand, and totally energised.

Amy Kean, Founder and Creative Director, Good Shout


13:00 Lunch


14:00 A Tutor’s Guide to Success in the MBC

Join veteran tutor Hamid as he guides you through everything you’ll need to succeed at MBC and have a brilliant time while you’re doing it.

Hamid Habib, Managing Director, Arena Media


14:25 How We Won the MBC

Three members of last year’s winning syndicate will be sharing their tips and tricks on how to win the coveted trophies and get the most out of your time on the course.

  • Louis Hawking, Commercial Partnerships Manager, Sky Media
  • Nastya Efremova, Senior Customer Success Manager, Spotify
  • Jake Moores, Account Manager, Havas Media

14:50 The Client Brief


15:20 Wrap up


15:30 Refreshments and Syndicate Work


19:30 Dinner

View Day 2 agenda here