After the longest, hottest summer EVER, this week’s got a real back to school feeling to it. There are fewer out of office emails bouncing back at me, and coupled with that, there’s a definite shift to autumn in the air – I love that smell, even if the moulds and spores send my allergies haywire!
Back to school means big time planning here at the AA and top of our agenda is LEAD 2027. We’ve started mapping out what we want to do with this very special event next January and have been consulting with members and the wider industry about the themes, topics and speakers that we’d like to feature. Now’s the time to feed in your thoughts – if you have anything you’d like us to put on the agenda for discussion – just drop me a line. And stay tuned for more details about LEAD coming later this month.
Aside from LEAD next year, we also have big plans for the next All In Census, the fourth in the series, as well as conversations being underway with our partners about how to build on this year’s successful UK Advertising at Cannes Lions programme. Before then, of course, we’ve got some major highlights to come, not least the party conference season, Christmas advertising, and that critical final quarter when it comes to ad spend. There are also some exciting upcoming awards events (here’s looking at you, IPA Effectiveness and Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards).
The wonderful thing about our industry is just how dynamic it is, and it’s exciting to think about what we’ll be doing next year. Hope everyone’s batteries are fully restored after the summer break!
Our pick of the ads:
- Our Ad in the A is T&P’s ‘Ready for What’s Next’ for the new Toyota Yaris Cross. Through a new take on Alice in Wonderland, the campaign tells the story of following your curiosity.
- WPP Media’s Wavemaker has worked with Audible to transform King’s Cross station as part of its global brand campaign, ‘Stories that Speak to You’.
- John Lewis has collaborated with Saatchi & Saatchi to debut its new social-first Vodcast ‘Gift List’, offering insight into the highs and lows of gifting with some of the nation’s biggest celebrities.
- Havas has developed a nationwide campaign for Tesco Mobile called ‘Bare Essentials’, using a slang-translated audiobook to close the slang barrier between parent and child.
Our must-reads:
- After the Advertising Standards Authority released the latest instalment of its awareness campaign last week, LBB focuses on why trust in advertising has reached a five-year high and how the Advertising Association’s work has contributed (LBB).
- Our August Ads of the Month in partnership with System 1 have been released, looking at the three most effective new UK ads from August (System 1).
- With Waitrose’s branded podcast ‘The Dish’ recently passing one billion downloads, The Campaign Podcast debates if the milestone proves that branded entertainment works (Campaign).
- Ethnic minority champions People Like Us will host its first event in Amsterdam this October, aimed at kickstarting conversations about workplace equity (Marketing Week).
Dates for your diary:
- The ASA has launched new LHF training on 10 September. AA members can take advantage of an exclusive enhanced discounted group rate. Use code AAgroup35 for groups of 4–24 delegates to get 35% off, or AAgroup60 for 25+ delegates for 60% off. T&Cs apply.
- Future of Media Manchester is returning on 17 September, bringing together 600+ people shaping the future of commercial media from across the industry. They’re offering 30% off the first 30 tickets using code ADASSOCIATION_PARTNERFOMM26. Get your tickets here.
- The renowned IPA Effectiveness Conference returns on 7 October in Shoreditch and online, bringing together diverse opinions and top strategists and industry leaders. Discounts are applied for bookings of 5 or more in-person tickets.
- Our flagship summit, LEAD, will return to the QEII Centre in Westminster on the morning of 28 January 2027. Help shape the agenda by taking 2 minutes to fill in our survey here.
And finally, there’s exciting news for all users of the AdGreen Carbon Calculator, who can join the upcoming webinars to explore two new powerful features. Discover how to use the AI-Powered Document Reader to automatically extract key project information by registering for the webinar here, and to learn how to make the most of the new Analytics Dashboard by registering here. If you want to find out how to become an AdGreen user, please do get in touch.
