“What do you want to be when you grow up?” is a familiar question asked of young people – and one that ‘in advertising’ has always been an unlikely answer to. And whilst it may not replace firefighter or astronaut (or newsreader in my case!) at the top of the list, lack of awareness and exposure to our industry is a key barrier for the next generation in considering it as a career choice.
To help address this gap, this week we have launched two new immersive virtual work experiences with Media Smart. These will introduce entry-level talent to the world of advertising through the lens of creative and commercial roles and promote advertising as an exciting and accessible career path.
We all know that the future of advertising depends on attracting the best talent from the most diverse range of backgrounds, so it’s vital to support early career inspiration and help young people – particularly those without existing industry exposure, to understand advertising as a credible and accessible career option.
The new hub has been developed in partnership with careers platform, Springpod. We’d be really grateful it if you could share this new resource with the organisations and young people in your lives who might benefit from it.
Our pick of the ads:
- Our Ad in the A is Tesco and BBH London’s ‘Now We’re Cooking’, showcasing accessible cooking, which has won the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising award this year, on the award’s 10th anniversary.
- T&P have used AI and mixed reality technology to transform DOOH in ‘For Our Changing Times’ to celebrate 240 years of The Times and The Sunday Times.
- adam&eveTBWA celebrates the ‘Dad Joke’ effect with McCain, highlighting the importance of male role models with humour.
- BT has partnered with Frank Skinner, co-writer of Three Lions, for UEFA Euro 2028 with a poem by fan responses by Havas Play, Edelman, and UEG.
Our must-reads:
- IAB UK has launched a creator qualification which aims to increase transparency and trust within creator marketing. (Marketing Week)
- UK Advertising will return to Cannes Lions with a Government-backed growth mission. (Media Stack)
- Newsworks are encouraging advertisers to reduce their blocklists ahead of the World Cup (Newsworks).
- WPP’s Michael Frohlich is encouraging our industry to celebrate our British creativity as one of the UK’s most valuable economic drivers. (CityAM)
- Ofcom have released research exploring the relationship between persuasive design on online platforms and the time children spend on them. (Ofcom)
Dates for your diary:
- Join WARC Media live in London for a free networking breakfast on 27 May from 9-11am to explore how the ongoing Gulf crisis is impacting the ad economy.
- Matt will be chairing a special Trusted Advertising roundtable with Clearcast on 3 June – more details here.
- Only a few spots remain for our Media Business Course, taking place from 7-10 July in Eastbourne. Book your place here.
- CreatorFest 2026 on 14-15 July has a packed two-day agenda of networking and panels. Get 20% off your tickets using the code AA20OFF here.
In other news, our Communications Director, Matt, has been in Milan this week, presenting a keynote on Trust at the ICAS Global Think Tank – more about that next week.
And finally, we are pleased to announce Viasat Ads as our newest member of Front Foot! Find out more about how to join here.
