I continue to be fascinated by the discourse around trust, and its importance not just to advertising but to business and wider society generally. Particularly when trust is under intense pressure at the highest levels – anyone else watching the developing story about Truth Social and the option to subscribe for early access?
As such, it was a real pleasure to chat with Lindsay at Exchange Wire for the latest edition of The MadTech Podcast – tune in here where I attempt to explain the structure of trust as part of our bigger conversation.
Trust: the final frontier…
Star Trek references aside, I track for articles daily on the topic of trust – three have caught my eye this week, all wrestling with what I’m beginning to believe is the new frontier for trust… How do we trust information generated by LLMs, and how will advertising be integrated into AI responses?
The Risk of Monetizing Trust (The Current) – a great dive into the risks of AI advertising if platforms prioritise immediate ad revenue over user confidence.
Perplexity Blocks Time’s Ads Served to AI Agents (Digiday) – a fascinating clash between publishers and AI platforms, highlighting the fallout when ads are flagged as “deceptive.”
Welcome to the Era of Paid Organic (The Blueprint) – Sean Betts’ excellent breakdown of how commercial content is subtly blending into AI search results.
There is so much more to unpack here. That’s why I’m excited to be chairing a roundtable for Clearcast on Trust & AI next month. We’ll be discussing standard-setting, compliance, and public perception in an AI-driven ad landscape. Register to join us here.
Our pick of the ads:
- Our Ad in the A is by VCCP, who created Barclays’ latest campaign, “Be a step ahead.” It aimed to highlight how Barclays Premier helps mass affluent customers navigate increasingly complex financial decisions while balancing busy working and family lives.
- “Know what you’re sitting on” by BHH London highlighted the untapped potential of Tesco’s Clubcard. The campaign includes three films, each focusing on a different kind of Clubcard Reward.
- adam&eve/TBWA and MD OMD helped Jaffa Cakes revive their iconic Full Moon, Half Moon campaign, which was first aired in 1999. Wednesday’s edition of The Metro included an image of the sun being eclipsed by a gigantic Jaffa Cake with the copy, “Full moon, half moon. Go on say it…”
- LEO UK teamed up with Confused.com to create a series of 20 second films to explain how easy it can be to sort your car insurance.
Our must-reads:
- As podcasts continue to grow in prominence, experts have weighed in on whether the industry has reached a saturation point, how it can continue to grow, and what potential future regulation means for the market. (Media Leader)
- It has been revealed that £1.3 billion of government media business was won by WPP, with more than 20 government departments signing contracts with the new media provider WPP 650 since the agency was appointed last year. (Campaign)
- As the latest rules in the EU’s AI Act take effect, adland in Europe has weighed up whether more AI transparency will risk scaring off consumers or whether it can be successfully implemented. (LBB)
- The Media Leader’s Sofie Sue Rutgeerts argued that when it comes to reporting within the industry, metrics are only part of the picture, and that when every number becomes the headline, we stop understanding media value. (Media Leader)
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.
- Join the ASA’s Industry Summit on health and wellbeing advertising on 1 October to explore the challenges, risks and opportunities facing this rapidly evolving sector. Register your free place here.
- 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, a huge thanks to my colleagues, Siri and Grace, for delivering a brilliant Lunch & Learn this week entitled How Clean Is Your Laptop? It was a fantastic team session about shrinking our digital footprint – tackling everything from long email threads and unnecessary storage to chats about the carbon impact of new vs. refurbished tech. A great reminder that reducing digital waste is an easy win for cutting overall emissions and saving money too.
