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.

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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.

THIS WEEK: UK ADVERTISING IN THE MEDIA

/ January 22nd 2021
Industry News
In this weekly series we pull together, in one place, a selection of must-reads from across our industry media. Hope you find it a useful edit of another week in advertising!

‘Optimistic, but we’re not out of the woods yet’: IPA Bellwether analysis

While the fourth quarter of 2020 failed to stem marketing spend free-fall, budgets are likely to recover in the upcoming financial year, according to the latest IPA Bellwether report. Here, industry experts analyse the news.

Supporting New Talent in Lockdown

New joiners and seasoned managers share their insights and experiences of training, connecting and supporting during Covid-19.

Glastonbury 2021 is cancelled: what does this mean for summer experiences?

‘Cancelling a place doesn’t cancel the passion.’

Consumer confidence drops again as ‘world turned upside down’

Despite a slight upturn in confidence last month, the latest lockdown and increased restrictions have put a serious dent in any hopes for a more optimistic outlook going into 2021.

Google declares war on Australia, threatens to remove search engine from the country

As Australia gets ready to introduce a mandatory code of conduct for tech platforms Facebook and Google, the latter has threatened to remove its search engine from Australia.

Unilever pledges to purge ads of stereotypes and work with more diverse suppliers

Unilever has pledged to root out advertising stereotypes from its marketing and work with more businesses run by women and under-represented groups as part of its latest inclusivity drive.

Spotify launches Podcast Ads in UK in ‘step change’ for industry

UK and pan-EMEA sales chief Rak Patel signals key moment for podcast advertising, which Spotify is betting on to grow ad revenue.

No Doggs allowed: Just Eat launches campaign without Snoop

‘We got it’ introduces protagonist Daisy instead, although previous spot will continue to run.

Kilby takes over Bauer Media Advertising

Bauer Media’s former chief revenue officer for radio, Simon Kilby has been promoted to MD of Advertising with immediate effect.

Most UK adlanders cautious about attending Cannes, Campaign survey shows

Half say they will skip this year’s event.

General Mills marketing boss on how 2020 meant working better with rest of business

Covid-19 didn’t rewrite the rules of marketing for food giant General Mills, but it did force 1,000 marketers to work more closely with the rest of the business.

MullenLowe miles ahead in 2020 creative agency new-business rankings

IPG agency’s net billings gained were two and a half times those of its nearest competitor.

Marketers search for ‘green shoots of recovery’ as budget cuts continue

The latest IPA Bellwether data finds the worsening pandemic and Brexit reality took a toll on marketing budgets during the fourth quarter, but optimism is growing that the sector will bounce back.

IPA Bellwether: marketers’ confidence surges after vaccines put end in sight

Report predicts budgets are likely to recover this year.

UK Advertising Production No Longer Exempt from Coronavirus Travel Restrictions

Latest government regulation re-imposes the 10-day quarantine for people entering the UK for commercial filmmaking.

Extend Covid relief now, business chiefs tell No 10

Johnson pledges to cut red tape in talks with industry leaders.

A year less throw-away

Jan Gooding sets out the thinking behind her resolutions to buy once, buy less and repair more.

Does Publicis M&A chatter show holding companies are undervalued?

Private equity has been looking at agency groups.

Wavemaker to clients: get ready to say goodbye to cookies by June

Media agency marshals clients to get ready early for approaching change to digital tracking.

Publicis Groupe UK hires diversity head from Stonewall

Kate Williams will take up head of diversity and inclusion role in March.

The Festival of Marketing launches effectiveness event

Mark Ritson, Helen Edwards and CMOs from Nationwide and KFC confirmed for a new March event called The Bottom Line that will deliver insight into what marketers should spend their time and money on.

Twitter’s Trump-shaped hole; paper rebels; & so long Vizeum

What will become of Twitter now that its main attraction has left the building? Dominic Mills considers the facts and takes a toothless rebel to task over its schoolboy attack.

Challenging brief for cabinet new boy Kwasi Kwarteng

The business secretary may have to swallow his libertarian instincts as Covid and levelling-up prove tricky topics for free markets.

ITV to run ‘stay at home’ message in every ad break

Commercial broadcaster hopes to reach up to 42 million viewers with own public health message.

Is Publicis perusing its perfect private equity partner?

Following speculation Publicis Groupe has held sale talks with private equity investors, Matt Lacey, managing director of Waypoint Partners, examines the likelihood of any such deal taking place, and what an injection of private equity would mean for the holding company model.

Mother launches a media agency in the U.S.

The agency aims to drive with strategy rather than a race to the bottom.

TikTok rolls out stricter children’s privacy rules

The new policy update is in response to ongoing privacy challenges.

Premier Foods credits TV advertising for sales boost in Christmas quarter

Group’s branded sales up 16% over nine months since start of pandemic.

Brands rally behind mentoring initiative to serve marketing’s ‘lost generation’

The School of Marketing is launching Mentoring Gen Z, which aims to connect young people with marketing leaders from brands including Boots and Direct Line in a bid to avert the “ticking timebomb” of youth unemployment.

Netflix, Burberry, Arcadia: Everything that matters this morning

Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world each day.

Carbon conscious media: the publishers ushering in a new era of sustainability for brands

With our planet in the midst of a climate crisis, publishers are starting to realise that the way they source stories about our planet is just as crucial as the content itself.

Cannes or Cannes’t? A Mix of Cautious Optimism and Scepticism as Industry Responds to Lions Announcement

While some take heart from the missive that Cannes Lions feels Covid-19 will be under control by June, others think it’s out of touch.

Creative is Native: “At the Heart of Great Creativity is a Desire to Have Fun”

Aoife Murphy, executive strategy director at Boys+Girls, on Ireland’s similarities to New Zealand, the increasing diversity in the industry there and why improving people’s lives isn’t advertising’s primary function.

The Guardian Shares America’s Embrace of Change Ahead of 2020 Presidential Inauguration

Uncommon continues it’s ‘Hope is Power’ message featuring Vice President Kamala Harris.