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 25.03.22

/ March 25th 2022 / Matt Bourn
Industry News

Life in Ukrainian advertising: ‘The morning starts with texting the team to say I’m alive’

First-hand accounts of working in Ukrainian advertising amid the ceaseless daily barbarism of war.​

Advertising jobs for Ukrainian refugees: what the industry is doing

The Advertising Association has launched a platform to help Ukrainian advertising professionals find employment in Europe.

Cockneys can’t Adam and Eve the prejudice they face in media jobs

Saying “alright” instead of “hello” and failing to pronounce your ts will set you back in the creative industries, according to Cockney workers who say they have faced discrimination in advertising, fashion and media.

Work Of The Week

This week’s work of the week features Ruby Wax giving mindfulness tips, a Glaswegian gender-fluid fashion designer selling a phone and, among other things, a hardware supplier spot overlaid with the song “Dies Irae”.

Why the big return to offices gives agencies a chance to rethink accessibility

Community relations manager at AccessiBe and C4-5 quadriplegic power wheelchair user Josh Basile urges agencies to refresh their thinking on accessibility and inclusion.

Latest AOP report reveals growth in digital publishing

Compared with Q4 in 2020, digital publishing revenue is up by 13.4% in 2021.

Is this greenwashing?

How simple, impactful sustainability messaging can change behaviours and minimise greenwashing.

Vision Express And Leo Burnett London Champion Optometrists

The playful work features brand mascot Marvin the Mole.

Advertising Industry Can Be Ebeneezer Goode

The Advertising Association’s UK House initiative is doing great work overseas, but more needs doing to improve advertising’s reputation at home.

The ad industry would benefit from enhanced ways to measure commercial momentum

Campaign strives to represent agency wins and losses fairly but we can’t do it alone.

The ASA tells over 50 crypto advertisers to change their ads

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has issued an enforcement notice to the crypto industry demanding that companies review their ads.

Ban salary history questions to help close the gender pay gap

It is estimated that it will take another 30 years for women to reach pay parity with men, writes the director of client strategy and planning at ITV and WACL president.

WPP and ITV back Google’s £3m Black Founders Fund to tackle VC inequality

Black Founders Fund made its debut last year.

Media has a problem with the C-word but consumers are ahead of us

The challenge brands and media face is in acknowledging their place in disposable culture as they seek a new balance for consumption.

The Marketing Society’s ‘Sprintathon’ returns to raise money for cancer research

Last year’s event raised over £100k for charity, with teams from brands including Just Eat, Tesco, Boots, Camelot, British Gas, Mars and NatWest.

Puppets Strut The Catwalk In Debut Film For Vestiaire Collective By Droga5 London

The ‘Long Live Fashion’ puppets are made from recycled clothing from the fashion B Corp.

How British Businesses Can Help Ukrainians Find Work

The UK Advertising Association explain the ways that companies can support skilled individuals both remotely and after they’ve sought refuge in Britain.

Marmite’s ‘Flippin Tasty’ pancake post ranks among most effective Facebook ads

Marmite’s squirrel-fronted Pancake Day video scored in the top 10% of ads on its ability to grab attention, as well as being highly rated for enjoyability, branding and differentiation.

Warc teams up with Lions and AA for sustainability hub

The resource brings together a collection of curated content to help reduce the marketing industry’s environmental impact.

Govt packs a punch with GCHQ ‘Cyber aware’ campaign

Campaign was created by M&C Saatchi London.

Turning to trusted sources in troubling times

As the latest PAMCo data reminds us, people are reading news brands to understand the complexities of what is happening, as opposed to casual browsing.

The Rise And Rise Of The Agency Content Studio

Agencies have been investing in their own production resources (but don’t call them “in-house”).

Greener, healthier, fairer: what ‘good’ means in ex-Global execs’ start-up The Goodnet

The industry is seeing a wave of brands, publishers and advertisers ‘waking up’ to the importance of responsible and ethical media.

Millie Bobby Brown Teams up with Samsung for Her Directorial Debut

Samsung Electronics has teamed up with actress Millie Bobby Brown to help realise her career goal of going behind the camera as a director.

AMV BBDO Continues Plenty’s ‘Love Is Messy’ Brand Platform

The work involves the trials and tribulations of a boy making his mother lunch.

Supporting our Ukrainian ad industry colleagues

The Advertising Association has been using its close association with UK government to work out how to best respond to events in Ukraine and help ad talent from the country. CEO Stephen Woodford explains.

With the public purse running dry, here’s how the UK budget impacts marketers

Just as the Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis says he’s out of tools to help people cope with the rising cost of living, the UK chancellor unveiled his spring budget for a year in which inflation could hit 7.4%.

Government outlines plans to support brands and consumers through inflation

In his Spring Statement, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a number of measures to ease the impact of the highest inflation rate in 30 years.

How is your open office policy going?

It is two years to the day since the government introduced strict measures to combat coronavirus.

Facebook, Google, Twitter and TikTok sign up for pilot to help ASA enforce online ad rules

ASA hopes initiative will show to what extent digital giants uphold (or don’t) online ad standards.

ASA to report on digital platforms’ role in enforcing ad code

The ASA is partnering with digital media giants including Meta and Google on a new pilot that aims to bring transparency to the role online companies play in upholding advertising regulation.

Nabs launches two-pronged D&I strategy to support staff and managers

Charity is actioning the results of D&I research to try to improve findings of the All In census.

8 times brands fell foul of ASA for ‘greenwashing’

Ads by major brands including Innocent Drinks, Oatly, Hyundai and Shell have been ruled ‘greenwashing’ by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

Talent: Salaries Increasing By Up To A Fifth

Talent is at a premium and demand outweighs supply three-to-five fold in all disciplines and at most levels.

Carwow “Wow moments” by Lucky Generals

Lucky Generals takes things up a gear with its first explosive campaign for car-selling service Carwow.

Digital media technical costs explained: what exactly are you spending ad budgets on?

It’s essential for advertisers to start understanding the ratio of working media versus non-working media.

How Do We Turbo-Charge Our Advertising Effectiveness?

Given the recent Warc Effectiveness rankings, should we be concerned about the UK slipping down the advertising effectiveness league?

Revealed: Campaign Best Places to Work 2022

100 organisations appear in this year’s list, up from last year’s 90.

Lord Michael Grade emerges as fortrunner for Ofcom chair post

The government says Grade is its preferred candidate to chair the UK media regulator.

CBD brand finally helps Faithless to sleep

‘Insomnia’ remixed as a 27-minute track designed to help you get some shut-eye.

5 of the best Mother’s Day ads from KFC to P&G

There’s been some incredible Mother’s Day campaigns throughout the years.

‘Everything is going south’: Consumer confidence plummets as living costs soar

As consumers face price hikes and interest rate rises confidence in the economic situation is dwindling, so marketers are encouraged to adjust their strategies accordingly.

Thortful “Win Mother’s Day” by Isobel

Sibling rivalry isn’t always pretty but it does have its benefits when you’re a mum of three on Mother’s Day.