This Week: UK Advertising in the Media 28.07.23

Barbie to help boost cinema ad spend but headwinds still curbing industry outlook 

Despite notable gains for cinema, search and display for 2023, and an upward revision for ad spend growth this year, the Advertising Association and WARC’s report paints a picture of an industry still struggling with economic conditions.   

Industry welcomes government’s plan to tackle illegal ads and child safety online 

As part of the Online Advertising Programme, the government says it will take a hard line on illegal ads, influencer scams and ads that can harm children. 

Petrol and diesel car ban ‘immovable’ says Michael Gove 

Rishi Sunak is facing pressure to reaffirm the government’s policy to ban all new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 after Michael Gove described it as an “immovable” deadline. 

Do Marketers Need A Degree? 

Kellogg’s has dropped requirement for marketers to have degrees. Pepsico is also eschewing degrees when recruiting for marketers. So what shapes a great marketer? asks Creative Salon. 

Sadiq Khan’s ‘maaate’ campaign won’t stop sexists, say critics 

Feminists and women’s safety campaigners have criticised a campaign by the mayor of London that calls on men to “say maaate to a mate” if a male friend is making sexist comments. 

Is Elon Musk right to ditch the Twitter bird logo? 

One of the most recognisable logos on the web, the tweeting blue bird, is no more. Will the black and white X replacing it prove to be a masterstroke or a branding disaster? 

Kraft Heinz, Tesco and ITV top Marketing Week Awards shortlist 

HSBC, Specsavers, Trainline and the BBC have also racked up multiple nominations for the 2023 Marketing Week Awards, while VCCP, BBH, Mother and VMLY&R/The Pharm and are among the most shortlisted agencies. 

Spotify increases premium price plans as streaming services feel strain 

Change comes after streaming giant attempts to boost margins with job cuts and restructure of podcasting unit. 

Leo Burnett UK names new CEO 

Carly Avener has been promoted from managing director. 

Publicis, IPG and Omnicom’s contrasting fortunes illuminate industry struggles 

Agency groups are shouldering economic weather, shifting client demands and readying for an AI-led era of advertising. But growth in the second quarter has come much quicker for Publicis than its rivals in the US. 

Sooner or later, AI will be regulated. What does the ad industry want from government? 

Agencies and industry bodies are closely monitoring government regulation of AI tools. But if legislation takes too long, should adland move ahead with an AI ethics regime of its own design? 

TikTok is shaking up fast food, just ask Grimace 

Inspired by the inexplicable virality of the Grimace Shake, Flight Story’s Pollyanna Ward has waded deep into TikTok to chart how the app is ripping up the rulebook of fast food marketing. 

Strong advertising revenues help Alphabet beat expectations 

Sundar Pichai hails momentum in cloud performance. 

UK to be second worst economy in the G7 in 2023 despite upgrade, says IMF 

The International Monetary Fund said it expects UK output to grow by 0.4% this year. 

NatWest boss Alison Rose resigns over Nigel Farage Coutts accounts row 

Bank’s first female chief executive steps down after admitting being the source of BBC story about former Ukip leader. 

GambleAware chief marketer: Integrating agencies and why charity clients appeal to adland’s sense of purpose 

Alexia Clifford explains the rationale for the gambling charity’s last pitch process, the scrutiny of marketing budgets in the charity sector and agencies’ common misunderstandings about public health. 

McCann Worldgroup wins Durex global brief 

MRM will work with McCann London and other McCann Worldgroup agencies across Europe on the account. 

Sexual harassment still pervades industry workplaces, so why aren’t businesses tackling it? 

It’s time for senior staff and leaders to take on more responsibility, writes Pippa Glucklich. 

Wacl president Nishma Patel Robb includes menopause policy in new agenda 

Karen Stacey has been appointed vice-president. 

‘Little evidence’ that alcohol adverts ban would cut drinking 

Report by Institute of Economic Affairs comes after Humza Yousaf shelves plans to prohibit marketing in specified areas, including tourist venues. 

Meta rides the recovery in advertising with healthy rise in profits 

The owner of Facebook and Instagram boosted Wall Street’s expectations for its sales this summer as advertisers increase spending across its platforms and as fears of a recession recede. 

What do they do all day? St Luke’s Barnaby Kelly on the role of a business director 

As part of The Drum’s new series demystifying the many job titles that make up adland, Barnaby Kelly, business director at St Luke’s, explains his role at the indie agency and shares how he got into the industry. 

Can there really be ethical influencing under capitalism? We need to try 

Son Pham, senior campaign executive at Manifest, reviews Shein’s now-infamous influencer trip and explains how the entire sector needs an ethical code of conduct. 

Excitement over Threads fades but users return to app 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has said his new social media app, Threads, is drawing more repeat users than he had expected. 

ITV hoping Lionesses roar as ad revenues take a dive 

The Women’s World Cup could provide a welcome boost should England progress to the latter stages. 

The peculiar world of political merchandise 

From Partygate birthday cards to Sir Keir Starmer flip flops, the world of political merchandise, or merch, is a strange place to be. 

Netflix touts $900k AI jobs amid Hollywood strikes 

Netflix has triggered an angry response from striking Hollywood actors and writers after posting a job advert for an artificial intelligence (AI) expert. 

Social media aggregator Linktree integrates with Meta’s Threads 

The liaison between the two platforms will permit social media users to connect and embed their Threads accounts with their Linktree accounts. 

“AI Isn’t Going To Take Your Job, But Someone Using AI Will”, So How Are Designers Using It? 

As Hollywood launches a multi-union strike against AI, we can’t deny its potential in the creative industries. Creative Salon asks designers how they are embracing AI.