I’ve been fortunate enough to be a guest on quite a few podcasts these past couple of years – I’m always happy to chat! But the latest one is different, and I wanted to share how enjoyable it was to take part. Charlie Martin’s The Responsible Edge Podcast begins a few weeks before when he emails you an article to critique on the show. The article, written by an Edelman exec for Fortune, had already piqued my interest – they made a compelling argument that every business needs a Chief Trust Officer. Given my belief in the fundamental importance of trust to business success, the article seemed very sensible on first read but Charlie’s podcast got me thinking. You can listen back here to the show in full, but, plot-spoil, I concluded a “Trust Tsar’ risks letting everyone else off the hook. We all have a collective responsibility when it comes to trust.
This matters… Proper trust comes when everyone is invested in building it and protecting it. Delighted to say we’re seeing that principle in action this week with the launch of the latest wave of our ASA awareness campaign. This campaign reminds the public that UK advertising is properly regulated. We owe huge thanks to the owners of iconic brand assets such as Aleksandr the Meerkat and Marmite, the owners of media inventory from more than 30 partners including Bauer Media Outdoor, Netflix and Waitrose and, behind the scenes, to the talented teams at Leith for creative and EssenceMediacom for media planning.
The conversation about trusted advertising continues. Next month, we’re supporting Clearcast for a roundtable to explore the impact of AI on trust in advertising. Space is limited, so secure your spot for the event here.
Our pick of the ads:
- Our Ad in the A is BBH London’s ‘After Dark’ where Audi’s fully electric, sustainable cars snuck onto the Silverstone racetrack.
- Dentsu London has refreshed their previous campaign for Weedol, named ‘Still Killing Weeds’ where a man claims to still be weeding his garden whilst taking up table tennis and martial arts.
- Leo UK combines Xbox and McDonald’s into one limited-time menu in their latest edition of ‘Side Missions’.
- Radiocentre and adam&eveTBWA have collaborated to create a radio ad which asks the crucial question, ‘Jaffa Cakes – Cakes or Biscuit?’
Our must-reads:
- The Advertising Standards Authority has released the latest instalment of its awareness campaign, created by Leith and with media planning by EssenceMediacom, which will run for the next eight weeks (Campaign).
- Since speaking at our career day last week, where 13 girls went on an adland tour, Amrit Baidwan, CEO of Bauer Media Publishing UK, has described the importance of deliberate paths for young people to enter our industry (Media Leader).
- Ad Net Zero has quantified advertising’s contribution to Australian businesses’ supply chain emissions for the first time, finding it averages more than 5% of upstream scope 3 emissions (LBB).
- As the IAB forecasts that AI will account for a third of digital ad spend by 2030, Maor Sadra voices his opinion that conversations around AI have become unbalanced (Media Leader).
Dates for your diary:
- Cannes Lions is hosting a virtual session for independent agencies on 1 September. It will cover why independent agencies matter, what they won at this year’s festival, and what’s on the horizon for them. Register here.
- The deadline for Ocean Outdoor’s 2026 Digital Creative competition is 4 September. The competition involves developing an idea that puts Digital Out of Home at the heart of it and bringing the concept to life for the judges. To find out more about the competition, click here.
- 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.
- The renowned IPA Effectiveness Conference returns on 7 October in Shoreditch and online, bringing together diverse opinions and top strategists and industry leaders. Discounts are applied for bookings of 5 or more in-person tickets.
And finally, we had a great chat at our recent Industry Reputation Working Group about the use of AI in comms. As a follow-up, our designer, Grace, and I popped over to see what the team at IAB UK are up to. A huge thank you to them for the knowledge-share and the drink after our meeting on the rooftop of their rather lovely new offices. Don’t forget, you can find practical recommendations for your use of AI in advertising in our best practice guide here. And drop me a line if you want to know more about Rep Group or swap tips on the use of AI in comms.
