advertising matters 23.3.18

Ad was the week that was!

Well, what a whirlwind that was…nearly 40,000 attendees, almost 1,000 speakers, and 220 events. This week the best of the best from across the world of advertising rolled into London for Advertising Week Europe. And the AA team has been at the heart of the action!

The week also kicked off with the publication of figures from the AA of ONS data analysis by advertising’s think tank Credos showing that exports of UK advertising services hit a new high of £5.8 billion for year ending December 31, 2016. Of this, £3.2bn was exported to EU nations, representing 55% of advertising exports. The percentage of all UK advertising exports going to Europe, including both EU and non-EU countries, was 59%. The UK’s balance of payments surplus for advertising was the biggest in Europe – £2.9 billion, while the export of advertising services has more than doubled in less than a decade.

Stephen Woodford commented that the figures clearly show the demand for British advertising that exists across the world and that ‘Made in the UK’ is the hallmark for global ad excellence. The figures featured in a standout piece in The Times by business journalist Alex Frean and also prominently in Gideon Spanier’s look at the week in the Evening Standard. Further coverage was gained in Marketing Week, The Drum, and LBB Online. Combined with social media interest, the circulation for coverage was over 2 million!

Wednesday saw the AA’s standout AWE event: our lunch with Bing (more on this below), while Stephen Woodford later took part in a panel session on Brand Britain with Seven Hills’ Nick Giles looking at the challenges for those championing the brand globally and what the future holds for UK brands. Stephen also took part in a panel session yesterday with Lorraine Jennings of NABS and Thinkbox’s Tess Alps on breaking down barriers and promoting diversity. This event had a special focus on the timeTo initiative that has recently been launched to bring attention to the issue of sexual harassment in the ad industry. All in all it was an excellent week (with too much to include all here sadly!), so congratulations to everyone involved in making AWE such a success.

AWE next heads to Japan for AW Asia and then for its inaugural AW APAC event in Sydney in July. Contact Matthew Scheckner and the rest of the unstoppable AW team for more information.

Talent breeds talent and talent attracts talent

Our joint lunch with Bing on Wednesday had the talent in UK advertising as its central theme, with a key focus on how London thrives from the global talent based in the city and the importance of this pipeline of creativity continuing to flow as the UK leaves the EU.

Advertising Week Global CEO Matthew Scheckner delivered an upbeat opening and highlighted the “leading role” of the Advertising Association in bringing industry together as we approach Brexit. Bing VP for EMEA Ad Sales Axel Steinman was firm in his support for the talent working in advertising, calling them the “critical success factor” for the industry, adding that as a business, we “need to have the talent that can connect with both consumers in the country and with the wider world”.

Stephen Woodford highlighted the ways the Association has been pressing the case for continued free movement of people from the EU with Government, as well as encouraging the best talent from elsewhere in the world to come and work in the UK after Brexit.

Following lunch, Alex Wood, Europe Editor of Forbes Media facilitated a panel discussion along with creative talent from across the EU who have chosen to base themselves in London. The consensus was that it is London’s concentration of talented individuals bringing the best of their diverse backgrounds that makes the city the success that it is.

Quoting AA Chairman, James Murphy, one panellist said that “talent breeds talent, and talent attracts talent” and that with other EU cities and markets eager to share in London’s success, the importance of the advertising industry working together to safeguard the supply and place of global talent in the UK has never been greater. Read more here.