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On Wednesday morning we hosted our latest Covid-19 Impact Information sharing session via Microsoft Teams. We were joined by officials from DCMS, BEIS, DIT and the Cabinet Office and heard from members about the impact that the COVID-19 outbreak has had on their businesses, the asks of different sectors of the industry and what is needed for recovery. Credos updated members on the latest results from its regular advertising industry stakeholder survey and the IPA provided an insight into the results of the IPA Bellwether Report for Q1 2020. If you are interested in joining the next of these meetings, please contact Ed.
As ever, we have been keeping our Government advice page on our website up to date with the latest changes and announcements, and have included links to where you can claim for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme. Find more information on these, plus other schemes that you may be eligible for, on our website here. As well as this, we have been tracking the latest news and opinion pieces from industry media on the virus, which you can find here.
In other Coronavirus news, late Friday last week the Government announced an extension to the UK’s Covid-19 furlough scheme to the end of June. Following this, our Chief Executive, Stephen Woodford, issued a statement. Stephen commented:
“We are pleased the Government has listened to industry concerns as we, and our fellow trade associations, have been asking for an extension to the measures already in place. Looking ahead, it is vital we continue to consult with Government on these schemes to avoid any cliff-edge’ scenario where help is withdrawn too early.” You can find the statement in full on our website here.
We have also been preparing for a busy week next week, with particular focus on Wednesday, which involves two events…
The morning will kick off with our first ever virtual gathering with our Front Foot members. It will focus on the topic of ‘Survive, Revive and Thrive’ and will be an opportunity for UK advertising leaders to discuss how our industry is coping with the challenges Covid-19 has created for us all. It will be lead by Front Foot Chair, Mark Evans, who will talk about the latest developments impacting on UK advertising before going on to discussions with our President, Keith Weed, Chief Executive, Stephen Woodford, and Commercial Director, Sharon Lloyd-Barnes. Click here for more information on this event.
Then, in the afternoon, we will take part in a virtual roundtable discussion on exports with Department for International Trade Minister, Graham Stuart. The session will centre on how advertising can contribute to the UK’s recovery from the COVID-19 through the power of exporting. Among areas to be discussed will be the recovery programme, the UK’s relationship with China, advertising production, and the importance of infrastructure.
Amongst this, we are also busy preparing for the release of the next AA/WARC Expenditure Report, which will be published on Thursday next week, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
On Sunday morning, Team AA are going to be running at least the distance of a marathon between us to raise money for our friends at NABS, as part of The London Marathon’s 2.6 Challenge!
The London Marathon was due to take place on Sunday, but has been postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Fundraising has been hit very hard by the pandemic, so to help, The 2.6 Challenge was launched, where you can do any activity from running 2.6 miles to holding a workout with 26 of your friends, whilst raising money for charity.
As such, we have decided to run a virtual marathon on Sunday morning for NABS, the support organisation for the advertising industry. We are very appreciative of any donations that you may be able to give! Click here to read more and donate.
On Wednesday this week, The Marketing Agencies Action Group (MAAG) – the association for independent agencies – announced a new initiative that aims to create a community for staff who have been furloughed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The online community, called Independents FC, offers free training and support sessions so that furloughed staff can keep in touch with the creative industries’ sector and their industry peers. You can read more and get involved here.
Despite the situation we are currently in, we have never seen a greater push from Adland doing brilliant creative and entrepreneurial work in response to COVID-19. This is why we have now added a dedicated COVID-19 category to our Ad Pays 8 hub, which highlights industry work that has a positive contribution to society. This week, watch an ad for EE created by our Front Foot members Essence Global and Saatchi & Saatchi, featuring actor Kevin Bacon here.
You’ve made it this far – why not treat yourself and watch our ad of the week?
Want the full edition to land in your inbox every Friday? Drop us an email on aa@adassoc.org.uk and quote ‘Ad Matters’.
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