advertising matters 29.3.18

#PromoteUK: A great advert from Britain!

What an exciting few days for the UK advertising industry! Yesterday saw the launch of Promote UK by the AA. This is a new industry group formed to position the UK as the top global hub and centre of excellence for advertising as the post-Brexit transition period approaches.

Promote UK will ensure UK advertising takes a central place in the Government’s GREAT campaign. As such, the group will work with DIT’s team led by Jamila Saidi, Director GREAT International Trade Campaign, and DIT’s first advertising sector specialist, David Moody. They will feed into DIT’s network, which extends to over 160 Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates in over 100 nations.

The aim is to raise awareness of UK advertising to drive reputation; target key influencers and decision-makers for engagement; and ensure marketing services are included in DIT FDI pitches across all sectors of the economy. All this will take place under the campaign slogan: ‘A Great Advert from Britain’.

Promote UK will be chaired by Janet Hull OBE (IPA Director of Marketing Strategy) and has over thirty participating companies at launch. In Promote UK’s first industry appearance, Janet Hull and AA Chairman, James Murphy presented yesterday at the inaugural Shanghai International Advertising Festival on “The advertising opportunity to take China brands global: a UK perspective.”

The Promote UK initiative was the focus of standout coverage in Campaign and it created a real buzz on social media as well. Read the full press release on our website here.

All UK advertising and marketing businesses looking to be a part of Promote UK should visit the dedicated website here and register their interest. Join in the fun and #PromoteUK

This is the real deal!

In a further boost to the UK advertising industry, yesterday also saw the announcement of the Government’s Sector Deal for the Creative Industries. The AA team was there in force at the Roundhouse in Camden for the launch and to welcome the initiative, which saw solid ministerial support from BEIS SoS Greg Clarke MP and DCMS SoS Matt Hancock MP. The deal means more than £150 million is being jointly invested by Government and industry to help cultural and creative businesses thrive right across the UK.

Our Chief Executive Stephen Woodford welcomed the move, commenting: “We are ready to do more to boost the UK economy by growing both the uptake of British advertising services at home as well as overseas.

“We look forward to working with Government in support of the Creative Industries Sector Deal to ensure the UK builds its position as a global powerhouse for advertising and the wider creative sector.”

The announcement was widely covered across the media with a fantastic piece in The Drum highlighting how the Sector Deal announcement chimes with the launch of Promote UK as a real boost for UK advertising. You can read our comment in full here and the Government press release here.

You’ve read the whole thing! Now check out our ad of the week: