The Advertising Association promotes the role and rights of responsible advertising and its value to people, society, businesses and the economy. We represent UK advertisers, agencies, media owners and tech companies on behalf of the entire industry, acting as the connection between industry professionals and the politicians and policy-makers.

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The Advertising Association focuses on major industry and policy areas that have huge ramifications on UK advertising. This section contains our work around Brexit, HFSS and gambling advertising, data and e-privacy, trust, the digital charter and our Industrial Strategy campaigns.

Credos is the advertising industry’s independent think tank. It produces research, evidence and reports into the impact and effectiveness of and public and political response to advertising on behalf of UK advertisers in order to enable the industry to make informed decisions.

Front Foot is our industry’s member network of over 50 businesses across UK advertising. It aims to promote the role of responsible advertising and its value to people, society and the economy through a coalition of senior leaders from advertisers, agencies and media owners.

We run a number of events throughout the year, from our annual LEAD summit to the Media Business Course and regular breakfast briefings for our members. We are also the official UK representative for the world’s biggest festival of creativity – Cannes Lions.

THIS WEEK: UK ADVERTISING IN THE MEDIA

/ July 23rd 2021
Industry News

In this weekly series we pull together, in one place, a selection of must-reads from across our industry media. Hope you find it a useful edit of another week in advertising!

Arthur Sadoun: ‘Publicis is recovering from Covid faster than expected but I worry about mental health’

CEO talks to Campaign about a ‘very strange quarter’.

Grey appoints duo to new role of joint MD

Pair will report to president and chief creative officer Laura Jordan Bambach.

C4 Altogether Different 60

New Vanish Ad To Fight Clothing Waste

Created by Havas London, the campaign focuses on the concept of ‘Rewear’- placing Vanish as a sustainability champion.

A Soldier is a Soldier

There are no ‘female soldiers’ in the British Army. Just soldiers.

Dulux celebrates 90th birthday with charity book charting changing color tastes

Dulux is cementing a 90-year association with its shaggy Old English Sheepdog mascot by releasing a coffee-table tome illustrating how interior design trends may have come and gone over the years, but its sheepdog ambassador has remained constant.

Wieden & Kennedy spot depicts sensory overload of ‘new era of Formula One’

The sport has been accused of becoming too staid and predictable. The 2022 season seeks to redress that.

Olympic bold

The Olympics is reimagined as a piece of Eurovision style pageantry in this gauche but charming film for Aldi.

How ‘Freedom Day’ has impacted UK out-of-home ad sales – and can it last?

Out-of-home advertisers were expecting a swell of activity (in England at least) on the subdued launch of so-called ‘Freedom Day’ – Monday 19 July – which walked back some of the Covid-19 restrictions the public has endured over the last year. For advertisers, theoretically, this meant greater footfall and some clients returning to spend. The Drum looks at how brands changed gear.

Tesco, KFC and Specsavers top Marketing Week Masters awards shortlist

The shortlist for Marketing Week’s Masters awards is revealed, with Weetabix, PlayStation, Aldi and Nationwide also racking up multiple nominations.

IPG posts nearly 20% growth in Q2 as economy rebounds

The holding company revised its full year growth expectations upwards.

Hearst boss James Wildman in surprise exit from publisher

Wildman joined Hearst from Trinity Mirror in 2017.

Break-up looks likely as £100m Engine auction begins

Lake Capital could sell the agency group’s divisions – creative, communication and transform – separately, although a single deal has not been ruled out.

Vampire’s best friend

There’s a perfect blend of comedy and pathos in this immensely sweet film for Pedigree designed to remind us that there are wonderful dogs to be found at our nearest shelter, and – by implication – that this should be our first port of call when considering dog ownership.

Making your copy more concrete will boost ad recall

Concrete language is easier to visualise and four times more likely to be remembered than the abstract benefits brands like to highlight in their advertising.

Good-Loop launches ad tracker to monitor carbon cost of digital campaigns

Green Ad Tag detects data transmission in real time, allowing for variations in territory, device, bandwidth use and time of day.

The coming reckoning for agencies

Now is the time for marketers to take responsibility and take action on the climate crisis.

Q2 earnings: Omnicom grows 24% organically off pandemic dip

Organic growth rose double digits across disciplines and regions, but will taper off as year-over-year comps weaken.

Freedom vs Delta: has your office policy changed?

Freedom or #freedumb? How adland is responding to an ever-changing set of circumstances.

Channel 4 chairman warns against ‘high-risk’ sale plan

The chairman of Channel 4 has warned the government against going down the “high-risk and damaging path” of privatising the broadcaster.

Don’t look down: Vanish ad highlights how filthy your carpets are

‘Carpetphobia’ forms basis for cleaning brand’s latest campaign.

Vodafone, Toyota, TfL: Everything that matters this morning

Good morning and welcome to Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world today.

Which brands are taking a stand on face coverings?

As the sun rises on ‘freedom day’, the legal requirement on face masks in public spaces in England comes to an end.

Tokyo Olympics 2020: which brands will win gold for creativity?

After a year’s delay to the Tokyo Olympics 2020, it’s been an unusual start for sponsors’ campaigns. Here, as part of our Sports Marketing Deep Dive, The Drum pulls together this year’s creative contestants as they push off the starting line in their race for attention.

Punch-up in adland: Media Fight Night returns in November after year’s hiatus

Event aims to raise £150,000 for mental health charity In Your Corner.

Tyson Fury’s ‘Invisible opponent’ for CALM is a power move for mental health

More than two years in the making, the ad from Seven Stones and AMV BBDO, is a hard-hitting metaphor for the battle for good mental health.

Why COP26 is our best chance for a greener future

Something powerful is happening around the world. The issue of climate change has moved from the margins to the mainstream, says Alok Sharma, the President-Designate of COP26, the United Nations climate conference set to take place in November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland.

RNLI launches singalong TV ad to promote seaside safety

Five by Five worked with Wonky Films to create the animated film.

Sometimes the toughest opponents are the ones you can’t see

How AMV BBDO and the Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) redefined strength to break the silence surrounding male suicide.

S4 Capital reveals ‘unprecedented’ post-pandemic trading activity and new tech ambitions

S4 Capital has reported “unprecedented“ business activity driven by the economic rebound from Covid-19 in a statement released to the London stock market today.

Marketers hail ‘remarkable’ success of mentoring scheme

In the space of just seven months the School of Marketing’s Mentoring Gen Z initiative has reached 500 young people hoping to kickstart their career.

TfL Marks Freedom Day With Welcome Back Campaign

New work from VCCP uses iconic TfL signs to showcase what we’ve all been missing.

Campaign invests in more digital journalism and expands editorial team

New appointments include Arvind Hickman and Rob McKinlay.

No more ‘freedom to lie’: follow New Zealand’s example to reform UK political advertising

Independent regulation of political advertising has worked well in New Zealand, the head of the country’s Advertising Standards Authority told UK politicians at a recent meeting. There’s a strong case for following that model, Rae Burdon of Reform Political Advertising writes.

It’s time to begin a new era of freedom from sexual harassment

For many, Freedom Day is as it sounds – a release from the cloistered home office and return to the workplace. But for many women, there’s a darker, more oppressive prospect looming. Adland must not tolerate the return of the old ways.