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

/ April 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!

Fifa champions the Midnight Ramadan League in ‘unapologetically Muslim’ ad

EA Sports’ campaign won Channel 4’s annual Diversity in Advertising Award.

WPP’s Mark Read calls for ‘collaborative effort’ on net zero and sets 2025 target

Holding company used Earth Day as platform to make announcement on commitments.

Earth Day: here’s what O2, Nike, Budweiser and more got up to

Levi’s, Subway, SodaStream, Channel 4 and more.

Earth Day 2021: brands from P&G to Apple take action on climate change

As we celebrate Earth Day’s 51st anniversary, brands from Apple to P&G are seizing the opportunity to encourage consumers to live more sustainably. The Drum rounds up the best Earth Day ads so far.

Ebiquity launches responsible media tool to ‘drive positive change’

Francesca Leronni appointed group director of responsible media at Ebiquity.

Confidence edges up but consumers remain cautious

Consumer confidence continues to lift as people respond positively to news of a rebound for the economy during the second half of the year, but new variants and inflation are still cause for concern.

Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award-winner EA SPORTS Launches New FIFA 21 TV

The TV ad, created in partnership with adam&eveDDB, features Premier League star and newly signed EA SPORTS FIFA Ambassador, Hamza Choudhury, championing the game-changing impact of role models on future generations.

Ad of the Day: Dove reverses selfie edits to highlight dangers of social media

In a time before digital, glossy photoshopped ads in women’s mags were condemned for their part in generating a dangerously idealized definition of beauty.

Unilever’s CMO wants to bring clarity to its green credentials and raise others up too

Conny Braams speaks to The Drum about how Unilever’s marketing department is furthering its commitment to sustainability and why it wants to bring its many agencies – and other brands – along for the ride.

Marketing ‘lags’ corporate progress on sustainability

Marketers are less advanced on sustainability than their businesses as a whole, so with the backing of brands including Diageo, Mastercard, Tesco and Unilever, the WFA has launched Planet Pledge to help bridge the gap.

Earth Day: Why It’s Time to Green The Bid

Green The Bid co-founder Jessie Nagel and The Roots’ Ariel León Isacovitch on nurturing a supportive community to make sustainable production a global standard.

Red Cards All Round as the Industry Responds to the European Super League

The mooted ESL took a kicking from fans and brands and highlighted underlying frustrations with the business of football. Fans from the ad industry tell Laura Swinton and Addison Capper what we can learn.

Bombay Sapphire “Creativity is essential” by AMV BBDO

Bombay Sapphire has partnered with artist Camille Walala and the Design Museum on a shop installation that aims to make creativity accessible to all.

Pick of the Week: Iams’ app for lost dogs is a treat

App uses nose-scanning smartphone technology.

Vans, Chanel, Spotify: Everything that matters this morning

Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world each day.

MediaCom launches 250-strong Google practice

Led by MediaCom North, the UK’s biggest media agency wants to offer clients a one-stop shop that will navigate the Google ecosystem.

Omnicom organic revenues slide 1.8% in Q1

But the holding company rebounded after a 9.6% organic year-over-year growth decline in Q4 last year.

Global brands unveil ‘Planet Pledge’ as CMOs fall behind on sustainability

Some of the world’s biggest advertisers, including Unilever, Diageo, Mastercard, Dole and Tesco, have made a series of new commitments to act on the climate emergency, following research which has shown marketers to be lagging behind other business functions when it comes to sustainability.

Ad of the Day: Notonthehighstreet channels Dr Suess as it looks to post-pandemic world

Online retailer Notonthehighstreet has launched a campaign to reflect the nation’s mixed feelings of excitement, anticipation an d trepidation as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions lift.

Post-pandemic media planning: Time for leadership

Media planning is stuck in second gear, with antiquated media trading practices holding it back. What can be done? asks Nick Manning.

Meet the man trying to stream the Glastonbury spirit

The founder of live-streaming production company Driift describes the prospect of filming the festival without a crowd as “liberating”.

Nestlé Becomes First UK Advertiser to Use Recycled Paper in OOH Advertising

Posterscope and MediaCo recently announced the launch of the 100% recycled paper in their advertising for the first time in the UK.

Can we operate sustainably as in-person experiences return?

What can be done to further minimise the experience industry’s impact on the environment during this transformative time?

Heineken, Facebook, brand safety: Everything that matters this morning

Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world each day.

Building meaningful & intersectional representation in advertising

In advance of their panel session at Future of Brands, Reebok’s Lucy Denver and her fellow panellists answer questions on representation in advertising.

Why marketing production is the missing piece in marketing’s sustainability push

To coincide its latest report ‘Know to Grow’, Tag’s CMO Helen Weisinger says brands need to recognise the positive impact marketing production can have in helping them meet ambitious sustainability goals.

Ad of the Day: Patagonia wants to start a community-led energy revolution in the UK

Outdoor brand Patagonia is continuing its mission to keep its customers eco-conscious through its latest environmental campaign, ‘We the Power’, which encourages citizens to imagine a new energy system that is local, community-owned, renewable, and rooted in bringing social and economic benefits to local communities.

How the government’s ‘All together’ campaign went from pitch to page in seven days

Out of a crisis we have learned just how much more we can achieve together.

Levi’s ‘buy better’ global campaign enlists Marcus Rashford

Six activists talk up jeans brand’s sustainability credentials.