Member content
Already a member? Sign in below
On Wednesday morning we held our latest Covid-19 Impact Information Sharing Session where Credos presented the results from the latest stakeholder survey and members shared findings from their own research. The group discussed recent Government announcements around credit insurance and other Government support schemes, such as the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and the Job Retention Scheme. Many in our industry are now planning for a return to offices, with various members publishing guidance for their sectors on how to do this safely. We also updated members on our inclusivity hub, UK Advertising Needs You, launched in partnership with the IPA and ISBA.
An information gathering call for members in Scotland took place yesterday. We were joined by Nick Leake, from the UK Government in Scotland, and Heather Holmes, from the Scottish Government’s Creative Industries, Screen and Media team, to talk about UK Government support measures and plans for lifting the lockdown in Scotland.
Looking ahead, on June 10, we will be hosting the next event for our Front Foot members and the theme is ‘Build Back Better – The Blueprint for Recovery’. It will be hosted by Front Foot Chair, Mark Evans, who will also be joined by a panel of media owners, advertisers and agency leaders to discuss how we make the most of learnings from Covid-19. Read more here.
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 schemes such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. You can check that out here. We’ve also been tracking the latest news and opinion pieces from industry media on the virus, which you can find here.
As many of you will know, this week has been Mental Health Awareness Week, and it has come at a much-needed time this year given the recent circumstances surrounding coronavirus.
There has been a lot to adjust to, from working from home full-time, to, for many, getting used to being on their own every single day. Then there’s the confusion and anxieties that Covid-19 has brought along with it – the constant worry of picking up the virus or passing it on to vulnerable loved ones and the fact that no one knows exactly what is going to happen next. It is a completely unknown experience for everyone and so it is important that we take mindful care of our mental health throughout this time especially. This week hopefully helps to raise general awareness and provides an opportunity to shed a brighter light on the subject. Our original plans had to change slightly to accommodate our new ‘virtual’ life, but we still had some great activities this week to mark it.
To kick things off, we all shared our tips on things that have helped us get through lockdown and also that have helped us work from home effectively. These were then shared around the team so we can easily find ideas if we’re looking for inspiration. We have also uploaded these lists to our website here and here so please take a look if you’re interested. On Monday afternoon, Andrew Brown, Director of Business Development at CALM, did a virtual talk for us on all of the amazing work that CALM has done to lead the movement against suicide. For example, CALM was behind the powerful campaign Project 84, where 84 sculptures were erected on top of ITV Studio’s building to represent the 84 men who die by suicide in the UK every week. The presentation was incredibly interesting and insightful. Please get in touch with Andrew if you would like to organise this presentation for your staff.
On Tuesday, we then had a virtual yoga session over lunchtime which left us feeling very relaxed and zen. An instant mood lifter! This was followed by, on Wednesday, a training session by Alex Barber, Jonathan Palmer and Lucy Rennie of Outvertising, the LGBTQ+ advertising and marketing advocacy group, on how to be a good role model, what that means, and how to stay true to our values. And to round the week off, this afternoon we will be having a virtual non-work chit chat (drinks and nibbles permitted) as it’s important to have some fun too!
We hope lots of you have too been using this week to raise awareness of mental health. The conversation doesn’t end here though, so please continue to talk, to look after your wellbeing and to support others where you can.
Finally, our industry is lucky enough to have NABS – the support organisation for advertising and marketing professionals. They know that although our line of work is incredibly exciting, it can also be very challenging, so they offer expert, impartial and friendly advice. Check them out 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, check out AA Scotland member The Lane Agency’s new ‘Rainbows Gallery’ which aims to spread joy while saying thanks to our key workers 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’.
Already a member? Sign in below
If your company is already a member, register your email address now to be able to access our exclusive member-only content.
If your company would like to become a member, please visit our Front Foot page for more details.
Enter your email address to receive a link to reset your password
Your password needs to be at least seven characters. Mixing upper and lower case, numbers and symbols like ! " ? $ % ^ & ) will make it stronger.
If your company is already a member, register your account now to be able to access our exclusive member-only content.