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 public health, gambling advertising, data and e-privacy, trust, the digital economy and more.

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 90 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

/ November 27th 2020 / Matt Bourn

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!

Creative pressure: Why the advertising and PR industry is in the sights of the fossil fuel divestment movement

Agencies facing fresh calls to cut their ties with laggard fossil fuel firms, leaving many in the advertising and PR sector with difficult decisions to make.

Kellogg’s and Britvic attack plan to ban junk food ads online

Some of the UK’s biggest food companies have attacked a plan that could see all online junk food advertising banned to tackle childhood obesity.

Mondelez, PepsiCo, Mars and more hit out at ‘astonishing’ timeframe for HFSS consultation

Strongly worded letter says proposals lack ‘detail and efficacy’.

Adland’s music experts review the tunes in this year’s Christmas ads

Execs from OPM, MassiveMusic and DLMDD share their thoughts on the soundtracks to four of the big festive campaigns.

Campaign podcast: Making Christmas ads in the era of the coronavirus pandemic

Creative leaders from Adam & Eve/DDB, Droga5 London and Havas London join Campaign to discuss this year’s crop of Christmas ads.

The best and worst Christmas ads: Marketing Week picks

With Christmas ad season now firmly underway, Marketing Week shares its take on this year’s Christmas stars and festive flops.

Pringles’ Poppin’ Christmas Campaign Shares the Joy of Festive Fun

Grey London encourages people to embrace their playful side this Christmas in the joyful campaign.

Hold fast to the basic idea: advertising works

M&C Saatchi’s three co-founders, who are retiring, have made a big contribution over 50 years.

We need more diverse talent to thrive in advertising

Lucy Daramola, former Media Week 30 Under 30 winner has overcome bias and self-doubt to rise in the ad industry. Now she wants to help others from BAME backgrounds to believe they can succeed too.

Five agency-brand models will define 2020s, IPA report finds

Titans and engineers will roam the agency world, but opinions are split over which agency-client model works best.

Radio listening soars during second lockdown

Increase is similar to rise seen during first lockdown in April.

Wacl launches ‘flexible first’ mark to endorse employers

Successful businesses will be able to use the mark in their comms as part of Wacl’s wider #FlexibleFirst campaign, which is supported by Campaign.

Discovery has joined the ranks of broadcasters offering a ‘+’ streaming tier

Discovery has relaunched ad-funded streaming service Dplay as Discovery+, with an additional paid tier affording on-demand access to its pay TV channels.

Channel 4, PG Tips, Bake Off: Everything that matters this morning

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

Market research spend slumps as shift to digital and Covid hit

With the coronavirus crisis causing marketers to pull back even further on market research expenditure, how can the sector rebound and stay relevant?

Direct mail posts lockdown resurgence says Royal Mail

Direct mail has delivered a timely lockdown boost to services like the Royal Mail as audience measurement firm Jicmail reports skyrocketing levels of engagement levels while people stuck at home rediscover the merits of physical mail.

BITE LIVE 2020: #ThisIsProgress

Although this year is unlike any other, marked by pervasive global uncertainty, we are still inspired by inclusive industry leaders, stereotype-busting campaigns and the hope that a new generation of creatives bring.

We are an industry bedevilled by our lack of understanding in how it works

The Veg Power campaign has driven an extra £63m in additional sales of vegetables. Sir John Hegarty explains why this shows persuasion and its ‘ace card’ broadcast media remains critical to a brand’s success.

Supermarket brands to unite against racism in Channel 4 ad break takeover

Aldi, Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Lidl, M&S, Tesco and Waitrose to show solidarity after Sainsbury’s Christmas ad targeted for racial abuse.

Bake Off finale becomes Channel 4’s biggest-ever show

Show peaked with 10.4 million viewers and averaged at 9.2 million.

‘Humanise the data’: Why market research is having a digital reboot

Covid-19 has accelerated the shift to digital in the market research sector, but balance is needed to ensure brands retain the human touch.

How can digital advertising help small businesses recover from Covid-19?

Small businesses have borne the brunt of the Covid disruption but digital advertising is an accessible and cost-effective way for them to drive growth.

Future to buy GoCompare for £600m to power product-driven editorial

Specialist magazine publisher Future has offered £594m in a combination of cash and shares to purchase price comparison website GoCompare.

The perfect marketer in 2025 will be a responsible one

Marketers are in the unique position to clear up their own mess so that within five years, they can be judged on their legacy, says Jan Gooding.

AMV and Uncommon win Grands Prix at 2020 Campaign Big Awards

AMV’s ‘#Wombstories’ wows judges, while Uncommon is named Agency of the Year.

C4 sets 30% digital ads target in five-year strategy pivot

Figure is more than double last year’s level.

How advertising is funding climate science denial

Jake Dubbins, Co-Chair of Conscious Advertising Network and MD at Media Bounty explores the hidden dangers of advertising spend and how it can end up funding climate science denial.