The Advertising Association (AA) is a
trade association
A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...
representing advertisers, agencies, media and research services in the UK
advertising industry
The advertising industry is the global industry of public relations and marketing companies, media services, and advertising agencies. Several large advertising agencies, including WPP plc, Omnicom, Publicis Groupe, Interpublic and Dentsu, are ...
. Its stated aim is to promote the “…role, rights and responsibilities of advertising and its impact on individuals, the economy and society". Its chief executive is Stephen Woodford.
The organisation represents the advertising industry to the UK government, policy-makers and opinion-formers, presenting evidence-based information to influence government
decision-making
In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the Cognition, cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be ...
. It references the work of the advertising industry’s
think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
,
Credos, which produces research reports on UK advertising industry issues.
According to the Marketing Agencies Association (MAA), the Advertising Association is 'the only body that speaks for all sides of
he industry.
In January 2019 the AA announced that UK ad spend in 2018 had risen 6.0% year-on-year, to £23.6bn.
History
In 1924, the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World staged the International Advertising Convention at Wembley. The British section of the exhibition was known as District 14 (with the other 13 in the USA). Two years later, District 14 was converted into the body now known as the Advertising Association.
Membership
The Advertising Association’s membership comprises around 30 organisations, including technology and media companies as well as other industry associations for advertising, marketing and media.
Operations
The CEO of the Advertising Association is Stephen Woodford. Its chair is Annette King and its president is Andria Vidler. Previous chairs and presidents have included Alessandra Bellini,
Dame Cilla Snowball, Andy Duncan, Gavin Patterson, James Murphy and Jeremy Bullmore.
The Advertising Association’s board contains members from other related bodies, such as the
Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), incorporated by a Royal Charter, is the trade body and professional institute for agencies and individuals working in the UK's advertising, media and marketing communications industry.
History
F ...
(IPA), the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA), ITV, Google and the News Media Association (NMA).
The Advertising Association’s council comprises several large advertisers who work with the AA on major policy initiatives, such as its campaign to increase
public trust
The concept of public trust relates back to the origins of democratic government and its seminal idea that within the public lies the true power and future of a society; therefore, whatever ''trust'' citizens place in its officials must be respe ...
in advertising.
Advertising Association Council
The Advertising Association Council consists of agencies, brands and media. It has two roles, one regulatory, one industry-facing. On behalf of industry, Council guides the development of the self-regulatory system and sets advertising policy. The
Committee of Advertising Practice
The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) is a British organisation responsible for the UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing, which is the main code of practice for self-regulation of the non-broadcast a ...
(CAP) and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), write the advertising codes and the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) independently enforces them across all media. The Council meets three times a year.
LEAD
The Advertising Association holds an annual industry summit each January which is called LEAD. The conference brings together politicians with representatives from different parts of the advertising industry. The Association also organises training for industry professionals, such as the Media Business Course.
Related associations
Front Foot
In 2010, the Advertising Association set up Front Foot, a members’ network for the advertising industry. It includes advertisers, agencies and technology companies. It aims to convey a uniform industry view that is “…authoritative, evidence-based and progressive".
Credos
In 2010, the Advertising Association formed
Credos, an advertising think-tank which aims to demonstrate the value of advertising for the UK economy and society.
It produces the Advertising Pays series of reports, which seek to quantify the contribution of the advertising industry to the UK economy, culture, employment and society.
The first report, published in 2013, estimated that every £1 of expenditure on advertising generates £6 for the economy, and that UK advertising contributed £100 billion to UK GDP. That latter figure had been revised to £120 billion by 2016, due to an increase in advertising expenditure.
''Advertising Pays 4'', published in 2016, focused on the export value and global impact of UK advertising. It revealed that the UK’s balance of payments for advertising-related services is £1.6 billion, second only to the United States in the world and five times the second highest in Europe, France.
''Advertising Pays 7'', published in 2019, looked at the role of digital technology in UK advertising. The report forecast
online advertising
Online advertising, also known as online marketing, Internet advertising, digital advertising or web advertising, is a form of marketing and advertising that uses the Internet to promote products and services to audiences and platform users. ...
expenditure would account for more than three fifths of total UK advertising expenditure by 2020.
A 2014 Credos report on diversity in advertising revealed that
BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) respondents were less likely than white respondents to believe that advertising accurately reflects the UK’s
multicultural society. BAME's tended to argue that the advertising industry should do more to portray them in a more realistic way.
Policy areas
In 2018, the Advertising Association set up the Trust Working Group to assess and counter the decline in the public’s trust in advertising. It brings together advertisers, agencies, media owners, tech platforms, as well as fellow trade associations
ISBA and
IPA. Its research suggests that only 25% of the UK public had a favourable attitude towards advertising, a record low. The Advertising Association report set out specific actions needed to boost trust, such as stopping excessive advertising and retargeting, and ensuring that data privacy is safeguarded.
The Advertising Association has provided evidence in support of maintaining and not extending current restrictions on advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS), Citing its own research, the Association found that children’s exposure to such advertising has already reduced substantially in recent years. It has also supported the creation of a media campaign to promote responsible gambling.
In 2018, the Advertising Association partnered with the
National Advertising Benevolent Society (NABS) and Women in Advertising and Communications, London (WACL) to establish the ''timeTo'' initiative, addressing the issue of
sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...
within the industry.
On
Brexit
Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU).
Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
, the Advertising Association believes the industry may be adversely affected if non-British workers leave the country. It has demanded more clarity with regard to access to talent, cross-border data flows, and freedom to advertise on cross-border television channels.
Alongside the
DIT and the IPA, the Advertising Association runs an annual Export Month, promoting the UK advertising industry to international audiences.
References
{{Authority control
Advertising trade associations
Advertising in the United Kingdom
Organisations based in the City of Westminster
Trade associations based in the United Kingdom