The Advertising Association (AA) is a trade association representing advertisers, agencies, media and research services in the UK advertising industry. 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. It references the work of the advertising industry’s think tank, 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 [the 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 Alessandra Bellini. Previous chairs and presidents have included 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 (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 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 (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 position Council takes guides the Advertising Association’s work: its research, its response to key issues, its advocacy and its public and industry-facing stance. 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.
Publications
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Advertising Association produced a series of essays entitled “Advertising’s Big Questions”. In 2016, various authors were asked to write essays on similar themes, in order to gauge how the industry had changed. Jeremy Bullmore wrote an essay in both eras on “What Is Advertising?”
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".
business4Life
Founded by the Advertising Association, business4Life is a coalition of companies actively using marketing and communications skills to help deliver Department of Health Change4Life.
Food Advertising Unit
The Food Advertising Unit (FAU) aims to raise the quality of the debate surrounding advertising to children by providing pan-industry leadership and a forum for dialogue to inform industry awareness and best practice in food advertising and marketing communications.
FAU membership is composed of multinational food companies, agencies and the media.
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.