Josh Faulks Warns Industry "Must Push Back" on Gambling, Fast Food Ad Bans

Josh Faulks, the CEO of the Australian industry association representing marketers, has said the sector "must push back" on regulatory threats, including proposed ad bans looming over categories such as gambling and fast food.

"We have all seen the proposals for ad bans -- gambling, alcohol and even food and beverages. Some have already happened in South Australia and New South Wales," the Australian Association of National Advertisers' (AANA) boss said in this morning's opening address at the annual RESET conference.

"This is no longer a theoretical threat. It is real and implications for our industry are wide reaching.

"Collectively, these proposals will strip hundreds of millions of dollars from our industry and cripple the ability for some brands to advertise their products.

"This is right at the time when the economy and so many businesses are struggling. We must push back."

He argued the key issues facing the market are uncertainty, regulatory threats, and AI, which has led to the creation of the AI Council of Experts alongside the ACA and MFA, the bodies representing creative and media agencies, respectively. 

He also likened the experience of navigating the current economic conditions to "riding one of the world's most intense rollercoasters," referencing a rollercoaster in Japan. "You know we live in interesting times when the Eejanaika experience is the most appropriate metaphor for what’s going around the world right now."

The AANA's CEO added, "In this operating environment, business and marketing leaders have two choices: put their head in the sand and wait it to all blows over, which we know it won’t, or lean in with strategic intent and invest in marketing to drive growth.

"The choice is obvious. It is up to all of us in this room to prove that marketing is an investment centre not a cost centre. We must speak the language of financial teams, leadership teams and boards, and we must have the measurement systems in place to prove the return on marketing investment.

"It is a tough operating environment for so many businesses and so many people in our industry. All of us are trying to squeeze out some growth."

The industry will not return to the pre-pandemic era of "prosperity", he predicted, and while a World War 2 acronym SNAFU -- Situation Normal All Fucked Up -- "sums it up perfectly," Josh was also optimistic.

"Our industry doesn’t just weather storms. We build in them. Now is the time to come together -- not just to defend our industry, but to be proud of the critical role we play in growing our economy and shaping Australia's future."