What Has Advertising Ever Done for Us?

When I was asked to write the foreword for our new Social Contribution of UK Advertising report, a scene from Monty Python’s Life of Brian sprang to mind. The cast start by saying the Romans are all 'bastards', and then grudgingly admit, point by point, that the invaders had contributed crucial things to Britain’s development, from irrigation and cheese to education and peace. 

There are always two ways of looking at things: glass half full or glass half empty. The report we produced is proudly glass half full, turning the spotlight on work we can all be proud of. Work that is addressing great societal challenges and helping people live better and more fulfilling lives. 

This work also helps to frame a bigger question when it comes to shaping our work. Often, the refrain is how and when to ban advertising, but there is another way to look at this. That is to ask how we can incentivise our industry to produce more of the type of advertising we would all like to see.

Advertising has a broad societal responsibility which is under constant review by us, fellow trade bodies and members, alongside our regulator the Advertising Standards Authority, but there is much more the industry does which fails to get the recognition it deserves. When advertising is good, it is very good, and contributes a value that deserves more credit. Credit from those both outside and inside the industry. Constructive criticism and healthy debate about key industry issues is a good thing, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the great work that continues to be done. 

Whatever your view of advertising, I’m sure we can all agree that it has tremendous power and influence. I’ve long believed that advertising has a critical role to play in support of the fourth estate, funding much of our media and journalism to hold power to account. I also believe that the vast majority of people working in our industry do so with good intent and want to be involved in producing work with good, positive outcomes. Acknowledgement of this point is critical in both retaining and attracting new talent to our industry.

What you will find in our new report is a reminder that advertising is not just a tool to sell – it is a vital tool for all in society. Let’s take a moment to imagine what would happen without it. Governments would find it hard to mobilise and educate people on mass behaviour change such as covid-19 vaccination campaigns. Charities would struggle to operate, raise capital and raise awareness of important causes. New, innovative products and services that improve society would struggle to break out and smash the status quo. And many of our media outlets would be weaker, with fewer journalists and less funding for content. Advertising funds many of the online services that we take for granted, the near ubiquitous use of Google Maps for example, or the limitless ways we keep in touch with each other through tech platforms, access customer services or complete training for new skills.

We are living in a time of significant change, setting new expectations of the way the world should work. Many look to advertising to help shape the way the world is presented to fit this future vision. I believe this is possible and we can further this by showcasing successful work for others to learn from and build on with increasing confidence in its commercial and social success. I draw inspiration from the likes of the Campaign Ad Net Zero Awards which are producing a growing bank of case studies on how our industry can contribute to building a sustainable economy. 

My hope is that this new report, which we intend to update annually, provokes fresh thinking in support of our mission to make the case for responsible advertising’s economic and social contribution.

Find out more about the report here.