UK Advertising is Advertising UK Advertising Now - Here’s How
Britain’s ad industry has been working on a new campaign for a world-renowned new client - British advertising. The UK Advertising Export Group (UKAEG), a UK advertising industry marketing partnership with UK Government, launched ‘Made Global’ - a new campaign to profile the country’s leading advertising and marketing service companies.
Produced by The Mill with strategy by adam&eveDDB, it will be rolled out across international industry events this Autumn and Winter including Advertising Week 2020 and the British Council Virtual Festival, which will run in both the UK and China.
At the centre is a two-minute long film featuring work from UK-based companies for global brands. It aims to show that the UK’s advertising market has a rich history of being open to the world, influenced by the world, and that will remain to be as we move into the future.
LBB’s Alex Reeves spoke to Jemima Monies, deputy MD at adam&eveDDB, and Janet Hull OBE, UKAEG chair and director of marketing strategy at the IPA, to find out more about this British-made ad for British-made ads.
LBB> How was the UKAEG born and what have been its priorities in the first few months of its existence?
Janet> UK Advertising Export Group (UKAEG) is the advertising industry’s response to the wider agenda of the Creative Industries Trade and Investment Board (CIITIB) and forms part of the UK Creative Industries partnership between industry and Government to promote growth in international business wins (exports) and inward investment on the global stage.
As an industry we had already begun to develop activity supporting the UK as a global exporting hub. The IPA led a delegation of 12 UK agencies and around 25 people to the Shanghai International Advertising Festival in March 2019, where there was a day dedicated to British advertising. This was also the case at SXSW 2019, where British advertising took over the Music Embassy for a day. Similarly, via the AA’s Cannes working group, in partnership with DIT and six leading industry brands there was a co-ordinated UK industry programme at Cannes Lions for the first-time last year. This made a significant impact, with first-ever meetings between the UK delegations and those from China and South Korea. All these moments demonstrated that if we work together as an industry for the benefit of our industry, we will be far more effective than if we operate at an individual level.
Our first priority was to recruit companies who share our vision to grow their business internationally and we launched the UK Advertising Export Group (UKAEG) in March 2020. We have recruited a cohort of some of the best advertising and marketing services companies, AdTech, creative, production and post-production companies, research, data companies and talent scouts, from the UK Advertising Industry working together to boost the reputation of UK advertising on the global stage and to accelerate their growth in export performance.
Our second priority was to hone our proposition and that focus didn’t change. Alongside this we developed a strategy that allowed us to work virtually. For example, we were due to host trade missions to Shanghai International Advertising Festival (SHIAF), SXSW and The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, none of which took place as planned. Despite this, we adapted quickly and led a dedicated marketing programme for UK Advertising, hosting two virtual trade missions taking in our key markets, we hosted networking activity around Lions Live. We were delighted to create over 55 new business meetings and 146,0000 opportunities for brands to meet with UKAEG members.
LBB> With this specific campaign, what was the brief?
Janet> To show that the UK is the number one place for advertising and marketing services for brands looking to go global. We know UK Advertising is the global hub, but it is also a global gateway for companies looking to go global. UK Advertising wants all brands to see the UK as a home from home and the first place they come to when expanding their business.
LBB> And how did that provoke the initial idea for what the message would be?
Jemima> Over the years Global clients have been drawn to the UK for many reasons including:
- The UK is the most awarded advertising hub per capita.
- The UK is home to some of the world’s leading storytellers with a unique culture of delivering effectiveness through creativity.
- The UK’s geographic position in the world provides the perfect time zone for working globally – we are able to cater for the USA and Asia and everywhere in-between.
- The UK has always been a truly international population – our diversity as a nation means we can think globally and act hyper locally. We speak many languages and attract creative talent from all over the world. It is this genetic make-up that makes the UK advertising industry rich in cultural perspectives and innovative ideas.
- The UK is also the world’s most advanced digital advertising economy, third only in size to the US and China.
- UK Advertising is already a global business; one that contributes £7.9 billion to the UK economy. Our future has to continue as a global business and with its pool of diverse skills, global talent and world class creative capabilities, the UK Advertising market is not just a gateway to Britain, it’s your gateway to everywhere. UK Advertising is made global!
LBB> This is a B2B campaign - something we don't often see agencies talking about publicly at LBB! How did that affect the methods you chose to use?
Janet> The biggest part of the Government’s GREAT campaign is focused on trade marketing. It’s not a term we use very often but it sums up what we’re aiming to do with this campaign too. It’s one part of a bigger jigsaw of market visits, trade missions, and bi-lateral partnership agreements.
Jemima> Targeted social and PR activity is key so we needed to create something bold that would stand out online and at international industry events where we know our target audience will be in attendance (virtually).
LBB> Who are the audience and how are you getting the message to them?
Jemima> Businesses in key international markets including China, Japan, South Korea, North America and Europe. We are working with the Department for International Trade specifically targeting clients in these markets under the Creativity is GREAT campaign banner.
Janet> With the UKAEG, we are developing a network of global allies to help spread the word in local markets globally, hosting networking events with key markets, running trade missions, briefing Government trade ministers to champion our message, as well as all UKAEG members. We also have our own marketing hub courtesy of the AA, a digital marketing campaign in priority markets and are taking platforms at global events like Advertising Week, Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, London Tech Week, SXSW and Shanghai International Advertising Festival amongst others.
LBB> The message is that UK advertising is global in its scale, quality, and its make-up. I know this is a complicated question, but why has it historically ended up that way?
Jemima> The UK has a rich creative history, from fashion to film, art to advertising, as well as a long history in international trading. We are also known as the number one source for global trends with our unique combination of strengths in media, culture and education. Over time we have become an innovation-driven economy, fuelled by developments in technology and tax incentives. This has catapulted us onto the creative world stage, front and centre.
We can break this down further into five key reasons:
- The UK advertising industry is the home of advertising planning and has long nurtured the twin importance of creativity and effectiveness
- The UK is the most digitally advanced advertising market in the world
- English is the global language for advertising and marketing. It makes us easy to work with
- As a small island we have always looked beyond our shores for inspiration and talent
- We work in a time zone which allows us to work with the US and China (and everywhere in between) in the same day
LBB> And moving forward, why do you believe that unique offering will remain, considering Brexit etc. Isn't the UK's time in the sun over now?
Jemima> Not at all. It may well prove harder for talent to physically move around the world post Brexit, but this year has shown that we can effectively work from anywhere. The UK has a deep pool of diverse and highly skilled talent thanks to its rich creative heritage and much revered creative education system. And it will always be uniquely placed in the middle of the world, able to service and work with people and businesses in the USA and Asia, and everywhere in-between.
Janet> We work in the service economy in a market which is increasingly digital and is not restricted by national boundaries. Quality and talent will continue to be magnets which attract global business to our sector.
LBB> What was the process of choosing the work to showcase? That seems like a tricky task, politically. Also, you must have been spoilt for choice!
Jemima> Yes and no! We wanted footage that would best land each point, as well as represent the breadth of capabilities on the UKAEG. In an ideal world we would have had all ads, but we were restricted by licensing agreements. A UK creative reel would be pretty epic and UKAEG have big plans for phase two of this campaign.
LBB>What have been the biggest moments in putting this campaign together?
Janet> The campaign’s biggest moments are yet to come. As we move to a new relationship with Europe and the adaption of a virtual approach opens up a lot more opportunities for UK Advertising. In these extraordinary times, this campaign and the ambitious strategy by UKAEG and its members is more important than it has ever been for UK Advertising.
If you share their ambition to grow UK Advertising, the Advertising Association would love to hear from you. Find out more about the UKAEG here.
