Lord Puttnam & Esquire Editor at Ad Week

In a day bursting with stimulating thought leadership and provocative debate, Advertising Week Europe served up a programme of insight and controversy, driving the future of the industry. 

 

Highlights of the day included:

 

WOMEN, THE F-WORD AND RUNNING THE WORLD

 

An all-star panel of creative industry leaders chaired by Cosmopolitan Editor, Louise Court, led what became a heated debate on the plight of women working in, and exposed to, advertising and the media at Advertising Week Europe today. Cilla Snowball CBE (AMV BBDO), Nicola Mendelsohn (Karmarama), Alex Bilmes (Esquire), Claudine Collins (Media Com), Stephen Haines (Facebook) joined forces to discuss the importance of the F-word – feminism – in the creative industries.

 

Despite important advances in closing the gender gap – including a near doubling of the number of female leaders in the advertising industry – a number of issues still persist.

Young women entering the advertising industry can expect to earn £9,000 less than their male counterparts in 2013.

 

Bringing about change will not be easy – Alex Bilmes frankly stated that women at his magazine, Esquire, are “ornamental”, despite being a leader.

 

LORD PUTTNAM SPEAKS PUBLICLY ON THE LESSONS OF LEVESON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ANNOUNCEMENT OF ROYAL CHARTER PLAN

 

Lord David Puttnam has spoken publicly on the Lessons of Leveson for the first time since the announcement of the Royal Charter Plan. The event took place at Advertising Week Europe, the world’s largest advertising festival, in London, on Tue 19th March.

 

Lord Puttnam said: “There is a problem more sinister than the issues surrounding the Leveson Inquiry and that’s that even the greatest judiciary can’t stand up against collusion when it’s between the police and the press. It prevents democracy.”

 

On press regulation, Lord Puttnam affirmed “We’re dealing with an old-fashioned mindset. Editors are used to being kings in castles. The last king to request special treatment was Charles I, and that didn’t do his health a lot of good.”

 

Lord Puttnam attacked foreign ownership of newspapers, saying that “foreign owners do not have the same interest in the country that they are influencing” and “do not experience the impact of the actions that manipulated narratives can have”.

 

Lord Puttnam drew comparisons between the US and the UK press systems, highlighting fundamental differences in approaches to ownership and fact-checking. He highlighted that the First Amendment means that protection of the truth is engrained in the Constitution and the culture, meaning that there is vigilance about one’s rights. Lord Puttnam expressed his fears about freedom, saying that he “passionately believes freedom and democracy are fragile”.

 

On Google, Puttnam commented that “it maintains it keeps to its slogan, but we are entitled to ask them to prove it at any time”.

 

MADMEN AND MADNESS: OLIVER JAMES ON NARCISSISTS, MACHIAVELLIANS AND PSYCHOPATHS IN THE MEDIA

 

Leading psychologist and author, Oliver James, today spoke at Advertising Week Europe about the prevalence of narcissists, machiavellians and psychopaths in the media industry. Television professionals were revealed to have the greatest incidence of psychopaths.

 

He said “Emotionally healthy attributes like playfulness and vivacity can spread enjoyment and happiness in the workplace”

 

Above all, James championed the importance of strong office political skills as a driver of success.

 

ANTICHRIST OF ADVERTISING TAKES ON THE MADMEN

 

Joey Skaggs, the master of hoaxes, appeared at Advertising Week Europe to discuss how advertising mimics art, the power of a good story, and our susceptibility to them, making an admission that he is not, in fact, against advertising:

 

“I’m not against advertising; you can sell a product, a service or a philosophy. I'm selling something: the message we should not be so easily taken in. Satirists aren't out to make friends; they're out to turn on a light.”