Advertisers told to fight for survival
Banning certain types of advertising simply does not work and the government cannot be trusted to make reasonable decisions, was the indelible message from the annual Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) conference today.
John Clare (pictured), president of the ISBA, the association which calls itself the voice of British advertisers, set the tone from the outset by identifying voices he believed were determined to “attack the principle of the freedom to advertise”.
According to Clare, politicians will work with advertisers when it suits them, but will not hesitate to walk away when it does not.
He urged the industry to demonstrate the many benefits of advertising, specifically how it goes hand-in-hand with innovation by helping to drive competition, productivity and ultimately efficiency.
Rupert Howell, managing director of brand and commercial at ITV, took the message further by stating that advertising should not be held accountable for all of society’s ills.
By way of example, he highlighted suggestions that advertising was responsible for the nation’s poor diet, and cited numerous quantitative studies which supported his belief that there is no clear relationship between ad bans and consumption.
Rather than introducing further restrictions, the ITV leader called on the industry to demonstrate the part it can play in positive social campaigning.
“Harness the positive power of advertising instead of resorting to futile, damaging ad bans,” he concluded.
Ben Clarke, vice president and area director at Kraft Foods, agreed that advertising can be a force for good and drew upon his company’s experience of more than 50 years of advertising in the UK to illustrate his point.
He said the problems which dominated the food sector in the fifties – availability and price – have now been reduced or largely eliminated thanks in large part to marketing.
Society has been transformed, he said, but new problems have emerged, such as healthy eating and sustainability in which advertising will again play an important part in the solution.
“Your enemy is the State,” declared a less diplomatic Lord Bell, chairman of Chime Communications and a former founder of Saatchi & Saatchi.
He warned that some of the UK's best-known brands will disappear unless marketers take direct action and let consumers “make up their own minds”.
The former marketer for Margaret Thatcher’s government said today’s battle transcends political lines – “they all have a different motive” – and is a fight for democracy itself.
“Nobody reasonable ever won anything,” he said. “The solution is not to be reasonable, instead trust the people.
“The industry should do an out reach campaign. Talk to the people”
