“Are we in the business of trusted brands or untrustworthy products?” This was the question that Stephen Woodford, Chief Executive of the Advertising Association posed to the industry as he opened the LEAD 2020 conference in London, which focused on ‘The New Age of Responsibility’.

Woodford highlighted that this focus on responsible advertising doesn’t just mean complying with codes of conduct; instead it is about the industry “living up to the expectations people and society have of us.” He pointed to the Ad Association’s new three-year strategy, which focuses on responsibility, trust and growth. An agenda which has kicked-off with the launch of two new action groups to combat the climate crisis and a report on advertising’s carbon footprint.

It was the link drawn between responsibility and trust that ran throughout the event. Because, as Woodford summarised, all three can exist in harmony: “you can have growth and sustainability; the two are not mutually exclusive.”

Here is a round-up of key themes from the day:

1. Welcome to the age of responsible leadership

The role of industry leaders in driving trust and responsibility topped the agenda. Syl Saller, CMO of Diageo lifted the lid on what responsible leadership looks like, explaining that it comes “down to how every individual chooses to act.”

How an individual chooses to act can ignite an entire movement and mindset shift driven by creativity. Cephas Williams, Founder of the 56 Black Men project showed how individual responsibility and passion can lead to collective action and change.

Williams set up 56 Black Men to showcase 56 men who successfully smashed through the toxic stereotypes surrounding black men in the media. Through a partnership with Clear Channel, images from the campaign have featured on billboards across the country. He explained he launched the project because he was “tired of the misrepresentation of black men in the media.”

According to Williams the aim of the project was to “amplify the very image that has been used to destroy our narrative.” He noted that black men in the media are either depicted as the perpetrators or victims of knife crime or violence. There is no trust there, and no acceptance of responsibility from the media. But there should be because, as Williams powerfully concluded, “the pen killed more black men than knife crime or violence ever could.”

2. Post-purpose washing: the opportunity for brands to drive behaviour change and build brands

Carolyn McCall DBE, Chief Executive of ITV was in conversation with Philippa Brown, Global Chief Executive of PHD and Chair of the Advertising Association to discuss what responsible advertising really looks like. For McCall, ITV’s campaigns are designed “not just to reflect what’s going on in society but to change behaviour.”

She explored the business’s ‘Eat Them to Defeat’ them campaign that saw them give £2 million of air time to try to combat childhood obesity, as well as highlighting the powerful Project 84 campaign created in partnership with the Campaign Against Living Miserably and Harry’s Grooming. She also spoke about their latest unprecedented piece of work called Britain Get Talking, which paused Britain’s Got Talent for a full minute to encourage households to talk to one another. For McCall, these campaigns are important for building trust in the brand because, “advertising is about amplifying your values, not creating them.”

5. Embrace and amplify advertising’s positive social contribution

The role of advertising as a positive force for good was evident throughout the day. Karen Fraser MBE, Director of the Advertising Association’s think tank Credos, unveiled a new report on the UK advertising industry’s social contribution.

The research revealed that over half of the members of the public spoken to think advertising can have a positive impact on UK society. Amongst the industry itself, 97% of people believe it’s important advertising makes a positive societal contribution. But the majority believe the industry is not yet doing enough. As Fraser concluded, “the opportunity to rebuild trust is clear.”

The power of advertising’s positive social contribution was further highlighted by work from the Mayor of London’s office and Weber Shandwick in partnership with Streetlink. The ‘Whatever the weather, homeless people deserve better’ campaign used real-time weather boards to act as a call to action to encourage consumers to donate, supported by over 90 contactless donation points across London.

Puja Parmar, Senior Marketing Manager at the Mayor of London’s office explained that the campaign was “designed to elicit an emotional response at exactly the right place, right time.”

The power of creativity to positively impact society, break stereotypes and drive action was further highlighted by MullenLowe Group’s '#WeAreTheNHS' campaign. Phil Rumbol, Executive Partner at MullenLowe, lifted the lid on the strategy for the campaign, sharing how the aim for the campaign was to  “make things feel big to the world but personal to me.”

The ads increased recruitment by 23,000 nurses, allowing ‘We Are the NHS’ to become more than just an end line. Notably Rumbol shared how the campaign has not just been a "source of huge pride" for the agency but it has also enabled them to retain their top talent.

Embracing responsible advertising, diversity and inclusion is vital not just to the creative output of the industry, but attracting and retaining talent which simply isn’t buying the status quo.

Photography © Bronac McNeill // Banner image © BITE