The IPA is running a series of print ads in partnership with the Financial Times, aimed at reminding key decision makers at brands about the power of advertising during a downturn.
The ads are part of the trade body’s EffWorks initiative, which champions effectiveness in advertising.
The campaign initially started in January, but has since been revised to reflect the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The revised series of copy-led ads are underpinned by research.
One reads: “Stuck at home made a little easier with trusted household names.” Another says: “When others go quiet your voice gets louder.”
At the bottom of the page, the copy explains the thinking behind the statements and directs readers to the EffWorks website, which features the research conducted by Peter Field and Les Binet.
Paul Bainsfair, the IPA’s director-general, said: “With the Covid-19 outbreak taking place during the campaign, we’ve written a couple more ads because it’s more acute in this time when the C-suite looks for savings and advertising budgets are variable.”
The Financial Times is a sponsor of EffWorks. At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity last year the paper worked with the IPA to launch research that found that business leaders lack confidence in building brands.
Janet Hull, Founder and Director of Eff Week, said: “The ads are very timely and fit the campaign we have been working on with the FT to improve understanding among their c-suite readership about how to build successful brands. We knew from our survey of the FT readership in 2019 that one third of marketers know that brand building was vital for business growth but that they lacked the confidence in their own ability to know how to do it well. We also know that marketing effectiveness is now on their agenda. By partnering with the FT we hope to raise awareness of the commercial impact of brands and to provide marketers and agencies with the support they need to make the case for long term investment which is even more important today.”
