Channel 4's Luke Johnson warns off the anti-ad critics
1 Jul 2008
Luke Johnson, chairman of Channel 4, today warned off those who would criticise advertising and reminded advertisers of the continuing importance of television as a marketing medium.
Speaking at ISBA’s Annual Lunch at the Dorchester in London, he referred to ISBA’s public affairs role in representing advertisers of food, alcohol and gambling services, noting that he had spent much of his professional life in these sectors.
Warning off what he called the “intellectual elite” who would forever feel “a compulsion to patronise certain elements of society and try to micromanage their lives in every aspect,” he said people would nevertheless “continue to indulge in these sorts of vices, whatever the do-gooders say.”
He reminded his audience of advertisers, agency and media representatives of the continuing importance of television as an advertising medium. TV, he said, “still reaches 70% of the population every single day – exactly the same as it did 25 years ago, when Channel 4 started.”
And he spoke about how he believed public service broadcasting was important to Channel 4 and to UK culture, saying that “in terms of news, original drama and the like PSB is a vital part of the media landscape. Channel 4 fulfils a crucial role in providing plurality and independence of view.”
