Responding to the appointment of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister, Simon Michaelides, Director General of ISBA, said:
“Andy Burnham takes office at a particularly challenging time for our sector. AI is revolutionising every aspect of marketing. Domestic broadcasters are fighting to evolve and adapt to the streaming age and the consolidation of the media landscape. Society is grappling with social media and the prevention of online harms. The global economy remains turbulent, consumer confidence low, and growth elusive. The speed and complexity of political and economic change would pose huge challenges for any government. How the new cabinet chooses to respond and engage with advertisers matters.
“Our task as an advertising industry is to face into these headwinds and demonstrate that marketing as the engine of business growth, is a reliable partner to government in meeting the big policy challenges facing our country. We’ve always worked constructively with governments of all parties, and we look forward to maintaining that approach with Andy Burnham and his new team.
“Keir Starmer’s Administration set out an Industrial Strategy for Britain, with the creative industries as one of its key pillars – and within that, advertising was identified as a critical sector. We look forward to the Burnham Government maintaining that view: propagating our world-leading self-regulatory system, enabling marketing leaders to be the drivers of the growth the country needs, and being open to hearing the united voice of British advertisers in the debates that shape economic & societal outcomes.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Lisa Nandy as Culture Secretary and offer our congratulations on her securing one of the most exciting jobs in government, one that sits at the heart of who we are as a nation. Together we hope to grow the trust and effectiveness in advertising that we need to see.”