It has not been easy for him to pick up where Baroness Peta Buscombe left off. She tackled every problem thrown at advertising with an ease that could only have come from her inner knowledge of the workings of government and legislation. Her departure to the Press Complaints Commission has been a terrible wrench.
In this, his first major speech, Lefroy warned that all disciplines have to unite for a common cause: halting negative attitudes to advertising. He quoted unattributed research findings that less than 15% of adults trust advertising. This is not only a depressing stat to come from a body that promotes advertising, but one that I am tempted to think is not entirely fair. Is it, perhaps, more skewed toward digital, than traditional TV or print advertising? Lefroy did not go into detail. He did, however, label the 125 pieces of legislation brought in to control advertising over the past five years ‘an imposition'. This is a dangerous tag from an industry that needs to show a united front and accept that legislation is part of the process that makes it more trustworthy to consumers.
He claims that the AA has only £2m in funding, which, if true, is pathetic. It needs more. The body has an influencing and lobbying role, which is vital for the future stability of this industry.
While he did not say so clearly, I have been told he wants online companies to start putting their hands in their pockets. Lefroy did not detail what he would do with extra funding. Perhaps, in light of the lack of trust, he should look to pay for robust research to show that advertising can be a force for good, and use any cash left over to get the message out via a consumer-facing campaign.