Spreading the word

respective associations promote their media.

While it is refreshing to see all these groups taking a positive stance
in response to the tough market, the strategy invites the inevitable
conclusion that the ads are there because there is space to fill.

'It's true that if the market was very buoyant there wouldn't be as much
opportunity to use this type of campaign,' admits Alan James, chief
executive of the Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA).

The OAA has traditionally left the promotion of outdoor advertising to
the media owners, but said the option to advertise centrally was
'constantly under review'.

Before announcing its TV campaign, Thinkbox had to establish how it
would comply with Ofcom regulations. Promotional airtime can be used
only for messages that relate to the audience as viewers, rather than
advertisers.

'It has been much harder for us to get to this point. Other associations
have the huge benefit of an ad inventory, but TV doesn't work like
that,' says Thinkbox marketing director Lindsey Clay.

The press trade bodies have consistently run campaigns to promote
advertising on both a national and regional level. Robert Ray, marketing
director of The Newspaper Society, which fights the corner of the
regional press, says it is not necessarily more important to advertise
the medium at the moment. Instead, the priority should be to ensure that
there is something relevant to say. 'If there is a strong story to tell,
it works. We've had a more strategic approach to our campaigns since
2006 and this has demonstrated the mass reach of local media,' he
says.

The Newspaper Marketing Agency (NMA) has run a press campaign every year
since 2003. It aims to 'practise what it preaches' and runs each push in
line with the advice it offers its clients, according to NMA chief
executive Maureen Duffy. The NMA's campaigns run across all national
newspapers and are often supported online.

The strategy of supporting traditional advertising with online activity
is one upon which most of the associations agree. Thinkbox has promoted
itself online since its launch. The Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB),
meanwhile, is running an online campaign promoting radio as a good
platform to use alongside other media.

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), however, disagrees with such
self-promotion. 'We wouldn't dream of it,' says Kieron Matthews,
director of marketing at the IAB, who is not convinced advertisers are
persuaded by such ads. 'It doesn't instil confidence in the platform and
can seem desperate.'

Yet Paul Rowlinson, investment director, audio and visual at media
agency MindShare, believes that such campaigns can be very successful as
they buoy the profile of both association and platform. 'They can offer
a slow build-up of awareness and marketers could then be more inclined
to look into it,' he says.

The RAB is a prolific user of advertising and takes a humorous line to
avoid alienating listeners. It claims that the downturn has not altered
its approach. 'We have always advertised on radio and are not doing more
because of the recession,' says Simon Redican, the body's managing
director.

Funding can be an issue for some associations. Not all are offered an
inventory, and the creative for the campaign also needs to be financed.
The Cinema Advertising Association does not advertise, a situation it
says is due to the lack of funding. 'It's something the association is
looking at but we don't have the backing that other industries do,' adds
a spokeswoman.

For those trade bodies that do have the financial support, it makes
sense to shout about why advertisers should invest in their
platform.

If every other ad were an inventory-filler, the danger signs would be
clear; but, at the moment, that is not the case. If Thinkbox creates an
ad that can entertain as well as inform, it might just be worth a watch
for advertisers and consumers alike.