The Communications Council, Australia’s peak non-profit industry body representing companies in the advertising industry, relaunched today with a new name, Advertising Council Australia (ACA).
The relaunch entails an overhauled strategic direction that will see a number of key initiatives rolled out in 2020/2021 aimed at adding value for ACA members and the advertising industry as a whole.
"Our purpose is to foster the long-term prosperity of our industry and to elevate advertising as a profession," ACA chair and The Monkeys CEO Mark Green says.
"Now is the right time to reclaim advertising and to refocus what we do as an industry body, re-evaluate what we stand for, the programs we deliver and how we present ourselves to the broader business community.”
Green was speaking at a special webinar today where he and the Board announced the relaunch and presented the organisation's refreshed strategic direction.
ACA CEO Tony Hale says the relaunch was about reclaiming the term ‘advertising’ and “reinjecting confidence in our industry.”
“The relaunch of our brand and the new strategic direction we are taking are also key to the future of our organisation, the value we offer to our members and the Australian advertising industry,” Hale says.
The relaunch follows extensive consultation with ACA members who have given "whole-hearted" support to the project, the timing of which reflects a push by the organisation and its membership to build confidence in the advertising industry.
Backing the brand refresh, ACA is developing several programs aimed at enhancing advertising industry standards, and providing maximum benefit and value for its membership.
“Raising the advertising industry’s professional standards is a heightened focus for the board," ACA board member and CEO of Publicis Groupe Australia and New Zealand, Michael Rebelo, says.
"Whilst the name change is important to signal the new strategic direction, programs such as accreditation and the advertising effectiveness reports aim to enhance our value to our clients.”
Key ACA programs and initiatives include:
- Accreditation – ACA will be reintroducing accreditation for its members in the second half of 2020 and evolving over the following two years to set minimum standards for members to meet.
- Reconciliation Action Plan - ACA has submitted a RAP to Reconciliation Australia. Among the key programs is a commitment to help build pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to the industry.
- Advertising Industry Labour Agreement – ACA has worked with the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) in conjunction with the Media Federation of Australia (MFA) to create an Advertising Industry Labour Agreement (AILA), enabling the industry to cover key skill shortages. This benchmark agreement is available only for ACA and MFA members and will be instrumental in attracting and retaining top talent globally.
- A completely revamped awards program for both the Effies and AWARD Awards.
- Advertising Effectiveness - ACA has already published two reports, Australian Advertising Effectiveness Rules and Winning or Losing in a Recession, authored by world authorities on effectiveness, Ron Brittain and Peter Field. These reports, which have achieved international recognition, will be complemented by a series of future studies that will help build insights into what drives effectiveness in a fragmented marketing landscape.
“These initiatives will help shape a new era for the Australian advertising industry and strengthen the value of our profession to the wider business community during a period in our history when this has never been more crucial,” Green says.
The rebrand will include a completely new corporate identity, developed by brand and design consultancy Maud.
Assets including a new visual identity for Advertising Council Australia with a new website being launched today and other marketing materials progressively rolled out over coming weeks.
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