Vaizey issues Big Society call to action for ad industry
The minister for culture Ed Vaizey believes the ad industry can help the government realise its "Big Society" ideal.
Speaking at a forum of advertising chiefs, Vaizey heaped praise on the industry and issued a call to action to help realise the government's Big Society ideal.
He said: “The Big Society is about empowering people with choice and the freedom to help themselves and their own communities. It’s about less Government micromanagement and greater responsibility for all. I want the advertising industry to step up and play its part in making this vision a reality.
"Advertising embodies choice and the industry’s creative expertise can inspire new solutions to the challenges of the day both nationally and locally.”
Vaizey went on to praise the ad industry's economic strength, saying: "Advertising is leading the economy with a predicted growth of 5.4% in ad-spend in 2010 – ahead of even the most ambitious forecasts for the economy as a whole.
"This is good news for those in advertising, but for the wider economy too - every pound invested in advertising is a pound invested in growth.”
Responding to Vaizey's call to action, Tim Lefroy, the chief executive of the Advertising Association, said: "We too believe that advertising has a critical role to play in building the Big Society and we are up for the challenge.
"The advertising industry is a UK success story: we are helping to grow the economy, we deliver choice and we are proof that an industry can successfully self-regulate and protect consumers.
"Our expertise can help to build the vision of the Big Society and we are keen to work in partnership with Government in the coming months and years to create new ways of tackling some of the most important issues we face as a society.”