The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Media Planning and Buying PR Stunts Marketing

Saatchi & Saatchi shows how Sunak’s maths policies don’t add up

Author

By John McCarthy, Opinion Editor

January 6, 2023 | 3 min read

Ad agency has offered a robust response to prime minister’s ‘new mission’ to make maths mandatory until 18.

Saatchi

Saatchi & Saatchi shows how Sunak's maths policies don't add up

Saatchi & Saatchi whipped up a quick response to Rishi Sunak’s plans to make pupils in England study maths up until the age of 18, setting a roving van around Downing Street and Westminster to make the point that numeracy alone will not ”power up young people and monetize their potential for the nation”.

The vehicle carries the message that ”investing in creativity isn’t double maths”, with the van circling Parliament Square to remind the PM that the creative industries are estimated to generate £115bn for the UK economy every year. The agency makes the point that this revenue is under strain if the government continues to undervalue the nation’s role as a top creative contributor globally. The agency also offers to help through its free-to-use education platform, Upriser.

Chris Kay, chief exec of Saatchi & Saatchi UK, said: ”As Britain wakes up to a tough year, it is commendable what the prime minister is trying to do with his educational mandate but, in our view, it’s imperative that a brighter British future is unlocked by creative brains first and foremost. Upriser can’t do this alone, but by partnering major companies with schools across the UK, it is a step in the right direction to help inspire the next generation of creative thinkers.”

Sarah Jenkins, managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi UK, added: “It’s vital that we are also able to prioritize and fund creativity at school level to ensure the next generation of brilliant thinkers, makers and fixers are aware of and excited by the careers and opportunities that the creative industries offer.“

Jenkins invites Sunak and co to back the education platform. Furthermore, to help reach as many schools as possible, the agency is inviting other creative businesses to enroll as school partners.

Over the last year, the roving-van-outside-Westminster business has been thriving with many brands having a lot to say on recent political predicaments. Here’s a clever one from Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys.

Media Planning and Buying PR Stunts Marketing

More from Media Planning and Buying

View all

Trending

Industry insights

View all
Add your own content +