Plan to create ad industry super body confirmed

Following our CB Blog scoop earlier this afternoon, theBoards of Directors of the Australasian Writers and ArtDirectors Association (AWARD), the Advertising Federation of Australia(AFA) and the Account Planning Group (APG) confirmed that they are indiscussions about the possible formation of a new organisationto represent their interests. 

The Boards said thatthey had been working together for several months and are now in theprocess of canvassing industry stakeholders to seek their support. 

Anynew organisation would be formed from the memberships of all threegroups to create a body that would bring together the strengths,expertise and knowledge of the AFA, AWARD and APG. CB hears the MediaFederation of Australia (MFA) has chosen not to join the organisationafter a high level meeting convened on Monday.

A new organisation would require the backing of the memberships ofthe AFA, AWARD and the APG. The boards said that if backing fromindustry stakeholders was forthcoming, the proposal would be put totheir members at Extraordinary General Meetings to be held sometime inthe near future. 

The chairman of AWARD,Richard Maddocks (pictured above left), said AWARD has been in discussions withthe APG and the AFA for some time and more recently those talks havefocussed on the formation of a new organisation. 

“Thecreation of a new broad-based organisation represents realopportunities for AWARD members. However, before any decisions are madewe will talk with our members about it and the final decision will restwith them,” he said. 

The chairman of the AFA,Belinda Rowe (pictured centre), said: “A new organisation with thestrengths of its combined memberships will offer a more influentialvoice on industry issues, particularly at a time when the industry isunder regulatory pressure. Put simply, we can offer members strongerrepresentation by coming together.” 

APG chairman Jeremy Nicholas (pictured above right) said: “The Account Planning Group recognises that the 

formationof a new organisation representing the broader interests of themarketing communications industry makes a lot of sense. The synergiesbetween creative, planning, production and agency management make theformation of a single entity a powerful idea.”   

TheBoards said that it was premature to go into any further detail, butthat all stakeholders would be consulted and kept informed about ideasthat emerge from the discussions. Ultimately, members of the threeorganisations would make the final decision on any changes proposed bythe Boards.