Karen Martin, newly appointed president of the IPA, the trade body for the UK advertising and marketing industry, and CEO of BBH, has stated her intention to revitalise advertising. In a commercial created byBBH London and produced by Creators Inc.
The 2.30 minute commercial, The Woman Who Walked Soho, is a recreation of BBH London’s famous The Man Who Walked The World for Johnnie Walker. As she walks through the streets of London’s Soho, Martin delivers her address to UK industry leaders and IPA members.
In the film and the live Q&A she held after its launch, Martin emphasised the need to restore creativity to the core of business, and highlighted the advertising industry’s key challenges – short-term thinking, over-reliance on AI, and a disconnect from the very thing that drives the industry forward, human creativity.
The film was directed by Jamie Rafn and features cameos with creative leaders from across the industry including Sir John Hegarty, Nick Gill, Shelley Smoler, Rick Brim, Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes, Lynsey Atkin, Ana Balarin, Hermeti Balarin, Nils Leonard, Selma Ahmed, Genevieve Gransden, Jules Chalkley, Ant Nelson, Mark Elwood, Noel Bunting and Alex Grieve.
Martin has spent nine years at BBH, moving up to CEO from managing partner when she joined the agency in 2016. Before BBH, she spent nearly four years at Host Sydney, first as head of account management, later as managing director. Prior to Host, she spent seven-and-a-half years at BMF as group account director from 2003 to 2011.
Karen Martin’s vision for the future includes 4 key initiatives:
1.) Celebrating human creativity. Martin announced that the IPA will bring creative directors onto its Council board, ensuring that those who fuel the industry’s growth and drive its success have a seat at the table and called for a renewed focus on celebrating human creativity, urging the industry to balance the incredible potential of AI with the irreplaceable value of human-driven creative thinking.
2.)Training the next generation of creatives. Martin revealed that the IPA will be launching the IPA Creative Essentials Certificate. This new programme will provide emerging talent with the tools and insights to succeed in the industry and individual training will be introduced to help creatives evaluate ideas, provide constructive feedback, and protect creative concepts from inception through execution.
3.) Attracting more diverse creative talent. Martin also announced plans to expand Barn, launched by BBH in 2021, the first and only ad school based inside an agency and now one of the most successful creative advertising courses in the country. Barn offers an accessible route into the industry for students from different backgrounds, paying them the London Living Wage and helping to break down barriers and open doors to underrepresented talent. Over the next two years, the programme will increase its intake of students and collaborate with more partner agencies to ensure the industry reflects a broader range of voices and perspectives.
4.) Rewarding creative excellence. Martin will introduce a new Creative Award as part of the prestigious IPA Effectiveness Awards, that will recognise the vital role of creativity in driving business success and celebrate the people behind the work that delivers tangible results.
Film credits:
Creative Agency: BBH London
CCO: Alex Grieve
Creative Director: Lawrence Bushell
Designer: Fabian Adkins-Krijgsman
Designer: Lucia Volpe
Client Managing Director: James Rice
Head of Film: Georgina Kent
Project Manager: Khairah McFarlane
Production: Creators Inc
Director: Jamie Rafn
Managing Director & Executive Producer: Chris Barrett
Executive Producer: Faye Rizzo
DOP: Fede Alfonzo
BTS Photographer: Charlie Havord
Editing: Marshall Street Editors
Editors: John Mayes & Oliver Morgan
Head of Production: S.J. O’Mara
Post-Production: ETC
Electric Studios Managing Director: Ben Honour
Producer: Emma Hughes
Colourist: Megan Lee
VFX Lead: Kingsley Bailey
Post Producer BBH: Charley Rowland
Sound Studio: String and Tins
Managing Director: Rachel Hough
Engineer: Culum Simpson
Sound Producer: Katie Buxton
Music: Adelphoi
Composer: Jamie Masters
Bagpiper & Composer: Christopher Thomson
