On July 4th, the Institute for Advertising Ethics (IAE) released the IAE UK Certification, the first market-specific adaptation of the curriculum’s successful US program. Co-designed by Geraint Lloyd-Taylor of Lewis Silkin and featuring individual contributions from leading UK thinkers, including exclusive interview segments with Baroness Onora O’Neill, the philosopher and crossbench member of the House of Lords and author of “A Philosopher Looks at Digital Communication” (Cambridge Press 2022), the UK release builds on the independent certification developed by the IAE in the US with the University of Texas at Austin, Michigan State University and other leading advertising and communications schools to address the advertising industry’s lack of formal ethics education when compared with the other professions.
Geraint Lloyd-Taylor of Lewis Silkin stated,” A good understanding of how advertising and marketing claims are regulated in the UK will provide a solid foundation for building ethical advertising and marketing campaigns. This has never been more important. There is an urgent need to move the dial on big issues, like the environment, protecting children and getting the right outcomes from A.I., and to do that, we need an ecosystem filled with ethical advertisers who don’t just talk the talk but walk the walk.”
Andrew Susman, IAE President, stated, “Unlike other professions such as law, medicine, architecture, engineering, and finance, advertising has had no consistent ethical framework, much less a professional, ethical education system. Ethics breeds Trust, and Trust is Trust Paramount to Business Growth. Trust measurably enhances customer relations, improves workforce retention, and boosts market performance while minimizing risks. The IAE Certification offers these clear advantages to marketers, agencies, and the industry.”
In partnership with Mad//Fest, the IAE is making available a limited number of free access codes at launch. As in the US, a bursary program will also be available to those seeking work and students. Completing the CEAE will also include membership in “IAE Assist,” which provides for frameworks, practice guides, and cases launching later this year.
Prospective students are invited to a virtual open house on July 14th, 2023. Visit www.iaethics.org to learn more or apply.