I was recently on holiday in the UK when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister and noted a shift in the traditional greetings and small talk. It’s gone from quips about the nation’s hot (or not) topic, the weather, to the even hotter topic of Brexit (typically muttered in order to avoid any potential disputes, should you be in close proximity to a fellow citizen who may have an opposing view).  

Not only is it all encompassing, it is one of the most misunderstood events in recent history. The past three years have been tumultuous, and have arguably led the industry to take its collective eye off the ball, as marketers and agencies grapple to make sense of a post EU world, while creating and refining Brexit strategies that will, at a minimum, protect their brands. 

There is no bigger sign that a no-deal Brexit has moved from something that was unlikely to happen, to something that is highly possible than the announcement of the largest ad campaign since the second world war.  

A potential no deal will lead to a loss of confidence from marketers, and with marketing one of the first, and often easiest budgets to cut, the future of the globe’s fourth largest ad market should be of both continued interest and concern to the Australian ad market.  

That is because whichever way you spin it, the ongoing destabilisation, and looming possibility of the first advertising recession in a decade, will not only negatively impact the global economy as a whole, but also the global brands that underpin our own marginally destabilised industry. 

All up, a no-deal scenario is something we should continue to keep in our consideration set over the coming months. Although, perhaps pivoting back to an unrelenting obsession about the weather would create more harmony in the world.