Paul Bainsfair (IPA) – the 60:40 Rule

Is the advertising business a form of business or entertainment? It needs to be entertaining but there definitely is a science to it.

Paul Bainsfair is the Director General of the IPA – the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising. He’s a veteran of the industry, with leadership experience at TBWA, Saatchis and Iris, he’s using his 35+ years in the business to champion the cause of advertising as a driver of the economy.

But he’s also acutely aware of the issues facing the world of advertising – the environment, DE&I, frequency and advertising fatigue.

So, the IPA’s focus for 2024 is the 60:40 rule and helping companies and brands to strike a balance between brand building and activation – as the old song goes, like love and marriage, you can’t have one without the other.

In this wide-ranging chat, Paul and I discuss the difference between US and UK advertising, why ads need to deliver the relevant unexpected, the latest Bellwether reports and a marketing budget forecast for the next 12 months, the wisdom of Tim Delaney, balancing the standards, saving the economy, new business opportunities for all agencies, the analogy of steam trains, and Irish songwriters.