Media / Talk of the Trade: A poor advertisement

THE first British Academy Advertising Awards at the Albert Hall on Sunday were to be avoided. First, there was a grim cold dinner: the thick hunks of chewy beef made Selina Scott's Sainsbury recipe (pasta with mozzarella: best retail ad) seem amazingly tempting. Second, there was no attempt to stick to the timetable; an event starting at 5pm stretched far into the night. Third, as David Frost, the compere, admitted, there were far too many award categories: 29 in all. The industry's bible, Campaign, pulled out two weeks before the ceremony, saying it was too badly organised. Much more thought is needed if it is to happen again next year.