Today’s Budget. WPP to join rhc advantage?

WPP to return to UK?
Martin Sorrell, founder and chief executive of WPP, is widely quoted as saying that today's Budget could pave the way for WPP – the world’s largest marketing, advertising and research group - to return to the UK. WPP relocated its tax base from London to Dublin, Ireland in September 2008, following a hike in the rate of UK corporation tax to become more than double that of Ireland’s.

This is good news all round - not least for Sir Martin, who is surely now destined to become Lord Sorrell.

A great place for your marketing budget
Of course, rhc advantage – possibly the UK’s smallest marketing, advertising and research group – has remained in the UK since we opened our doors last year. And we very much look forward to being able to pay UK corporation tax, as it will mean that we will have declared a profit.

With this laudable objective in mind, may we remind the world that now would be a very good time for potential clients to contact us. More and more people are realising that marketing for an ageing population is something that applies to most businesses, not a few. And we now have an impressive track record of research, insight, creativity and copywriting to support our claims on client budgets!

Ageism in marketing? Not at rhc advantage!
On a separate note, the Institute of Practitioners of Advertising (IPA) also cautiously welcomed today’s Budget. It noted that advertising and media agencies, “being people-based businesses with a high proportion of young staff”, should welcome the easing of the personal tax burden at the junior end, stipulated in the Budget. As their own annual survey shows, around 50% of IPA agency staff are aged under 30, with just 5% over 50. This is somewhat at odds with the realities of an ageing population and this youth-centric approach could help explain why ageism in marketing continues to be an issue.

Prospective clients should note that a more balanced approach to employee age is taken at rhc advantage. With an MD the wrong side of 50, and our first graduate recruit in her early twenties, an age neutral approach rules - exactly as you might expect.

www.rhcadvantage.co.uk