KEY POINTS:
Outspoken adman David Walden likes talking about the advertising industry's challenges for 2008 - especially the alarm over the threat for new controls under the Public Health Bill for advertising and marketing of food.
The chief executive of TBWA/Walden Whybin, Walden has no trouble arguing that advertising is
effective. But in the face of proposed new controls on marketing food he insists that advertising cannot be held responsible for childhood obesity.
Walden complains childhood obesity is caused by bad parenting and not evil advertising.
"When parents find their kids gobbling food and being corrupted by TV ads they should turn off the TV and send them to their room to do their homework - that is what my father did - not try to have the ads taken of TV," he says.
"It comes down to a basic responsibility that people have to their families and children. Don't overstate the influence of advertising," says Walden.
"We are not going to solve the obesity problems by restricting the advertising of certain foods.
"It is inappropriate for the advertising industry to be the whipping boy of political correctness.
"If advertising is as powerful as people say there would be no such thing as road deaths or speeding because of the ad campaign by the Land Transport Safety Authority."
One of this country's longest serving admen - he was joint managing director of Saatchi & Saatchi from 1988 to 1992 - he describes himself as a cheerleader for brands and for advertising.
He acknowledges that the industry has been guilty of excess and self indulgence in the past.
He says it has subsequently lost its way after being pretty well and truly "beaten up".
"Advertising lost a bit of confidence and began navel gazing - giving itself a very narrow position in the market.
"What I am saying now is that ad agencies are about bringing creativity to brands and to businesses."
Walden is in an odd position as the advertising industry faces of with anti-obesity activists and others who are challenging what the industry believes is nearly sacrosanct - that if a product is legal it should be allowed to advertise.
As Walden says - "I'm no shrinking violet."
But Walden is also president of the advertising industry body Caanz.
And during a period of intense lobbying Walden is not going to win friends by railing against the anti-obesity campaigners.
"I have to be clear when I am saying things stridently as chief executive of TBWA/Walden Whybin that I cannot say as president of Caanz - I have to represent the views of the others who belong to Caanz," he said.
Walden raised eyebrows last week when he said advertising faced regulation from "people whose idea of fun is a nice glass of water and a look out the window".
It's a vintage one liner and one that he can make as chief executive of an advertising company but not as head of an industry lobby group fighting regulation.
