Our tourism ads return again and again to familiar themes: white sandy beaches, red desert landscapes, barbecues and blokey humour. It’s time for deeper, more inclusive storytelling

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

WPP profits dive 71% as clients cut ad spending amid Trump’s tariffs rollout | WPP | The Guardian

Advertising group halves interim dividend after pre-tax profit plunges to £98m in first half of its financial year

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

Sydney Sweeney: the Hollywood up-and-comer who started a culture war | Sydney Sweeney | The Guardian

The Euphoria and Anyone But You star has one of the most promising careers within young Hollywood but controversy has stuck to her

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

Eight Postcards from Utopia review – found-footage fever dream of post-Ceauşescu Romania | Film | The Guardian

Diverting mosaic of moments from 1990s TV ads, frantically flogging everything from sausages to laxatives, shows Romania’s newfound passion for capitalism

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

Lib Dems call for urgent regulation of YouTube ads after wave of scams | YouTube | The Guardian

Party wants video platform to face same scrutiny as broadcasters due to deepfake and investment scams

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

Trump, Sydney Sweeney and the ‘war on woke’ – podcast | US politics | The Guardian

This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to politics reporter Amanda Marcotte about how ‘cancel culture’ is a useful tool in a political crisis

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

News Corp’s Australian newspaper revenue falls as CEO warns Trump of AI’s ‘art of the steal’ | Australian media | The Guardian

Advertising revenue at division that includes the Australian, Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun down 5%

Guardian Book Blog

08.08.2025

Two ‘misleading’ heat pump adverts banned by UK watchdog | Energy industry | The Guardian

ASA says online ads from Aira and EDF Energy omitted key facts about eligibility for government grants

Guardian Book Blog

03.08.2025

Fake savings ads: ‘One of the most sophisticated scams we have seen’ | Scams | The Guardian

People tricked into depositing cash which is then siphoned off by fraudsters impersonating financial firm Wise and others

Guardian Book Blog

03.08.2025

Sportsbet advertises multi-bets on AFL website after pulling TV ads due to ‘community sentiment’ | Gambling | The Guardian

Ads encouraging sport fans to ‘bet now’ do not breach any rules but gambling reform advocates say it shows industry attempts to self-regulate have failed

Guardian Book Blog

02.08.2025

Digested week: Smirking Gwyneth Paltrow turns Coldplay kiss-cam scandal into a marketing win | Emma Brockes | The Guardian

Actor’s Astronomer ad pokes fun at canoodling CEO, while Kim Kardashian’s face sling raises eyebrows and jowls

Guardian Book Blog

01.08.2025

Born in the USA: Is American Eagle really using whiteness to sell jeans? | Fashion | The Guardian

Criticised by some for promoting the language of eugenics but defended by others for killing ‘woke advertising’, the much-loved teen denim brand is causing a stir

Guardian Book Blog

30.07.2025

Colonial ideas of beauty: how skin lightening products are linked to cancer in black African women | Race | The Guardian

A string of recent cases has highlighted the dangers for women in countries across the continent using harmful creams and lotions

Guardian Book Blog

30.07.2025

American Eagle faces backlash over ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ ad | US news | The Guardian

Some critics allege phrase is coded promotion of eugenics and accuse campaign of being ‘tone deaf’

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

ITV announces new cost-cutting drive as half-year profits fall 44% | ITV | The Guardian

Broadcaster plans £15m in savings and flags £20m cut to programme budget amid continued dip in advertising

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

Labour spent 30% more than Tories in 2024 general election, figures show | Labour | The Guardian

Labour spent £30m compared with the Conservatives’ £23m, according to Electoral Commission data

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

M&S advert banned for featuring model who looked ‘unhealthily thin’ | Marks & Spencer | The Guardian

ASA ruling comes amid fears fashion industry reversing progress in body positivity movement

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

Meta allows ads crowdfunding for IDF drones, consumer watchdog finds | Meta | The Guardian

Paid ads hosted on Facebook, Instagram and Threads seem to violate Meta’s stated policies yet remain active

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

A PR dream or disaster? Jet2’s holiday advert finds new life as joke meme | Advertising | The Guardian

In a social media trend, the airline’s joyful advert jingle is being played over cheerless summer holiday footage

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

Labour backbench MPs push for tough, wholesale changes to gambling regulation | Gambling | The Guardian

Large and growing group fear ministers may pull their punches when drafting new legislation to appease donors

Guardian Book Blog

29.07.2025

Fiddle-laden fake trailer reignites debate about Hollywood’s Irish stereotypes | Ireland | The Guardian

Clip turned out to be a stunt, but strength of reaction speaks to genuine affront at Ireland’s portrayal on big screen

Guardian Book Blog

11.07.2025

WPP names senior Microsoft boss Cindy Rose as new CEO | WPP | The Guardian

Tech sector boss chosen to help develop AI and digital offerings and rebuild battered share price

Guardian Book Blog

09.07.2025

ASA cracks down on online pharmacies advertising weight loss injections | Pharmaceuticals industry | The Guardian

Watchdog releases nine new rulings setting clear precedents for online selling

Guardian Book Blog

08.07.2025

The worst thing about AI? That stupid Samsung ad where the guy adds ‘way too much sugar’ to his pasta sauce | Emma Beddington | The Guardian

Only a robot would attempt to turn it into ‘tasty cookies’. A human would just scoop the sugar out again, writes Emma Beddington

Guardian Book Blog

27.06.2025

Period drama: Here We Flo pulls ‘plastic-free’ pledge amid row over green claims | Retail industry | The Guardian

Sustainable period care brand says report from rival Mooncup is flawed and contains inaccuracies

Guardian Book Blog

25.06.2025

Courts pushing back on corporate carbon offsetting claims, LSE report finds | Carbon offsetting | The Guardian

Scrutiny of how companies plan to meet climate commitments is growing, with many successful legal challenges

Guardian Book Blog

24.06.2025

FTC approves $13.5bn advertising merger but bars coordination over political content | US news | The Guardian

US trade commission approves deal for Omnicom to buy Interpublic, creating the world’s largest advertising agency

Guardian Book Blog

21.06.2025

Garnet Edwards obituary | Advertising | The Guardian

<strong>Other lives:</strong> Creative director, rugby coach and mentor known for his sharp mind, generous spirit and mischievous humour

Guardian Book Blog

21.06.2025

Paul Baker obituary | Marketing & PR | The Guardian

<strong>Other lives</strong>: Expert in the field of econometrics who helped businesses make best use of their marketing budget

Guardian Book Blog

19.06.2025

UK watchdog criticises ‘offensive’ portrayal of older people in adverts | Advertising | The Guardian

ASA report finds many use negative stereotypes and highlights concerns about targeting of end-of-life services

Guardian Book Blog

17.06.2025

Sky, ITV and Channel 4 join forces in fightback against big tech’s ad market dominance | Advertising | The Guardian

The TV streamers are pooling their advertising services to make it easier for small companies to run campaigns

Guardian Book Blog

15.06.2025

UK broadcasters hail rare win over Netflix in battle for streaming ads | Television industry | The Guardian

Homes that watch with ads are ‘lighter’ viewers consuming up to 40% less content on some services

Guardian Book Blog

13.06.2025

Assisted dying adverts to be banned if service legalised, Kim Leadbeater says | Assisted dying | The Guardian

MP to table amendment amid ‘wide consensus’ that ads should not be allowed to promote the procedure

Guardian Book Blog

12.06.2025

The latest Andrex advert is a life-changing masterpiece | Adrian Chiles | The Guardian

In scraping the bottom of the barrel to find something new to say about toilet paper, they’ve struck gold. If I had seen this as a kid, it would saved me years of fear and shame, writes Adrian Chiles

Guardian Book Blog

10.06.2025

Social media creators to overtake traditional media in ad revenue this year | Advertising | The Guardian

User-generated material to surpass advertising income from professional media amid change in viewing habits

Guardian Book Blog

10.06.2025

WPP chief Mark Read to step down as ad agency battles AI | WPP | The Guardian

CEO to leave global advertising group after three decades, with shares at lowest level in about five years

Guardian Book Blog

10.06.2025

The ‘death of creativity’? AI job fears stalk advertising industry | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

WPP and others roll out AI-generated campaigns as Facebook owner Meta plans to let firms create their own ads

Guardian Book Blog

05.06.2025

TfL blocks Save the Children advert calling for end to two-child benefit limit | TfL | The Guardian

Advert that highlighted impact on child poverty was deemed to have breached political advertising rules

Guardian Book Blog

03.06.2025

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to enable AI ad creation by end of next year | Meta | The Guardian

Move sends shock waves through traditional media industry by posing threat to advertising agencies

home›Guardian Book Blog›Marketing

Guardian Book Blog - Marketing

‘You have to ruffle feathers’: a history of controversial jeans adverts | Jeans | The Guardian

Still throwing shrimp on the barbie: Tourism Australia’s advertising is stuck in a 1980s time warp | Anita Manfreda and Simon Pawson for the Conversation | The Guardian

WPP profits dive 71% as clients cut ad spending amid Trump’s tariffs rollout | WPP | The Guardian

Sydney Sweeney: the Hollywood up-and-comer who started a culture war | Sydney Sweeney | The Guardian

Eight Postcards from Utopia review – found-footage fever dream of post-Ceauşescu Romania | Film | The Guardian

Lib Dems call for urgent regulation of YouTube ads after wave of scams | YouTube | The Guardian

Trump, Sydney Sweeney and the ‘war on woke’ – podcast | US politics | The Guardian

News Corp’s Australian newspaper revenue falls as CEO warns Trump of AI’s ‘art of the steal’ | Australian media | The Guardian

Two ‘misleading’ heat pump adverts banned by UK watchdog | Energy industry | The Guardian

Fake savings ads: ‘One of the most sophisticated scams we have seen’ | Scams | The Guardian

Sportsbet advertises multi-bets on AFL website after pulling TV ads due to ‘community sentiment’ | Gambling | The Guardian

Digested week: Smirking Gwyneth Paltrow turns Coldplay kiss-cam scandal into a marketing win | Emma Brockes | The Guardian

Born in the USA: Is American Eagle really using whiteness to sell jeans? | Fashion | The Guardian

Colonial ideas of beauty: how skin lightening products are linked to cancer in black African women | Race | The Guardian

American Eagle faces backlash over ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ ad | US news | The Guardian

ITV announces new cost-cutting drive as half-year profits fall 44% | ITV | The Guardian

Labour spent 30% more than Tories in 2024 general election, figures show | Labour | The Guardian

M&S advert banned for featuring model who looked ‘unhealthily thin’ | Marks & Spencer | The Guardian

Meta allows ads crowdfunding for IDF drones, consumer watchdog finds | Meta | The Guardian

A PR dream or disaster? Jet2’s holiday advert finds new life as joke meme | Advertising | The Guardian

Labour backbench MPs push for tough, wholesale changes to gambling regulation | Gambling | The Guardian

Fiddle-laden fake trailer reignites debate about Hollywood’s Irish stereotypes | Ireland | The Guardian

WPP names senior Microsoft boss Cindy Rose as new CEO | WPP | The Guardian

ASA cracks down on online pharmacies advertising weight loss injections | Pharmaceuticals industry | The Guardian

The worst thing about AI? That stupid Samsung ad where the guy adds ‘way too much sugar’ to his pasta sauce | Emma Beddington | The Guardian

Period drama: Here We Flo pulls ‘plastic-free’ pledge amid row over green claims | Retail industry | The Guardian

Courts pushing back on corporate carbon offsetting claims, LSE report finds | Carbon offsetting | The Guardian

FTC approves $13.5bn advertising merger but bars coordination over political content | US news | The Guardian

Garnet Edwards obituary | Advertising | The Guardian

Paul Baker obituary | Marketing & PR | The Guardian

UK watchdog criticises ‘offensive’ portrayal of older people in adverts | Advertising | The Guardian

Sky, ITV and Channel 4 join forces in fightback against big tech’s ad market dominance | Advertising | The Guardian

UK broadcasters hail rare win over Netflix in battle for streaming ads | Television industry | The Guardian

Assisted dying adverts to be banned if service legalised, Kim Leadbeater says | Assisted dying | The Guardian

The latest Andrex advert is a life-changing masterpiece | Adrian Chiles | The Guardian

Social media creators to overtake traditional media in ad revenue this year | Advertising | The Guardian

WPP chief Mark Read to step down as ad agency battles AI | WPP | The Guardian

The ‘death of creativity’? AI job fears stalk advertising industry | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

TfL blocks Save the Children advert calling for end to two-child benefit limit | TfL | The Guardian

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta to enable AI ad creation by end of next year | Meta | The Guardian

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