News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
Influential, which claims to be the biggest influencer marketing company by revenue, has sold to Publicis Groupe. With a network of 3.5m creators, Influential will now team up with Epsilon, the data and marketing group which Publicis bought for £4.4bn in 2019. The deal is expected to be finalised at the end of August. Influential,
It had better be, as we gave it 9.25. Why so? Banks are high up a pretty long list of companies and institutions we don't like very much (along with water companies, tricksy mobile operators, self service-crazed supermarkets) so to produce a winning (and simple and persuasive) proposition is no mean achievement. Kids form their
German sports giant Adidas has been forced to apologise for featuring model Bella Hadid in a campaign for the brand’s SL72 shoe. Hadid, who is half-Palestinian, has for a long time been an outspoken supporter of the Palestinian cause, so the connection (intentional or otherwise) between the shoe and the 1972 Munich Olympics, where 11
If these famous advertising blokes had been born women, would they have reached the same heights? AnalogFolk is having fun with a serious question using images of some of our best-known creative leaders – all male, of course – in she/her mode. "Would Jane Hegarty have been allowed to zag?" "Nelly Leonard: why is she
Interpublic's McCann Worldgroup has won Ferrero's Kinder and Tic Tac creative accounts in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa and all its business in Mexico. This follows a nine-month review. At the same time time parent Interpublic (IPG) has revealed it is still struggling to absorb some account losses, chiefly Pfizer, as it's announced
Much debate over Nike's 'Winning isn't for everyone' Olympics effort from Wieden+Kennedy, asking the question "Am I a bad person?" if I want to to win at (pretty much) any cost. Featuring some of the serried ranks of Nikettes, presumably happy to be depicted as a rather one-dimensional so-and-so. The mighty Nike, of course, is
Ogilvy's Ingo is a new one on us, described as an "iconic boutique network." Iconic or not, it now has a new global CCO in Daniel Fisher, hitherto creative lead on Ogilvy's Unilever business (Unilever was recently named Cannes Lions creative marketer of the year.) Ingo's network includes Stockholm, Hamburg and Zurich although Fisher (above)
The world could do with some good news and help is at hand (maybe) as various social media mavens reckon Coca-Cola is planning a new Oreo flavour while Coke-flavoured cookies are on the way too. Aussie food blogger Nectorious Papi has posted some photos with others joining in. Coke and Oreo owner Mondelez International have
The latest Advertising Association/WARC Expenditure Report shows UK ad spend increased 9.3% to £9.2bn during the first three months of 2024 – setting a new high for a first quarter period. This rise was ahead of forecast, due to stronger-than-expected online growth, with online formats accounting for 79.7% of all UK spend in Q1 2024.
Over the past thirty years, creative and media agencies have increasingly diverged, leading to industry-wide debates about effective, future-proofed business models. While unbundling originally made sense on paper, the divisions grew and the hold-cos have since had to work hard to convince clients they are truly ‘joined up.’ Regardless of such assurances, the reality is
Ocean Outdoor is supporting Team GB at the Paris Olympics with nine "fan experiences" in major locations throughout the UK. The Team GB fan zones managed by Ocean Labs are located at Battersea Power Station, Westfield Square, Westfield London and Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square in London; Spinningfields in Manchester; St James Quarter, Edinburgh; Bullring & Central
Here's something to bring a wry smile to the anguished features of the CFO as he (or she) wades disbelievingly through the expenses claims for Cannes. British-based business intelligence and events giant Informa is paying a heady £1.2bn for Cannes Lions owner Ascential. Ascential, originally spun out of UK publisher EMAP, last year offloaded digital
What's this? A (better than) good bank ad? And not Nationwide telling us how beastly its rivals are. 'Make money work for you' is the Barclays campaign from BBH and this edition is based on research (useful research!) that children form a relationship with money from the age of seven. So the film features children
Interpublic (IPG) has had some very welcome good news after what looks like a tough start to the year: IPG's FCB has won Kellanova's flagship brand Pringles from WPP's Grey. In the US IPG will also take on Cheez-It, Eggo and Rice Krispies Treats. Most move from Publicis' Leo Burnett although Publicis' Le Truc 'super
In-flight safety videos have become a popular way for airlines to have some fun, and Uncommon has got in on the act for British Airways with a period drama that features some unlikely clashes between 19th and 21st century life. More Bridgerton than Jane Eyre or Austen, it includes a witty "D'Arcy coming out of
Change has become the (rather meaningless) mantra for 2024 - For Keir Starmer's new Labour government and also for the much-criticised London Metropolitan Police. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says: “We must change for our communities and we must change for our officers and staff who serve them.” But does this mean the officers and staff
New London entrant Jung von Matt is targeting "fandom communities, nerds and geek culture" with the London launch of specialist agency NERD, already established in Germany and Asia. NERD provides special tech capabilities for Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft and collaborates with major brands including BMW, Pringles, and Nivea on immersive experiences. NERD was founded by
Mother has won a competitive pitch for a new client, Duolingo, and will be working on UK content and social media for the global language-learning app. Hence the rather strange picture which features the brand’s official mascot, Duo, and puts some Mother-branded pants on it. Duolingo, which keeps users hooked by gamifying language learning, had
The violence and shouting in this KFC ad might not work outside of Thailand but the film, by Hakuhodo agency WolfBKK, also manages to be funny and gripping - it keeps you watching for the full five minutes. It’s also a smart dramatisation of Thai food culture, which traditionally sees fried chicken as an expensive,
The Emmys is the last of the big film and TV awards to retain a commercials category. The BAFTA's used to do it and an award that means something to the public at large has got to be extra valuable; in fact creative legend Graham Fink's first mortage offer was made on the basis of
The latest instalment of Dominic West as the beastly bank manager is probably the funniest yet - West is golfing in vintage Goldfinger style with chairman Sir Rupert, who we should see more of - while adamantly refusing to share profits around Nationwide-style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4r-qHTxnlU Some of NCA's work divides opinion with some suggesting the sledgehammer
Sir Martin Sorrell's MediaMonks has become Monks (or, strictly speaking .monks but we'll call them Monks) in what is probably a timely rebrand and, anyway, it isn't primarily a media company. Monks now come in two parts: marketing services and technology services, powered, they say, by AI platform Monks.Flow. Wesley ter Haar and Bruno Lambertini
Figs sells medical apparel but acts more like a consumer brand. As an Olympic sponsor, the global retailer is kitting out the healthcare team that works with US athletes - and is even selling scrubs with a “Team USA” motif. In addition, there’s a statement commercial by agency Mother which carries the line “It takes
Havas' decision to take on Shell as a client seems to have backfired badly with most of the agency group losing its prized B-Corp status following representations from Clean Creatives and other parties. The Havas agencies involved include Havas London, Havas Lemz, Havas New York, and Havas Immerse. B Corp's B Lab says: "B Lab's
For marketing purposes, the Paralympians are no longer “superhuman”. The condescension of earlier brand campaigns has gone, replaced by a different narrative that shows them as striving athletes and regular human beings, just like their Olympian counterparts. Like 4Creative and adam&eveDDB's recent efforts, T&Pm has shifted to focus on the athletes and not their disabilities.
This time it's Omnicom setting the pace among the ad holding companies, beating Publicis to the draw with its Q2 2024 earnings, recording organic growth of 5.2% (Q1 4%) with experiential leading the way followed by advertising and media. Global revenues reached $3.9bn, an increase from $3.6bn in Q1. The UK led the way in
Publicis has narrowly edged ahead of Omnicom in Q2 2024 with organic growth of 5.6% (Omnicom registered 5.2%) and ahead of the ad holding pack with half yearly growth 5.4%. All regions were positive with the US, its biggest market up 5.3% in Q2, Europe 4.2% and APAC 7.7% with China, a troubled country for
In a world where brands, media, celebrities and intellectual property so frequently collide, Heinz has mastered the ultimate co-branding mash up of every ingredient known to marketing. It started with social media pointing out that Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, stars of Marvel’s Wolverine and Deadpool movie franchises, were dressed like Heinz mustard and ketchup.
Muller Light is 99% fat free and has no added sugar, but no one cares much about that message, so VCCP has taken a new approach. “Get the good going” shows a regular guy getting a kick out of eating just a bit more healthily than he otherwise might. This realistic approach to the product’s
It's been obvious for a while now that WPP's once-all conquering GroupM media empire has been struggling and now global CEO Christian Juhl has been replaced by veteran GroupM hand Brian Lesser. Lesser (below) was GroupM CEO in North America from 2015-17 and then went on to found Xaxis, WPP's programmatic media buying platform in
While the new Labour government does its best to fix the NHS, certain sections of society are getting more comfortable with the idea of paying for private healthcare. Bupa is a familiar name in the sector, and now it's got an app called Blua that gives you 24/7 fast access to appointments, prescriptions, remote mental
New British PM Keir Starmer and his Labour government may have got lucky in more ways than expected with the election win; the UK economy is finally showing signs of life, due in part to the work of former Tory chancellor Jeremy Hunt. Not out of the woods yet, of course as those doom-laden "experts'
Co-op Group appointed VCCP in March to lead a new membership drive, and this first campaign does exactly that. It explains the benefits of mutuality with a simple line, “Owned by you. Right by you”, and uses black and white imagery to amplify the message that “If you were inventing a business today, you’d invent
It's quite hard to advertise a product most of your audience thinks is failing, for one reason or another. Take pubs. We all love them (well some of us do, when not bemoaning the lack of wine bars in Soho) but prices have gone through the roof post-pandemic and dear old Brexit and they're struggling
Who'd a thought it? New research by Credos for the UK Advertising Association shows the percentage of peopl;e thinking advertising drives positive change has increased by 10-percentage points from 2021 to 2024, up from 34% to 44%. Maybe all those purpose-led campaigns are paying off or perhaps the recent fortunes of the UK, exemplified by
Xbox’s multi-award winning 'Everyday tactician' campaign from McCann London, featuring Bromley FC and Nathan Owolabi, concludes with the release of the third film. The campaign shows Owolabi joining the football club as a tactician after being selected through Sega’s Football Manager game. Everyday Tactician won Two Grand Prix and a Titanium Lion at the recent
Samsung, seemingly undeterred that its South Korea workers have called an indefinite strike, is still busily launching allegedly better phones and this campaign by BBH US for the A1 at least seems to have some benefits. Namely, instant translation which means (here) that you can get out more on your skateboard and join in football
Are football clubs finally waking up to the power of branding? Tottenham Hotspur have teamed up with Mother’s Run Deep sports agency, and now Uncommon Creative Studio has been brought in to revamp Chelsea FC. This “We burn blue” campaign launches the new season Nike home shirt and rebrands the club as CFC LDN, in
Streaming services tend to start with a bang in ad terms and then go strangely quiet as the business of making money takes over (it's daunting.) Rupert Murdoch's Fox Corporation isn't afraid of taking a punt (a fair few haven't worked) and free streamer Tubi is launching in the UK. And in the agency chair
The nation is on a feel good binge ahead of England's Euros final against Spain on Sunday, and brands are taking the opportunity to connect with fans’ rare mood of optimism amid a year of crisis and a grey British summer. As well as Walkers and Budweiser, Habitat is getting in on the action