The rate of change: Oliver’s Simon Martin on speed, Starbucks and the in-house model February 29, 2016 Whether it’s time to market or a reactive social campaign, speed is of the essence in business today. But while a catalyst remains unchanged after accelerating a chemical reaction, marketing agencies must transform to meet the evolving needs of their clients. “We created all the content around educating Starbucks customers about pre-ordering their drinks,” says Simon [...]
Being seen: Reducing the risks around viewability February 29, 2016 Last month, it was announced that online ad fraud is expected to cost brands $7.2bn globally in 2016, because of an infiltration of botnets, networks of computers infected with malicious software. There is a very real risk that ads are not being seen and media spend is being wasted. What differentiates smart marketers from the rest [...]
Pub chain J D Wetherspoon to scrap traditional Sunday roast dinners when it brings in its new menu in a couple of weeks February 27, 2016 Sundays are about to get tricky – you might have to find a new haunt to grab your roast dinner at, as popular pub chain J D Wetherspoon is scrapping the traditional Sunday offering. If you need to get your Yorkshire pudding fix, you better be quick, because last roasts will be served on Mother's Day, 6 [...]
Why firms need to plan ahead to limit damage by association, as the BBC may have found out with Jeremy Clarkson February 25, 2016 The career-ending and potentially life-threatening injuries suffered by celebrities taking part in The Jump recently has raised some questions around whether the continuation of the TV series is in good taste. If the broadcaster were forced to cut short the production, lucrative advertising and sponsorship deals could be left exposed, not to mention committed production costs. [...]
Most complained about ads of the year: Moneysupermarket.com’s hotpants and heels-wearing Dave caused more offense than Protein World’s “beach body ready” London Underground posters February 23, 2016 A man strutting down the street in hotpants and heels was more outrageous than revealing that Santa isn't real and telling women to be "bikini body ready". A Moneysupermarket advert which featured the booty-shaking character named Dave and strapline "you're so money supermarket" was the most complained about ad of last year, it's been revealed. It received 1,500 complaints from [...]
Facebook is biggest new TV advertiser as total ad spend passes record £5bn February 23, 2016 Facebook was the biggest spending new advertiser on British television last year as total spend hit record levels. Spending on TV advertising – from traditional 30 second spots to sponsorship, on-demand catch up platforms and product placement – hit £5.27bn in 2015, a rise of 7.4 per cent on the previous year and growth not seen since the end of the financial crisis. [...]
New Day is here: Meet Trinity Mirror’s new national daily tabloid February 22, 2016 Trinity Mirror has officially unveiled its new daily newspaper, New Day, which will hit newsstands in a week's time. The 40-page title will be published from Monday to Friday and will be handed out free on the first day of publication, Monday 29 February. A two week trial will put the price at 25p before [...]
Vertical Thinking: Teads’s Todd Tran on finding a “via media” with video advertising February 22, 2016 The case for vertical mobile ads has been won. Last year, Snapchat urged marketers and media companies to ditch wide-angle shots and go vertical, and Audi reported a completion rate which was 80 per cent higher when its mobile video ads were designed to be watched in portrait. Teads, which leads the field in native [...]
Creating disruption: Advertising financial services and Nutmeg’s new campaign February 22, 2016 When it comes to selling financial services, advertisers have their work cut out. Consumer scepticism is rife and the jargon is labyrinthine. “There’s a perfect storm,” says Laurence Green, co-founder of 101, which handles the creative for Scottish Widows. “Too often, financial services firms’ brief to advertisers is: ‘We’re basically the same as everyone else; can [...]
Amazon Studios acquires North American rights to Woody Allen’s upcoming film starring Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart and his new TV show with Miley Cyrus February 18, 2016 Amazon Studios has today acquired the North American rights to Woody Allen's latest feature film. Amazon Studios has obtained all the rights for the region, including theatrical and streaming. The film, which does not yet have a title, is a romantic comedy set in the 1930s starring Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart and is due to be released in cinemas [...]