The week in brief – UK agencies win big at the Cannes Lions
UK agencies and creative shops were well-represented among the winners at last week’s Cannes Lions festival. Adam & Eve/DDB won big for its Harvey Nichols “sorry, I spent it on myself” Christmas work, as did OgilvyOne for its “magic of flying” campaign for British Airways. PHD won two golds for its work with Lego, and R/GA London won one for its work with Beats headphones. OMD UK won bronze for its “the book that made me” work with Waterstones.
Publicis to launch new luxury platform with Google
Publicis Worldwide last week announced that it is set to team up with tech giant Google and publisher Conde Nast to launch a new platform helping luxury brands target high net worth individuals. The premium service platform, called La Maison, will deliver branded content (with the help of Conde Nast), insight on the digital habits of affluent consumers (including their browsing habits and brand preferences, through Google), and access to Publicis’s digital agencies, including Razorfish and Digitas LBi.
Starcom MediaVest runs away with Asics account
Sports equipment brand Asics is set to consolidate its global media account with Starcom MediaVest, announcing last week that the agency had won the pitch to manage its global communications, media planning and buying, as well as data analytics worldwide. The consolidation will affect OMD, the agency that currently looks after Asics in Europe and the UK.
Twitter to focus on “in-the-moment” commerce
Twitter chief executive Dick Costolo outlined his company’s planned shift towards “in-the-moment” commerce at the Cannes Lions last week. Instead of transporting e-commerce into the Twittersphere, he said, the company will focus on more immediate campaigns with brands, including discounts for people using certain hashtags related to a brand’s product.
Beats banned at World Cup
Fifa cracked down on players wearing Beats headphones at the World Cup last week, saying that the products should not be worn because the tournament’s official sponsor is Sony. It’s not the first time Beats has targeted athletes, having sent thousands of headphones to Olympians in 2012.