Ad Matters 13.12.2024

A confession. I love music and the way it provides a unique soundtrack to my life. Songs that over time whisk me back to moments in memories. So, when Spotify Wrapped lands, it’s a special treat. But what I love even more is discovering the songs that have provided the soundtrack for my colleagues’ lives throughout the year. Which is why we’ve built AA Wrapped 2024, a special playlist featuring the songs that have figured large in the lives of AA team members this year. You can listen to it here. I think you can learn a lot about your colleagues from the song that ranks highest in their list.

We’ve run a special quiz to try and link the song to the AA team member – there’s a prize for the person that makes the highest number of matches. The results of which are being published literally as this newsletter is sent out to you… So, if you want to know which song might have been top of the pops for someone you know at the AA, drop me a line. There’s one more special prize if you can find my top tune in the mix… happy listening!

Our must-reads:

• Omnicom agrees to buy Interpublic in landmark deal for merger Mondays. (Campaign)
• How can we help everyone enjoy the festivities while feeling safe and respected? Make sure you read the #timeTo Festive Season Party Guide. (#timeTo)
• Leith makes the case for humour in Christmas advertising, with reference to our adspend figures. (WARC)
• 2024 in review: from a new Government to the ascendancy of AI. (Creative Salon)

Our pick of the ads:

• For F1 fanatics, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, with AMV BBDO, honours Lewis Hamilton with the global campaign ‘Every dream needs a team’.
• EE and The Bunnymen, with Saatchi & Saatchi, have announced the re-release of the music video for ‘The Killing Moon’.
• Hellmann’s has launched an integrated campaign through Ogilvy UK, coinciding with Charli XCX’s UK ‘Brat’ tour and referencing her controversial arena tour poster.
• Danny Dyer and Eddie Hearn celebrate football in Paddy Power’s ‘A shirt’s not just for Christmas, it’s for life’ festive ad by BBH.
• Snapchat marks the ‘little joys’ of relatable Christmas moments in their OOH campaign.

Dates for your diary:

• LEAD is back for 2025! The theme for the event will be growth and value and will feature a stellar line up of political and advertising leaders. Book your earlybird tickets here before December 20^th.
• Early bird booking for the Media Business Course is now open! Book your place to learn about the art of media planning and pitching here.

And finally, we’re publishing our Annual Review on Monday so keep your eyes peeled for our round-up of everything that’s happened in the world of the Advertising Association and the UK advertising industry in 2024. It’s been a labour of love these past few weeks by our team to capture the key highlights that tell the story of these past 12 months.