Ad Matters 29.8.25

Occasionally, I read an article about advertising which makes me stop and think for a while. The very best ones stay longer in the mind. As such, I must recommend this piece in Campaign by the IPA’s Laurence Green, which was published late last week. He reflects on a trip to London’s Transport Museum and takes a fresh approach to comparisons of ads on the underground tubes from the 1980s versus the ones he saw on his journey there. The common thread he points to was people know when the ads have been made by someone who cares about the brand. It’s a lovely, and laser-sharp, insight.

I take a strong interest in the ads I come across every day and Laurence is right, you can sift them into three buckets. Ones that are OK. Ones that are bit meh. Ones that really stand out. The reason why they stand out is because the person or team behind them really cares about the brand and what it is saying. As Laurence points out, people sense care – and truly caring about the quality of the work may in fact turn out to be a hidden superpower.

Our pick of the ads:

• Our Ad in the A is ‘Your Volkswagen’ by adam&eveDDB London which tells the stories of their fans.
• Spotify’s ‘Fan Life’ has returned with cinematic films capturing the rituals, styles, and celebrations which define fandom.
• Dentsu X London’s ‘Creative Acts of Colour – A colourful surprise’ for Crayola follows a young girl’s drawing which inspired a whole movement of art.
• Lucky Generals’ ‘This is not a soft drink’ for Irn Bru stars Still Game actor Sanjeev Kholi.
• ASICS, Inclusive Sportswear and Mind have launched the ‘Undropped Kit’ by Golin London to stop girls dropping out of sport.

Our must reads:

• The Media Week Awards 2025 Shortlist has been revealed, featuring EssenceMediacom, OMD UK and PHD in the top three for most shortlisted entries. (Campaign)
• With increasing visual appeal, creator opportunities and reach through connected TV, could vodcasting be the future of podcasting? (The Media Leader)
• Cindy Rose, incoming CEO of WPP, has released her first message to staff, where she says she is ‘super excited’ but won’t ‘sugar-coat’ challenges. (Campaign)
• EE is helping parents and children to explore their use of smartphones and the internet safely in their new campaign by Saatchi & Saatchi London. (LBB)

Dates for your diary:

• MediaCat UK is hosting ‘Live Creativity is Critical’ on 17 September, which will have a few talks touching on creative media case studies, trends and data, as well as some networking. Book your tickets here.
• Adwanted’s Future of Media Manchester is on 25 September to convene media leaders, planners, buyers and strategists. Find out more here.
• The Drum will open its newsroom for The Drum Live! on 24-25 September to allow attendees to debate and make key editorial decisions. Find out more here.

And finally, our Chief Executive, Stephen Woodford, is speaking at the ICC’s Power of Green Advertising masterclass on 10 September in a panel discussing how to communicate sustainability efforts transparently and green hushing. Find out more here.