This Week: UK Advertising in the Media 25.08.23

Government ‘invasively’ targeted digital users using ‘offensive stereotypes’

‘Problematic’ proxy characteristics have been used by Government ads in recent years to target individuals based on protected characteristics like race, ethnicity, religion, or gender.

Food and drink culture compared with smoking in 1960s

This summer, two leading politicians have suggested people need to manage their personal behaviour around eating and drinking in order to help the Welsh NHS function.

Google changed the world but search is on for the next big hit

Twenty-five years ago, two student drop-outs hit on a new way of organising the world’s information. Google is a trillion-dollar business but new revolutionaries are snapping at its heels.

What is an entry level marketing role in 2023?

Recruiters say fewer entry-level roles on the market, and greater salary expectations, are contributing to a difficult playing field for those looking to kickstart a marketing career.

Bosses scramble not to miss the AI party

The technology needs tweaking but it’s here to stay. In a series of three articles, The Times looks to the future.

Should we name heatwaves as we do other extreme weather events?

As global heating makes sweltering temperatures more common, raising awareness is crucial – but climate scientists don’t necessarily agree on how and when it should be done.

‘Majority’ of advertisers set to invest in programmatic as cookie dies

63% of advertisers are also now relying on second party data, according to IAB.

Ads served on YouTube kids content may have triggered widespread tracking of children online: Report

Adalytics report alleges ads served by Google on YouTube kids content — sometimes against the wishes of advertisers — caused a chain reaction of tracking children online.

Agencies demand clarity after B Corp’s ‘ambiguous stance’ on Shell’s media review

A group of advertising agencies has called for B Lab to spell out its position on whether agencies should work for fossil fuel clients if they are to retain their ‘B Corp-certified’ status.

Be honest marketers, we’ve all made up metrics before

Marisa Thomas, chief marketing officer at Good-Loop, explains why marketers should stop cooking the books, moving the goalposts and lying about their metrics.

Stepping into Barbie’s heels: is a branded content renaissance coming?

After a summer of movies based on brand properties (not least Mattel’s Barbie and Nike’s Air), can we expect to see more outsize branded content plays? We asked eight leaders from The Drum Network.

Newspapers are not worth the paper they’re printed on without their digital assets

Sir Martin Sorrell dismisses the value of newspapers in print form as he considers the sale of the Telegraph business.

Will Justin Cochrane be Clear Channel’s last UK and Europe CEO?

Justin Cochrane tells Ella Sagar about Clear Channel Outdoor’s aim to become a US-only business, what would be the ‘right’ buyer for the UK operation, and how out-of-home needs to be more consistent with its message to advertisers.

A ‘marquee moment’: How the World Cup final played out for brands

As the 2023 World Cup comes to an end, here’s how brands marked England’s Lionesses reaching the final, and what needs to come next to drive the game forward.

Anger is most powerful emotion by far for spurring climate action, study finds

Link to climate activism is seven times stronger for anger than it is for hope, say Norwegian researchers.

Over-60s make up just 4% of people in global ads

Brands are overlooking a lucrative audience, according to CreativeX.

Women’s World Cup full-time round-up: Burger ‘Queen’, Sainsbury’s, EE, Breast Cancer Now and more

Even though the Lionesses weren’t able to defeat their Spanish rivals, brands across the nation are celebrating the team making the Women’s World Cup final.

In a tough economy, how can agencies make a big deal out of small wins?

This week, agency leaders share their tips for increasing staff morale when you’re swimming against the economic current.

The case for B Corp agencies taking on fossil fuel clients

In his latest letter to the industry, The Drum’s founder Gordon Young wonders if threatening the B Corp status of agencies that work with fossil fuel clients is the wrong approach.

Boots infant formula adverts broke rules – watchdog

Online adverts for the retailer Boots promoting four brands of infant formula on Google broke advertising rules, the watchdog has said.

ASA bans Camden Town Brewery spot for appealing to children

The ad was created by Wieden & Kennedy London.

Pinterest picks ex-Meta and Google exec to run EMEA growth sales

Pinterest has appointed former Meta executive Clément Schvartz as its new country manager of EMEA growth sales.

Wavemaker UK hires first head of people and culture

Dani Saadu’s appointment first of several promoting talent and DEI at media agency.

Shell and BP among oil firms accused of greenwashing over renewable energy

Greenpeace analysed the annual reports of the British fossil fuel giants for 2022, alongside 10 other European companies.

Yes, influencers can steer people to your store – if you do this

From Wilko to New Look and Boots, 2023 is the year of store closures. Could influencers be the answer to retailers’ woes? Jamie Ray, co-founder of Buttermilk, thinks so.

My Creative Career: Bas Korsten, global CCO at Wunderman Thompson

Don’t let an irrelevant degree stop you from pursuing a career in advertising. As part of the My Creative Career series, Bas Korsten talks about how a degree in logistics engineering led him to be one of the industry’s top creatives.

Gymbox’s OOH bus-top ad never booked to appear on London Transport

Ad was supposedly appearing on 12 London buses over the coming week.

GroupM partners with SeenThis in decarbonisation effort

GroupM is partnering with tech company SeenThis in a bid to help reduce and avoid unnecessary carbon emissions in digital advertising.

‘A numbers game’: What does qualitative research look like in 2023?

Our market research series continues with a look at why marketers are moving away from qualitative research – and what the common pitfalls are that have led to its decline.

Agency pay rises revealed

Agency leaders are upping salaries as they battle to hire and retain staff. Campaign’s second annual salary survey reveals where the biggest rises are and, for the first time, what bosses are paid.

Study shows strong consumer support for LGBTQ+ representation in advertising

Survey of 2,300 US adults indicates that consumers actively seek brands that support the LGBTQ+ community and may cease their patronage if these efforts are reduced.

Bard or Bing? Here’s how The&Partnership has been using both gen AI tools

As part of our series examining how businesses are using generative AI in their work, we look at how one WPP agency has integrated both Google’s and Microsoft’s chatbot tools.

Bletchley Park to host AI safety talks in November

The UK has set the date for its much-anticipated summit on the safe use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Global advertising spend forecast to surpass $1trn in 2024

While global advertising spend is forecast to grow 4.4% globally this year, the UK market is actually projected to decline by 1% in US dollar terms.

Carbon credit speculators could lose billions as offsets deemed ‘worthless’

Many credits in the voluntary market going unused, with study finding some offsetting could make global heating worse.

Where have all of adland’s characters gone?

The cost of putting your head above the parapet has become so much greater.

Spoof campaign mocks fossil fuel’s recruitment of influencers to clean up image

After an ad that took a swipe at influencers working with big oil was banned by LinkedIn, creative network Glimpse is back with the next phase of its campaign urging social media stars to steer clear of fossil fuels.

Wagner has put marketing tactics on the front line

Marketing can change the world for the worse as well as the better. As The Drum’s editor-in-chief Gordon Young writes, the devastating power of branding and communications cannot be underestimated.

Ad of the Day: 62ft tall Ikea bag lands on London’s Oxford Street

128ft wide activation covers scaffolding at site of new store set to open on the famous shopping street in 2024.