THIS WEEK: UK ADVERTISING IN THE MEDIA

Gambling firms among heaviest radio advertisers during school run

Data prompts warnings about millions of children’s potential exposure to betting promotions

Net Zero and the creativity conundrum

Dominic Mills assesses adland’s ability to persuade consumers to make better, more climate-friendly, choices and is irked by lazy statistical analysis.

Argos Launches Feisty Festive Campaign By The & Partnership

The multi-channel campaign tells the world: ‘Baubles to Last Year, Christmas is On!’

Meet Ebanana Scrooge, Aldi’s replacement for Kevin the Carrot

Teased today with the full ad to follow, the short clip sees a child Ebanana patiently waiting for Santa.

Lidl predicts what a future Christmas looks like… and it’s scary

Ad features laser knives, Lidl space jumpers and a dog with special powers.

Vodafone Releases Forward-Thinking Christmas Campaign

The creative, by Ogilvy, shows the power of giving in making change.

Adobe study: half of consumers shun ‘creepy’ brands they think misuse their data

A warning shot across the bows of advertisers who misuse consumer data has been fired by Adobe, with a new report indicating that seven in 10 Brits would redirect their custom to more trustworthy brands in such circumstances.

Ad Net Zero: Tangible Ways to Make a Change

Day two of Ad Net Zero featured Konrad Shek, director of policy, Credos, Rachel Boland, head of sustainability, Engine Group, James Best, chairman, CAP and Credos UK and Jo Coombes, project director, AdGreen.

‘Agencies need to pursue B Corp status if they’re serious about sustainability’

The process of becoming certified weeds out any shallow attempts to be perceived as sustainable, says Fiona McNae of Space Doctors.

Will a trade body tame the ‘Wild West’ of influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is rapidly expanding, but will a dedicated trade body mean it will finally be taken more seriously as a maturing industry?

Marketers are in pole position to shape consumer demand for sustainability

Creating a lower carbon alternative is one thing, but brands still need to get people to choose it, and marketing and advertising has the opportunity to be the driving force in helping people make the transition.

Media planners need to think bigger about emissions associated with advertising

Measuring and offsetting alone cannot be a long-term solution, warns Zenith’s chief strategy officer.

Virgin Media O2, British Gas and Sky demand world leaders tackle climate misinformation

More than 250 companies have signed an open letter, which demands world leaders and tech platforms take action to stop the spread of misinformation as data shows the extent of the problem.

Net Zero and the creativity conundrum

Dominic Mills assesses adland’s ability to persuade consumers to make better, more climate-friendly, choices and is irked by lazy statistical analysis.

Safe and traditional 2021 Christmas ads feel like advertising-by-numbers

We’re told climate change is the most pressing issue facing businesses and their customers – but none of the major brands have gone for an environmental theme.

Eco accountability and the return of Xmas: Your Marketing Week

At the end of every week I look at the key stories, offering my view on what they mean for you and the industry. From brands turning their attention to the climate crisis to the John Lewis Christmas ad demonstrating the power of brand storytelling, it’s been a busy week. Here is my take.

How do you solve a problem like… the return of business travel?

Each week, we ask agency experts for their advice on real problems facing today’s marketing practitioners. This week, we’re discussing how advertising businesses are navigating ethical and financial issues around the re-introduction of business travel.

WPP wins majority of $4 billion Coca-Cola business

Dentsu retains business as “complementary media partner,” and Coca-Cola will tap into an open-source pool of talent for creative.

Omnicom beats Havas to land British Airways global media account

The airline recently appointed Uncommon as its new creative agency.

Amazon And Lucky Generals Celebrate Kindness This Christmas With New Adele Song

Amazon has kicked off its Christmas campaign with a spot showing how giving is the greatest gift of all.

Sonic Branding Lessons From James Bond

When it comes to sonic branding in film, nobody does it better than Bond. In advertising, next to nobody does it, argues the Engine Creative strategist.

Celebrate the Best Excuses with Very’s Musical Christmas Ad

Set to a choir of carol singers performing a version of ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’, the ad from Grey London features a whole host of guilty pleasures.

The ESG Audit: S4 Capital

Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital, on how ESG drives accountability and why he thinks holding companies are getting it wrong.

Effective ad campaigns are making UK’s carbon emissions problem worse

A new report into the impact of marketing on carbon output has found that successful ads add an extra 28% to the annual carbon footprint of every single person in the UK.

Two-thirds of CMOs fear creativity will be impacted by remote working, study finds

While many brands have discovered a hybrid working model can be effective, the majority of CMOs fear continual lack of physical communication between marketers could impact creativity.

High-carbon clients cause my staff concern. Here’s my stance on boycotting

There is a balancing act agencies must perform in response to employee worries about clients doing harm to the environment.

Brands must adapt to three disruptive forces this Christmas

Brands should be looking to create shoppable moments within their existing plans and using test-and-learn approaches in the build-up to Christmas, writes Carat’s head of strategy.

Deliveroo Unveils Christmas Campaign From Pablo

‘The Ultimate Gift. Great Food’ campaign champions our shared love of great food.

Despondent Bounty bar finds love in festive tearjerker

Christmas had been looking dire for the most unloved of all Celebrations chocolates.

Coca-Cola holiday ad tells an uplifting tale of a cardboard chimney that brings people together

Created by DentsuMB, the holiday campaign falls under the ‘Real magic’ global brand platform and will run in more than 90 markets.

Lush “The snow fairy” by Feral Child

Cosmetics brand Lush has released its first-ever Christmas campaign, with an ad made in the style of Studio Ghibli films.

The Power Of “No”

Agencies should be having a fine old time of it. Yet some client behaviour has emboldened agencies to consider whether to participate in pitches.

Why brands can’t be silent on the talent crisis facing agencies

Brands and marketers have a vital role to play in helping agencies through the current talent crisis. Paul Stringer, consultant at ID Comms, highlights three ways they can make a difference.

COP26 reflects our inner quandary – it’s us or the climate

Search data shows we all want to save the planet, so long as we’re not worried about our health and the economy.

Can Media.Monks continue ‘extreme growth’ while keeping green?

Media.Monks’ Q3 results show the digital marketing company is making good on its promise of ‘extreme growth,‘ but can it balance shareholder expectations with its sustainability plans?

Adland doesn’t have the tools to properly measure media’s carbon footprint… yet

First wave of media carbon calculators are “imperfect“, but can they help industry meet the unmissable climate deadline and decarbonize supply chain?

Investor view: What the results from the online companies tell us about the future direction of online advertising

Q3’s performances have given us some insight into the effects of Apple’s IDFA changes on online ad platforms.

600+ advertisers spent more on TV in pandemic-hit 2020

More than 600 UK advertisers increased their adspend on TV last year, despite a collapse in the market during the height of the pandemic.

ITV on target to break ad revenue record

The broadcaster reported huge rises in revenue across business lines in Q3.

TUI on revamping its media strategy to ‘evolve’ past Covid crisis

Determined not to let the crisis go to waste, the travel operator revamped its brand identity, rolled out new creative principles and changed the way it talks about brand spend to make a stronger case for investment.

Wunderman Thompson appoints EMEA inclusion and diversity director

Sufia Parkar will work alongside global diversity boss.

Christmas advertising is drowning in marketers’ fake tears

Christmas 2021 is shaping up to be an exercise in hyper-emotional brand bullshit, with Coca-Cola even choosing to edit itself out of its own campaign. But don’t worry, the holidays are still coming.

Kevin lives: Aldi’s Dickensian Christmas tale of Ebanana Scrooge and Marcus Radishford

Supermarket will donate 1.8 million meals to UK families in need this festive season as part of its Christmas campaign.

McDonald’s puts the spotlight on imaginary friends in Xmas coming-of-age ad

Campaign marks the fifth year of the restaurant’s #ReindeerReady brand positioning.

McDonald’s CMO on why ‘feel-good marketing’ is key for the brand this Christmas

As McDonald’s launches its first Christmas campaign with Michelle Graham-Clare as UK CMO, she explains why connecting with families over the festive season is critical and where growth will come from going forward.

O2’s Bubl mascot forms army to tackle data poverty in Christmas spot

The ad was developed by VCCP London.

Camden Town Brewery wants to ‘giftnotise’ bad gift givers in first Christmas spot

The brewery’s first Christmas advert was created by Wieden+Kennedy.

We cannot tackle the climate crisis without the full backing of advertisers

If brands want to have licence to talk about the environment they need to show they understand the problems and are making moves to mitigate their impact.

Pizza Hut, Burger King and KFC among brands with most fake Instagram followers

About a quarter of the world’s most popular brands’ Instagram followers are defined as “fake” or “suspicious” accounts, according to new research.