Drinks & Alcohol
Introducing Liquid Death’s Greatest Hates Vol. 3! Bop to 10 delightful, spiteful tracks featuring lyrics written entirely by real internet haters.
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Friday, June 30, 2023
Liquid Death turned internet hate comments into danceable hits: "Greatest Hates Vol 3"
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Next 15 wins four-agency four-year BBC deal
Four Next 15 brands have won a four-year contract to join the BBC’s new Digital Design Services Framework following a competitive tender. The four brands – Beyond, Brandwidth, House 337 and Transform UK – will now work on UX, design, branding and content services.
Particular priorities will be the BBC’s design systems, service design and employee experience.
Next 15 group client MD Rob Carter says: “We are absolutely delighted to have won a place on the BBC’s Digital Design Services Framework. Our consortium’s unique multidisciplinary model and extensive digital design expertise will help drive the BBC’s ongoing digital transformation journey.
“We see this partnership as both an exciting opportunity to develop great work together, and a privilege to be part of the development of this amazing institution.”
Quoted Next 15 now has over 4000 people operating in 15 countries
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AI and ad biashow brands can develop ethical frameworks
images due to regulatory scrutiny. Today, distinguishing human and AI-created content is challenging. If AI is used in ad creative, consumer awareness matters. Clear guidelines, ethical boundaries, human oversight and transparent disclosure are vital for trust and authenticity in AI-generated content.
Safeguard ad placements
AI-driven ad placement can harm a brand’s reputation and lead to inappropriate or harmful ad contexts and brand safety issues. AI-automated placement, even with safety guardrails in place, might miss things that a human with a better understanding of context and culture could pick up on—hence the need for human oversight and audits to maintain fairness and brand safety.
Prioritize authenticity
Over-optimization of advertising can result in ads that lose their authenticity and trustworthiness. Brands will need to strike a balance between AI-driven personalization and maintaining a genuine connection with the audience. It is important to leverage user feedback and to conduct regular sentiment analyses and refine AI algorithms to ensure you are coming to market in an authentic way.
Ensure accurate ad targeting
Inappropriately trained AI algorithms can mistakenly categorize users—creating false positives/negatives—resulting in poor ad targeting, cost inefficiencies and even potential harm to consumers. To improve AI accuracy, we need to prioritize transparency in data collection and use, allowing users to understand and control the information that they provide. Given that AI tools can be inherently biased, users must understand how the tools have been trained by their owners to mitigate against bias. We also need to ensure that all stakeholders—agencies, brand leaders and media partners—understand how to select input data to avoid a discriminatory output.
Establish guidelines
AI algorithms are complex. While clear disclosures about data and methodologies support ethical advertising decisions, AI complexity makes it difficult to make them accountably. We must develop robust ethical frameworks that address accountability, transparency and fairness. Implementing explainable AI algorithms and closely collaborating with legal, AI experts, media and marketing teams can help navigate ethical and legal dilemmas.
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Jennifer Lopez lets AI do the talking in personalised Virgin Voyages campaign
Emma Hall is a journalist and editorial consultant and is the former Europe Editor of Ad Age, where she covered European marketing advertising, digital and media stories. She has written for newspapers including the Financial Times, The Guardian, The Times and the Telegraph, and was previously a section editor at Campaign. Emma started her career in New York as a researcher for a biography of Keith Richards.
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Agency news to know: June 30 2023
Just briefly
Doremus+Co has named Sarah Lent president. She takes over for Paul Hirsch, who has been elevated to CEO and retains the title of chief creative officer. Lent previously worked in leadership roles at EssenceMediacom and R/GA.
Ukrainian advertising agencies Who Are You and Rocketmen agency are coupling their creative resources to raise money and support Ukraine’s independent ad agencies. Rocketmen agency launched the “Creative Wave” project, which created a visual identity for Ukrainian businesses and assisted in crisis management. Who Are You launched “Stand With Ukraine,” which created 400 videos documenting Russia’s war crimes in the country.
Barbarian appointed Henry Fernandez as executive director of business development and marketing. This newly created role will evolve how the agency partners with clients as it expands its executive team. He joins from VCCP, where he was director of business evolution.
New York agency network Meet The People added Saltwater Collective to its roster of agencies. With the addition of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based digital agency, Meet The People, grows to 550 employees across North America.
Plus Company Canada has hired Karine Courtemanche as exec VP of the agency and president of the media group, including Cossette Media and Jungle Media, a new post. Courtemanche joins from Omnicom Media Group, where she led the Touché! and PHD media teams.
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MAA Ad of the Week: Uber Eats from Buzzman
in Advertisers, Agencies, Analysis, Creative, News
19 mins ago
French folk like to test out their favourite products – is the camembert squishy enough? – so online ordering has an obstacle to overcome. Even if it’s not food.
Highlighted by agency Buzzman in this series of short films for Uber Eats.
A good idea takes you a long way.
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Thursday, June 29, 2023
Beiersdorf launches global media review
OMD, Dentsu and Wavemaker are believed to be participating in the review, according to multiple people close to the situation. None of the agencies responded to calls for comment.
As part of parent company Maxingvest, Beiersdorf was the No. 69 global advertising spender in 2021, according to Ad Age Datacenter, with the bulk of its spending coming from Europe. Measured media spending in 2021 was $1.4 billion, of which $1.2 billion was in Europe, $85 million in Asia Pacific, $46 million in Africa, $39 million in the U.S., and $29 million in Latin America.
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The top 5 food and beverage marketing ideas to know about right now
Ad Age’s take on the most interesting recent food and beverage collaborations.
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Womens World Cup insights for your ads
June 29, 2023
3-minute read
The Women’s World Cup is quickly approaching, and consumers are eager to support their favorite teams. The event is set to take place starting July 20, 2023, in Australia and New Zealand, making it the first women’s tournament ever to take place in two countries. The event will likely be a huge success and provide a valuable opportunity for Retail brands to reach younger audiences, according to a recent study produced by Footballco and Indivisa.
Brands that choose to engage with the female players will have the biggest edge, with “56% of fans saying they would think more favorably about brands that sponsor their favorite female players.”
World Cup searches on the rise
Interest in the tournament is starting to rise on the Microsoft Search Network, with recent queries containing the term “womens world cup” growing an average of +84% week-over-week (WoW).
Microsoft Advertising gathered suggestions for our Retail advertisers over the next few months, based on online trends and learnings from the Men’s World Cup in late 2022.
Read on for insights on the best timing to reach sports fans as well as top Retail categories that have seen increases in previous events.
A few insights for your ads
- For similar past sporting events, such as the Men’s World Cup in 2022, searches on the Microsoft Search Network increased around one month prior to the event. Searches gained traction one week before and peaked the day of the event.
- Use the search and native full funnel strategy to focus on performance; +3.6x visitation rate vs. Only search ad exposure; 5.4x conversion rate vs. Only search ad exposure.
- This year, ensure you have your budgets distributed for the entire duration of the event, as searches didn’t completely drop off until the events ended. Leverage remarketing to target people who visited your site 30 days before the event and are ready to buy during the event.
- Multiple Retail and Sporting Goods categories showed uplifts around sporting events. For instance, during the Men’s World Cup, we saw a significant search lift in the following categories: Sports Apparel, Sporting Events, and Soccer Equipment.
- In fact, leading up to the Men’s World Cup this year, we saw a click growth of +33% month-over-month (MoM) for Soccer Equipment queries.
- Jerseys have commonly been the most searched item for Apparel during similar sporting events, followed by cleats and socks. Consumers often searched for the country they’re rooting for during the tournament. During the men’s tournament in November 2022, the US held 45% of the click share among all countries for jersey searches.
- Since US women teams are currently one of the favorites to win this year’s tournament, we expect to see similar results in July. Use Merchant Promotions to display special offers on specific products relevant to the World Football Tournament offerings through Product Ads.
Make sure you’re prepared for this year’s Women’s World Cup by setting your flighting to include the weeks leading up to the tournament through the entire tournament, using keyword targeting relevant to the event and your brand, and distributing your budget accordingly.
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Will the UK government bail out Thames Water in time to save VCCPs Brian the Otter?
Will we ever see Brian the Otter fronting up for Thames Water?
Brian, you may recall, is the VCCP creation who’s supposed to make us think rather better of the monopoly water supplier famed its leaks and sewage spillages.
A commercial has been shot, captured by spies for the Mail on Sunday. He was supposed to join an extensive VCCP menagerie already boasting meerkats, their new wombat friend and O2’s Bubl.
Now, however, it’s emerged that Thames Water is drowning in a sea of debt (even more unpleasant), with its CEO departing barely three years after receiving a £3m hello present, and is teetering on the brink of a nationalised bailout.
Now there’s nothing new about this debt, all £14bn of it although it’s been made worse by sharply rising interest rates. Surely Thames Water’s marketing department knew about this before they decided Brian and his accompanying media budget was the way forward. Or doesn’t the board speak to marketing any more? Do any, for that matter.
Some companies have to advertise or they wouldn’t stay in business – hugely indebted supermarkets Asda and Morrison are two cases in point. But Thames Water?
PS TW are still in the process of digging up huge swathes of North London near yours truly. When they run out of money (imminently it seems) will we have roadworks and temporary traffic lights for ever?
PPS Contrary to popular belief TW isn’t majority owned by the Chinese and other mendacious foreigners but by two teacher pension funds, one in Ontario, the other representing hard-pressed lecturers in the UK. Funny old world.
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True Value names Laughlin Constable agency of record
“Now is the time to explore marrying our strengths of local expertise with the needs of the 2023 shopper,” wrote Kelly Megel, who joined True Value last year as senior VP, marketing, after working at Discover Financial Services, in an email. “Independent hardware stores are such special places in the communities they serve, and we were looking for an agency partner who understands that and could help us tell that story.”
The wholesaler, which is based in Chicago and supplies hardware services and goods to more than 4,500 stores, previously handled its advertising in-house. A representative would not say how long the company searched for a new agency.
A new creative strategy for True Value is underway.
Laughlin Constable maintains offices in Chicago and Milwaukee. The shop was recently named agency of record for Vienna Beef.
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Wednesday, June 28, 2023
Jeep-owner Stellantis hires first-ever AOR for Black audiences
Boosting representation
Marc Bland, chief diversity officer at S&P Global Mobility, which tracks the automotive industry, said the hirings of Black-owned agencies come as consumers demand more representation in auto marketing. “If you’re trying to reach me, then I want all the content to be about me—Black creative, all-Black actors, real Black scenarios,” he said.
Read more: Hyundai leverages a TikTok trend to connect with Black consumers
Toyota currently ranks first among Black buyers based on new vehicle registration data, according to S&P, followed by Chevrolet and Honda. Jeep ranks eighth (better than its 10th-place ranking among all buyers), while Dodge is 17th (22nd for total market); and Ram is 18th (15th in total market.)
Stellantis got to know TKT & Associates via its participation in Stellantis’s National Black Supplier Development Program, an initiative meant to “develop Black suppliers for future contracting and procurement opportunities in pursuit of greater racial equity in the marketplace,” according to the program’s website. TKT & Associates first started working with Stellantis as a supplier in 2020 through TKT & Associate’s subsidiary, Astute Sourcing LLC, providing contingent staffing and workforce solutions.
Through those efforts, TKT was “able to really hone our skills, get to [Stellantis] better,” Kimberly Bunton, CEO and chief strategy officer of TKT Collab, said during the media briefing. The agency of record assignment is “a tremendous opportunity for us. It is not something that we take lightly… and we appreciate the opportunity to have a creative expression and energy to connect [Stellantis] with the Black community,” she said.
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Gus Nisbet of MassiveMusic: how generative AI can make or mar sound connection
Keeping up with the latest cutting-edge technology is part and parcel of being a tech ‘giant’. So it’s unsurprising when the likes of Meta and Google have said they’re integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) – the hottest trend at the moment – into their ad platforms.
But just like any other trend, there’s always the danger of over-saturation and before you know it, the thing that everybody loved for being cool and innovative is now out of vogue.
Sustaining the excitement around what AI could do to empower and improve the advertising industry should be the priority for everybody. But when everyone’s jumping on AI, how can we ensure it doesn’t turn into a bandwagon that consumers will tire of?
Looking at what we know about consumer behaviour and the power that music and sound have had in influencing behaviours, perhaps the secret sauce to standing out amidst the AI-generated sea of sameness is all in the sonics.
Embracing a sound-on era
Historically, visual assets have played a seismic role in shaping brand identities. And yet, is your brand still there if your audience closes your eyes? As our Songtradr colleague Shez Mehra would say, “When you close your eyes, most of the world’s brands disappear.” As we begin to step further into a sound-on world, with the exponential rise of platforms such as TikTok, brands are increasingly recognising the value of sound and music. Netflix, Moonpig.com, Flash, and Colgate are just a few brands that have recognised the significance of a sonic identity that transcends the limitations of a visual world.
In today’s digital landscape, not only is it important having a sonic identity that can work across TV and social media. We must also recognise that the rapid advancements in technology have opened up new avenues for brands to show up in – mixed realities (virtual & augmented), product experiences and digital events present unique opportunities for the strategic use of sound.
AI offers many possibilities, but businesses must define and maintain fixed brand assets that provide consistency while exploring new avenues. Visual and sound are often seen as separate entities, but consumers don’t disconnect them. There is a symbiotic relationship that exists between the two, where there is instant recall on both sides. If you have the sonic logo, you’ll automatically see the visual logo in your head.
Similarly, the other way round, you’ll see the visual logo out in the real world and, by default, you begin to hum or hear the sonic logo in your head. That’s a testament to strong advertising, having different touchpoints that work together to serve a brand. It should all be seen as one cohesive brand identity. And we must remember sound isn’t exclusive to any sector: the recent Music of Beauty report by Songtradr revealed music accounts for 15% of a brand’s performance, and their previous Music of Beer shows it accounts there for 30%.
The strategic use of sound in advertising can create subconscious human connections evoking emotions and memories that align with an overarching purpose and promise. Sounds can serve as a powerful instrument to bridge that gap and foster positive connections. Findings from the IPSOS ‘Power of You’ report, emphasises the importance of having unique and distinctive brand assets in enhancing creative effectiveness, as well as underlining that sound, on average, has more of an impact than visual assets.
The deafening silence of businesses on mute in certain digital arenas places them at a disadvantage. Being ‘heard’ on a platform is imperative when cementing a brand’s promise in a commercially-saturated climate.
Assert your assets
Striking a balance is essential. Leaning too heavily on AI for generated content can potentially compromise a brand’s messaging or identity, where the wrong colour or wording is used, turning it into an unsolicited rendition of the logo game. Studies have shown that nearly 80% of consumers can recall a brand through its signature colours, whereas less than half can remember the name, making it necessary for brands to have substantial brand assets.
Ensuring a brand’s values are accurately mirrored through generated content without a human lens is a gamble. To strike a chord with consumers, it’s crucial for the content created to drive recall – something sound can do effectively. Consistency is key, and consistency of recognition of assets is fundamental to any brand development. Without a consistent theme tying the brand promise together, consumer recognition can easily get lost with AI recreating branded assets.
This further underlines the importance of having different owned advertising touchpoints for customers to engage with, ensuring the persona and spirit of a business doesn’t veer off track.
Introducing the new co-creators
Although generative content as a whole faces copyright issues, the music industry stands out due to the major control music labels have over copyright. It’s great to embrace AI, but brands must bear in mind that there are risks with leaning on AI-generated music, as the content created can be derived from catalogues owned by music labels.
Creators need to establish guidelines and ensure that there is a human lens to mitigate these risks. Coca-Cola’s recent advert (below) using AI-powered tools, for example, is a perfect blend of AI-enhanced transitions and human creative input. While AI can creatively enhance a campaign, it’s important to anchor these AI tools with human insight, allowing brands to maintain a sense of authenticity. Seeing AI as co-creators removes the risk of branded content feeling one tone – beige.
Instead of turning a blind eye or futilely trying to boycott AI, it’s important to actively engage in the conversations surrounding it. It’s inevitable that technology will continue to evolve, and industry creatives should embrace the changes and learn about how it can enhance their work. For instance, it only six months ago we experienced the arrival of ChatGPT, and it has made waves, transforming the way creators operate and think.
By being a part of the dialogue, advertisers can influence the trajectory of AI and ensure that these tools are used effectively, preserving brand authenticity, sounding great while still promoting genuine human connection.
Gus Nisbet is senior creative strategist at MassiveMusic.
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How to create a marketing playbook that builds on what already works
The constant buzz around new technologies and trends creates a lot of noise that can distract from the challenge at hand: creating a dynamic strategy and plan that reaches fast-moving and fickle consumers whose needs are constantly changing. On top of that, budgets are tight and everyone is trying to do more with less. Brands are hunkering down and trying to maintain share of voice when the market may dictate pulling back.
The new marketer’s playbook builds on the best of what you already know works, and skillfully adds in new technologies and trends that are relevant for your brand.
It’s true: It can be more difficult to connect with consumers now than it was five years ago. The pandemic, inflation and economic stress have altered consumer habits and contributed to a drop in brand loyalty. Some 89% of shoppers around the world classify themselves as value-oriented today, and only 17% of consumers say they’d stick with their trusted brands regardless of price, according to a recent Mirakl study.
In the meantime, consumer attention spans have fallen to an all-time low, with declining tolerance for ads. Although Kantar reports that both free and paid ad-supported streaming is growing, two-thirds of consumers are skipping ads or paying to avoid them, 48% are already using ad blockers and 45% said they simply don’t watch ads.
Where are consumers spending their time?
Smart marketers are looking for consumers where they are paying attention. That includes some expected solutions: Snackable content, including short-form video on all platforms, continues to dominate. Smartphones not only account for a growing percentage of that media consumption, but nearly two-thirds of e-commerce purchases as well.
But there are surprises. A rapidly growing percentage of consumers are using social platforms for product discovery, and they are increasingly comfortable purchasing via social media apps. That includes an expanding number of boomers and Gen Xers. TikTok calls it “shoppertainment”: 61% of TikTok users have engaged in e-commerce behaviors, and a third have made at least one purchase through the app. By the beginning of 2023, 41% of social media users said they feel comfortable purchasing on social platforms, according to HubSpot.
Despite those numbers, finding your brand’s consumers should always start with solid data-driven consumer insights, including their media consumption habits. Just because everyone’s using short-form video or promoting on TikTok doesn’t mean that’s the right answer for you. If yours is a complex product that needs more explanation or a longer story, look for the right method to deliver that content through a relevant funnel.
How to reach consumers?
With recent studies showing that 50% of marketing budgets are wasted, in a climate where every dollar counts, it’s important to create a mix of both known and new channels.
For example, consider multichannel marketing, which can demonstrably increase revenue. Successful brands like Under Armour reach consumers with an approach that includes an app, in-store experiences, social content and connections to the fitness community, with content often delivered by influencers. Although consumers appreciate the ease of online shopping, 27.6% said they are attracted by “the allure of in-store experiences,” according to a recent Shopify study. Think about Starbucks and the notable, personalized experience and atmosphere the brand offers. Brands need to be everywhere their consumers want to shop.
In terms of other tech-enabled media channels, connected TV may be a smart addition to your arsenal. As leading marketers like Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal have found, CTV allows marketers to efficiently target specific audiences with customized buys.
Also consider audio content like podcasts, which have in-demand, hard-to-reach audiences—generally young, affluent and educated—who are more receptive to ads. Podcasts offer a unique opportunity for storytelling. Sephora’s #LIPSTORIES podcast uses an interview format with rotating guests who discuss self-image, empowerment and what beauty means to them. Although the podcast marketplace has experienced a bit of a shakeout lately, the industry overall is projected to reach nearly $100 billion in value by 2028.
Lastly, work to better understand how augmented and virtual reality might help you optimize your customer experience. That might include virtual tours online or shopping assistants within an app. For example, Walmart now offers shoppers the opportunity to virtually “try on” clothing using their own photos, and Nike’s New-York based House of Innovation flagship store allows customers to augment their in-store experience through their app’s in-store mode.
The new playbook
In a world where everything seems to be moving at hyper-speed, remember that it’s not just permissible but smart and resourceful to prioritize the essentials in your toolkit, the things that are still relevant and effective. Then, where you can, start experimenting with emerging technologies, platforms and trends. Explore new tactics that align with your goals and your current customers’ preferences. Leverage these tools to meet those new consumer behavior challenges. And make sure you’re working with partners who provide transparency about where your dollars are being spent, and real-time access to campaign performance.
This resulting new playbook will balance your traditional tactics with the most useful new technologies and most efficient new channels.
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Updates to our network policies
June 28, 2023
3-minute read
In our commitment to transparency and safety for everyone who uses our products and services, Microsoft Advertising will be rolling out some new policies. These intend to provide greater visibility into the enforcement of our network policies, to help further protect users of our products and services, and to ensure alignment with upcoming regulatory changes.
We are also making updates to our policy pages to improve usability by moving content to different pages or adding examples and clarity where needed. On this page, you will find additional information about these recent and upcoming changes, which will be rolling out on our policy site over the next couple of months.
Transparency updates
- Beginning July 1, 2023, we will implement a new policy that outlines different impacts to your advertising account including:
- Ad and ad component disapprovals such as keyword, ad copy, or landing page
- Store or product disapprovals
- A three-strikes policy for repeated policy violations
- Currently, our policies disallow repeat violations, this provides more detail and structure to that policy.
- Egregious violations that may result in immediate suspension of services.
- This is already part of our policy enforcement; the updates provide additional details about what falls into this category.
Recently implemented policy updates
- Advertising for vitamins and supplements is now allowed on the Microsoft Audience Network.
- Ads cannot claim to complete a task such as cleansing the liver.
- Landing pages must be product pages, they cannot be advertorials or videos.
- Gambling advertising is now allowed on the Microsoft Audience Network in markets allowed by our policies.
- Advertisers must be licensed in any market they will target with ads.
- Advertisers must have gone through the gambling enablement process and obtained approval for the markets they will target.
Changes beginning July 1, 2023
- Gambling advertising will no longer be allowed in Belgium.
- Gambling advertisers serving ads in the Netherlands will need to ensure their campaigns are targeting only users over the age of 24.
Changes beginning August 1, 2023
- Gambling advertisers targeting Ireland must utilize time targeting options in their campaigns to ensure ads are not serving between 5:30 AM and 9:00 PM. Please note this update is due to pending regulation, if this regulation update goes into effect prior to August 1, advertisers will be required to comply upon effective date.
- We will no longer allow advertising for clinical trials or experimental treatments globally.
- Adult advertising will no longer be allowed in Hungary or Poland.
Structural page updates
- While some markets may appear to have been removed, all markets are still available; they will follow the policies for the markets to which they are aligned.
- To create better alignment with similar policies, some content is being moved to different pages.
- Additional clarifications and examples are being added for greater clarity on some of our policy pages.
- Publisher preferences such as those for MSN, Outlook, and Xbox for example, are being removed from the policy pages and will be maintained within a new help document. This document will be linked from the policy page navigation menu.
For additional details on these and other Microsoft Advertising Network policies, please visit our policy site. Please note that some policy updates will not be reflected until after July 1, 2023.
Help us improve Microsoft Advertising
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Gen Z life lessons from LinkedIn: VCCPs Avoid the awkward
LinkedIn’s influence and value escalated in the pandemic when IRL networking couldn’t happen, and the social network for business still seems to be going from strength to strength.
VCCP’s new campaign targets Gen Z LinkedIn users, so there must even be plenty of those now. It’s a social video series that talks about how to act like a normal person in the workplace, mainly by not saying stupid things to people who may look or act a bit different to you. All are based on real life situations and feature LinkedIn “influencers.”
Zara Easton, head of brand marketing UK at LinkedIn, said: “Gen Z professionals want to openly discuss and address challenges of DEI in the workplace, and we see experts on LinkedIn sharing tips and experiences every day to help people do this more. The content brings to life real stories we can all learn from, while shining a light on topics that younger workers care deeply about. We chose a playful direction, which plays off ‘awkward’ British behaviour to capture people’s attention on these important topics in unexpected ways.”
Matt Lloyd, deputy ECD at VCCP London, said: “It’s a difficult conversation by its very nature. A lot of people are scared of saying anything for fear of saying the wrong thing, so we needed to say it’s ok to get it wrong if you then learn from those mistakes. But we didn’t want it to be too earnest or worthy, we wanted the uncomfortable situations to bring a smile, and that’s where Hannah Berry George and her great comedic touch brought them to life in all their awkward glory.”
You’d think that Gen Z would be able to negotiate these conversations better than older workers, so maybe the campaign is about reassuring them that workplaces care about inclusivity and that swapping a WFH environment for office life might not be so bad after all.
MAA creative scale: 6.5
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How Diddy-Diageo divorce will affect Ciroc and DeLeon branding
“I think it’s too soon to say who will end up controlling the brands moving forward, as the legal proceedings will have to play out,” said Dan Marstellar, executive editor of Shanken News, a wine and spirits industry newsletter. “But Diageo certainly has the resources to try to retain and continue growing them if it wishes. The question is how much upside Diageo sees in them.”
Diageo’s response to the lawsuit alleged Combs had invested $1,000 into the DeLeon joint venture whereas Diageo devoted more than $100 million. “If Diageo wanted to keep the brand, I wonder if they would use that argument,” said Sarah Barrett, executive editor of Wine & Spirits Daily.
Ciroc remains the second-largest above-$25 vodka brand in the U.S. after Grey Goose, Marstellar said, citing Impact Databank figures. But the brand was down 4.5% last year and has averaged an annual 2.5% decline over the past five years. DeLeon posted 72% growth to 120,000 cases in the U.S. last year but grew slower than other Diageo-owned tequila brands, Casamigos and Don Julio, which each sold more than 2 million cases.
Look back: Uber One and ‘Diddy’ remix songs for Super Bowl ad
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Tuesday, June 27, 2023
How TikToks Creative Challenge works for brands and creators
Over 200 brands were involved in the early piloting of the program, including TikTok’s sister app CapCut, plus-size dating app WooPlus and mobile game “Lords Mobile: Tower Defense,” according to Bousquet’s video. Screenshots shared in her video also show creators can earn bonuses from TikTok through the Creative Challenge feature for meeting certain requirements. For example, creators earn a $20 “newcomer bonus” for their first approved video submission through the program.
Additional bonuses are based on their ads’ collective performance, such as the “guaranteed bonus,” which grants a creator $200 if they have four brand-approved videos that generate at least $10 in revenue for the creator.
“Are we not going to talk about the fact that they’re literally asking people to create ads for free?” Bousquet says in the video uploaded in October. In an email to Ad Age, Bousquet said she hasn’t participated in the program because brands are automatically given perpetual usage rights to any user-submitted videos, which “is not something [she’s] comfortable with, personally,” she said.
Other creators, though, have taken part in the program. Creator Sydney McDonald told Ad Age that she has earned about $16,000 per month since she began using the Creative Challenge feature in February. In an email, McDonald said she has created videos for brands such as Uber Eats, Rocket Money and AI chatbot Genie through the program
In a video earlier this month, creator @nessaweight said that she has earned roughly $10,000 per month making ads for video games such as Fortnite and “Genshin Impact” through the program.
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Grimace Shake TikTok trend and how McDonalds is responding
The Grimace trend shows that brands have to stay on their toes, even days after a campaign launches, and have internal plans around positive or negative reactions.
“This is a good opportunity to have a conversation internally, from the top level, to the person running the day-to-day social channels, about what the brand is comfortable with and the level of risk tolerance,” said Haberman, the marketing expert who didn’t expect McDonald’s to respond to the trend. “Even the most junior employee should know that not all engagement is the best thing.”
While the Grimace trend has picked up speed in the last few days, it seems to have started with a TikTok by Austin Frazier, who posted a Grimace-inspired video on June 13, the day after the shake came out. Frazier’s TikTok bio says he is “The first victim of Grimace.” In the video, he excitedly wishes Grimace a happy birthday, and then the next shot is him sprawled on his kitchen floor with the drink next to him.
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Special Olympics NorCal athletes seek to reclaim the term 'special'
Special Olympics Northern California’s new awareness campaign addresses the preconceived notions of what it’s like to live with an intellectual disability as an athlete.
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Diageo ends Diddy brand relationship after his racism claims
Diageo North America Inc. said it is breaking off its brand relationship with music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The spirits maker made the announcement in a Tuesday court filing responding to Combs’s lawsuit last month accusing the company of racial bias in failing to adequately promote his Ciroc Vodka and DeLeón Tequila brands. Diageo asked the judge in the case to force Combs’s case into arbitration or dismiss it.
“Diageo is profoundly disappointed that Sean Combs, an entertainer and entrepreneur who has amassed nearly one billion dollars from a fifteen-year relationship with Diageo, has caused this bad faith, sham action to be improperly brought before this Court,” Diageo said in the Manhattan federal court filing.
A spokesman and a lawyer for Combs didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
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Dennys issues Baconalia challenge to America for free bacon
What do a swimsuit model and entrepreneur, an action hero and a TV star have in common? All three love bacon, according to Denny’s.
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Skittles brightens up capital for Pride Month
in Advertisers, Agencies, Creative, Finance, Media, News, PR, Social Media
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Brands are still weighing into Pride Month despite some recent controversies and Mars’ Skittles is partnering with Gay Times, Queer Britain and Getty Images to launch a lively new outdoor exhibition in London – ‘Queer Joy’ featuring work by up and coming LGBTQ+ photographers.
Skittles senior brand manager Ryan Pardo-Roques says: “Skittles have been on a journey with our work and allyship (sic) of the LGBTQ+ community for almost a decade. The impact and growth of this activity would not have been possible without our amazing partners whose counsel and insight into the community has helped us remain authentic and use our brand platform for good and action.
“As we enter Pride month, we’re bound to see brands use this moment to speak to the LGBTQ+ community but it’s important to ensure this is backed by credible partnerships, action and extends all year round.”
MAA creative scale: 8.
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Web3 less known than cryptocurrency metaverse and NFTs: survey
These findings may come as a surprise to marketers given that Web3 was all the rage this time last year. From creating virtual worlds to shilling NFT wearables, numerous brands showed interest in developing Web3 as the next frontier for digital advertising. Since the concept has always been esoteric, education typically plays a pivotal role in these efforts. Both crypto-native companies, such as Crypto.com, and traditional brands, such as Adidas, have contributed to spreading the Web3 word.
Others may not be surprised by the apparent inefficacy of these activations on audience awareness. Since last fall, right around the time that FTX collapsed, companies have been easing off of their Web3 investment. Disney shuttered its entire metaverse team in March, following a similar move by Microsoft the month prior. Even Meta, which changed its corporate name from Facebook in October 2021 to reflect its vision for the virtual world, ended NFT integrations on its two biggest platforms.
While causation is unclear, there is a strong correlation between waning interest in Web3 and rising interest in AI. The latter technology has skyrocketed to the primacy of every marketer’s attention, with apps such as ChatGPT already showing levels of adoption that Web3 has yet to accomplish. Some brands, including Coca-Cola, are prioritizing new AI efforts over previous Web3 ones.
Despite its negative outlook on Web3, the survey reported several findings that suggest the space could still attract more consumers. Some 70% of global respondents (72% of U.S. respondents) believe they should be able to share in the profit a company makes from their data. Moreover, 67% of global respondents believe they should own their online creations—a scenario made possible by NFT and blockchain technology but currently hampered due to the control posed by walled gardens such as Google and Meta.
Data privacy, another tenet of Web3-related technologies, is important to 81% of U.S. respondents. Relatedly, 79% of U.S. respondents said they would like to levy more control over their identity on the internet.
For these reasons, ConsenSys is launching a rebrand to its core mission, with particular regard to how it defines its audience. It will now refer to its “users” as “builders” in order to convey that everyone involved in Web3 is also involved in the space’s development.
ConsenSys and YouGov’s survey included a total of 15,158 individuals, ages 18 to 65, from 15 countries across the world. The data was collected between April and May 2023.
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Interbrand names 2023s breakthrough brands
Consultancy Interbrand has named what it calls the 30 most innovative brands in its new Breakthrough Brands Report, partnering with Vox Media.
This year’s report has grouped brands into ‘Arenas,’ each of which outlines the core human needs and cultural shifts brands are supposed to reflect. Such brands, says Interbrand, have the potential to expand and evolve into more than one category or industry.
The brands in this year’s report include OpenAI, which gained 1 million users in just five days via ChatGPT; Neko Health, an affordable health-tech experience from Spotify founder Daniel Ek; Zepeto, Asia’s largest metaverse platform; Betterhalf, a matrimony app used by 100 million professionals in India; and Fishwife, a chic canned fish brand.
Top 12
Interbrand New York global chief growth officer Daniel Binns says: “This year’s analysis of brands represents what’s happening in society and culture today. Most industries are becoming crowded, with a multitude of brands providing similar things. Brands making bold moves to stand out have the best chance of being successful.”
The full report will be available here later today.
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DTC brands are investing in affiliate marketing
Publishing realities
Publishers are seizing on affiliate marketing to make up for lost traditional ad revenue.
“You have major media houses who’ve lost revenue in traditional digital ad buys having to shift to affiliate marketing,” said Blagica Bottigliero, who was most recently the director of affiliate marketing at JEB Commerce and has worked with brands such as Cotopaxi and Dr. Squatch. Bottigliero cited Condé Nast and Meredith publications, as well as offshoots of other outlets specifically created for affiliate marketing, such as New York Times-owned Wirecutter and the Wall Street Journal’s Buy Side.
Articles with affiliate links often include a disclosure line that says something like “every product on this page was chosen by an editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy,” to make it clear that the publication is earning money off these placements.
For DTC brands, paying publishers via affiliate marketing can help secure coverage in coveted publications—coverage that can be make-or-break for new entrants in competitive categories.
Vivek Agarwal, founder of DTC swim company Ookioh, said that three years ago, if he wanted an Ookioh suit in a magazine spread, he could contact a fashion editor, and that was it. But now Ookioh must now add affiliate marketing to the mix—and offer a solid commission percentage to stand out.
“Almost all the fashion editors love our stuff. But it’s the affiliate managers and the commerce managers who are behind the scenes, and they only look at numbers—so you have to sort of make your value proposition better for them to consider you,” Agarwal said.
And as more of his competitors use editorial affiliate marketing, he said he has had to boost commissions paid to the publishers to get placements: The brand increased its commission rate from 10% of each sale made through affiliate links to 15% of each sale, leading to an overall increase in its affiliate spend.
Of course, depending on the publication, the details of these commissions and what it takes to make a list vary. Betches, for instance, has been growing its affiliate efforts recently; and David Spiegel, chief revenue officer at Betches Media, confirmed that it’s becoming increasingly competitive as more DTC brands enter the space, and more media companies double down on the strategy.
For DTC brands, he said, affiliate marketing became more appealing after Apple cracked down on privacy and DTC companies needed to diversify concrete sales channels. At the same time, due to the recent economic downturn, publishers were trying to diversify their revenue.
“It has become a much more competitive marketplace,” Spiegel said.
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Monday, June 26, 2023
Dentsu Americas CEO Jacki Kelley departs for IPG
The move marks a return to IPG for Kelley, who previously served as the North America CEO and president of global clients at IPG Mediabrands. Kelley, who joined Dentsu in 2019, was also global CEO of UM, the IPG media agency.
“IPG is where I learned the importance of ‘work you love, with people you love’—a beautiful statement coined by The Martin Agency’s late and amazing Mike Hughes,” Kelley said in a statement. “Our industry is the ultimate team sport, and I am excited to return to the field with IPG’s dynamic leaders and strong agency brands.”
Kelley “has played an important role over the last four years and we appreciate her leadership,” a Dentsu spokesman said in a statement.
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Watch the newest commercials from Travelers The Home Depot Max and more
A few highlights: Travelers says, “Remarkable things happen when people care.”
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How a diverse and inclusive agency culture leads to winning campaigns
“We understood the critical importance of infusing diversity of thought across all disciplines within Taylor, along with the impact it would have on behalf of our client partners,” Signore said. Many of those clients who were part of Taylor’s initial transformation are firmly behind the agency’s DE&I efforts today, including Diageo, Capital One and P&G.
In 2018, Taylor established a formal alliance with Gino to ensure that the agency continued to harness the power of difference to maximize its creative output.
“It led to our evolution as a purpose-led marketing agency that shapes possibilities,” said Maeve Hagen, Taylor managing partner. “Embracing this approach at every level fuels engagement, collaboration and a collective spirit of innovation.”
Pioneering campaigns that make a difference
A team that’s not afraid to put its thinking through the test of different views and disagreements can create breakthrough solutions for its client partners, according to Garlanda Freeze, Taylor’s executive VP, account.
“We sit on a mountain of insights about backgrounds, sub-communities and cultural movements, and these insights fuel authenticity and originality,” Freeze said. “We invite debate on controversial issues. In a respectful environment all voices are heard to rewrite the rules of the industry.”
Taylor’s recent campaigns prove the point. For example, Crown Royal’s “The Royal Ride” highlighted the diverse history of the American West by hosting a procession of all Black riders through the historic Fort Worth Stockyards in advance of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo. The whisky brand also honored Opal Lee, the “grandmother of Juneteenth,” as the “Royal Rider” recipient, and secured 382 media placements and more than 206 million impressions.
In addition, the AIG Women’s Open 2022 elevated the insurance brand’s commitment to gender equity and its support of women’s golf, personified by AIG ambassador and British golfer Georgia Hall. The women’s tournament was notable because Scotland’s Muirfield course only began to admit women in 2017. The campaign produced 2 million U.S. broadcast video views, 12 million social media video views, and a 15-times year-over-year increase in campaign reach.
Lastly, Capital One’s 2022 ESG report is a testament to the organization’s mission to “Change Banking for Good.” The interactive design, data visualization and multimedia elements tell dynamic stories of workplace diversity, inclusion and belonging as well as community engagement and social impact. The project resulted in a 44% increase in report viewership year-over-year and 569,000 impressions across Capital One platforms.
“Being challenged makes every idea stronger,” said Suyin Sleeman, Taylor’s executive VP and executive creative director. “I love feeding in inputs from multiple disciplines and walks of life; it adds richness and depth to our work. The numbers never lie, the make-up of our country has changed and new approaches must be developed to represent the ever-changing melting pot of America.”
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Gut DDB Omnicom Somesuch and Apple are top Cannes company winners
Cannes Lions agencies of the year were a more interesting lot than usual, Gut in Argentina (a breakaway from WPP’s David) won creative agency of the year, independent agency of the year and independent network of the year.
Gut Buenos Aires won the Mobile Grand Prix for ‘World Cup delivery’ for Pedidos Ya (below) and Creative Data for Stella Artois for ‘The Artois Probability.’ GUT Los Angeles won the PR Lions Grand Prix for Doordash with “Self-love bouquet.”
Omnicom’s DDB won network of the year with adam&eveDDB’s ‘The Last Photo’ picking up 11 Lions. Other big winners included ‘Apologize the Rainbow’ by DDB Chicago for Skittles (below) and ‘Baby Scan’ by Adam & Eve/DDB for Marmite.
Omnicom won most creative company of the year (formerly holding company), unseating regular recent winner WPP. CEO John Wren said: “I am incredibly proud of how our agencies showed up this year.
“It’s always rewarding to see the hard work of our people across the globe recognized by Cannes Lions, the global benchmark for creative excellence.
“I want to congratulate them for their efforts; this award is a direct reflection of their brilliance and unwavering dedication to their clients.”
The Palme d’Or for top production company went to Somesuch in the US while Apple was the top brand winner.
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Jonathan Mildenhall on being he/him/human
The TwentyFirstCenturyBrand co-founder and chair writes about launching “Is Mankind?” during his time at Airbnb.
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Cannes Lions wrap: MAAs GP of GPs James Murphys choice
Does Cannes matter? This is a question we asked at the very start and our answer is, yes to an extent (just as well as we covered it in some depth although we eschewed some Grand Prix which seemed to have more to do with ingenuity than creativity.)
It matters because it’s now the world’s biggest ad festival by some distance even though, rather like Glastonbury in the music world, it’s showing signs of middle-aged spread. Its stars aren’t quite as old but it’s noteworthy that the younger lot seem to lacking the the appeal of their elders.
This time there seemed to a needed re-set towards the commercial at the expense of purpose. One person who knows smoething about this is James Murphy (left), CEO of New Commercial Arts, an avowedly commercial organization, and, before that, a co-founder and CEO of adam&eve (now adam&eveDDB), Cannes’ most recent Agency of the Decade.
Here’s his choice from Cannes, one which was noted but didn’t win big, and feelings about the festival as a whole.
James Murphy’s choice
Now the curtain has come down on another Cannes, MAA asked for nominations for their own Cannes Grand Prix and a flavour of how the festival felt.
Well Cannes 23 felt like it was making up for lost time. A buzz around the work, a buzz around the business being done and a feeling that it was OK to party a bit on the side as well.
And while there were the debates over the purpose of purpose, the existential threat of AI and the perennial “creativity ain’t what it used to be” crisis, there was a piece of UK work that came through the middle showing what great, populist commercial creativity is all about.
McDonald’s “Raise your arches” has a simple, celebratory confidence that reflects a brand and agency (Leo Burnett London) who know exactly what they’re doing together. It won some gongs, but definitely deserved more. It stands out as piece of work that is entirely self-contained. It stands or falls entirely on what you see, hear and feel in 60 seconds on the screen.
There is no back-story, no higher moral calling, just the reductivist joy of creativity where you feel nothing could have been added to make it better, and nothing taken away. It revels in the brand’s ubiquitous and iconic identity and the insight that a guilty pleasure is even better when it’s shared.
Cannes is a global showcase and this is such a simple, universal idea from the UK, it could run anywhere.
What else caught our eye? This joint winner of the Film Grand Prix (still the biggie) rather shamefully eluded us in the rush of last day awards. Good to see 30-seconds can still hack it.
P&G’s ‘The Name’ from R/GA is just a completely charming film. No idea what it’s selling but it makes you feel better about P&G.
But the MAA Grand Prix of Grand Prix? Has to be the other Film winner, CALM from adam&eveDDB. At one point it looked as though this would bag loads of Lions but miss out on a Grand Prix (it fits into numerous categories) but justice was done in the end.
It certainly isn’t avowedly commercial (but not everything has to be) but really couldn’t be done better and can stand against any Cannes winner. Highlighting male suicide is a worthy social service.
A&E has had a few reverses over the past year or so, losing out in the Virgin/O2 pitch and seeing the National Lottery under its new operator go elsewhere. John Lewis had the effrontery to review and A&E chose not to repitch. Does the retailer know what it’s done?
But A&E is up there with the world’s historic great ad agencies (admittedly an Anglo-centric list): CDP and BMP in the UK, DDB (very back in the day) and Chiat\Day in the US, BETC in Paris (why don’t French agencies do better at Cannes? Maybe the jurors are smarting over their drinks bills.)
We could do with another one or two.
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Saturday, June 24, 2023
New commercials: Home Depot Chick-fil-A Code Moo Mattress Firm
A few highlights: Mattress Firm says, “The right mattress matters—we’ll find yours.” Home Depot promotes its current sale on the GE Profile UltraFast Combo, a washer and dryer in one machine. And a couple of cows take over the social media department of fictional burger chain Circus Burger in the latest from Chick-fil-A.
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Cannes Lions 2023 Titanium Grand Prix: Tuvalu digital nation
“‘The First Digital Nation’ is a provocative response to a question no one wants to have to ask—What happens to a country without land?” Tara Ford, chief creative officer of The Monkeys, told Ad Age earlier this week. “It challenges our very understanding of what a nation is in the physical, emotional, political and personal sense. It will help Tuvalu adapt in the face of an ever-growing climate crisis, while at the same time putting pressure on world leaders to mitigate their impact on the planet. It will help save their sovereignty, and in years to come allow the spirit and soul of the nation of Tuvalu to live on when the land is no more.”
David Droga, CEO of Accenture Song and president of the Titanium jury (who abstained from final deliberations, as The Monkeys is an Accenture agency), said efforts like “The First Digital Nation” prove the worth of ad agencies as creative problem solvers, not just communicators.
“This is not a technology idea, as such,” Droga said at a press conference Friday. “This is not a storytelling idea. It’s not an idea about changing perception. This is about having their borders recognized digitally, so they can save their GDP as a nation. When they are dispersed, which is inevitable, wherever they end up, all their fishing rights remain so they will have income, they will have an economy.”
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Cannes Lions 2023: Mastercard app for Ukrainian refugees wins Sustainable Development Grand Prix
Overall 40% of the score was based on whether the work “can have a tangible impact today and travel across borders.”
WheretoSettle was a data and tech solution at a festival dominated by talk of AI. But Lin said not everything that won required technology.
“Dogs Without Borders” from VMLY&R New York, Sao Paolo and Madrid won Gold around a program to train dogs to sniff out cancer in lower income areas with limited access to health care.
“That was based on science,” Lin said, “but didn’t require technology.”
The Grand Prix winner was a testament to the fact that “despite the fact that everybody has a role to play in making SDG real, it’s the power of brands that really takes sustainable development and makes it possible,” Lin said.
Gold winners
Two campaigns won Gold Lions in Sustainable Development Goals: “Pret A Voter” for Solar Impulse from Publicis Conseil, Paris; and “Dogs Without Borders” for KDOG Cancer Detection Group from VMLY&R New York, Sao Paolo and Madrid.
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Friday, June 23, 2023
Publicis Italy and Brazil take home gold silver and bronze at Cannes Lions 2023 Adland
On the fourth day of the Cannes Lions Festival, Publicis Italy | LePub won 7 Lions (1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 4 Bronze), as their campaigns for Heineken® and Barilla claim top spots on the podium. The Barilla Passive Cooking project, created by LePub Italy, secures 2 Bronze Lions in the Brand Experience & Activation and Innovation categories. Meanwhile, the Heineken® campaigns achieve an impressive 5 Lion wins, including 1 Gold, 2 Silver, and 1 Bronze in the Brand Experience & Activation category. The winning campaigns include The Closer (by LePub Italy & LePub Netherlands), Heinekicks (by LePub Italy, BBH & LePub Singapore), and 0.0 Barriers (developed by LePub Brazil). The latter also earns 1 Bronze Lion in the Creative Commerce category.
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Inside Stagwells Sport Beach at Cannes Lions 2023
Opportunities for athletes
Beyond visibility for Stagwell—venue speakers included Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s global chief creative officer; Mark Kirkham, senior VP and chief marketing officer of PepsiCo International Beverages; Amrapali Gan, CEO of OnlyFans; and Paulie Dery, chief marketing officer of Yeti—Sport Beach provided an opportunity for athletes to market themselves at Cannes, many of whom attended the festival for the first time.
One athlete, who hadn’t been to the festival before, was “surprised” by the experience and said it offered the opportunity to meet with brands in a novel way.
Another athlete, Kelvin Beachum, an offensive tackle on the Arizona Cardinals, said the venue “empowered” athletes to be able to talk directly with brands. “Brands need to do a better job of having direct conversations with athletes and allow us to drive the narrative instead of putting their agents in front of the athlete all the time,” he said.
Related: Meet the NBA’s next marketing superstar
One executive marveled at the fact that athletes were sprinkled throughout the festival and felt like it “elevated” its stature. Another remarked that the athletes felt more “down to earth” and approachable than other celebrities.
Several athletes, including Anthony, McCollum and Marshall, as well as Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, were spotted at a party Wednesday night hosted by Group Black at Bisous Bisous Club that featured a performance by rapper Q-Tip.
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Bud Light Easy to Summer (2023) :60 (USA) Adland
When Bud Light brought us “hold music” for the Superbowl, their new strategy was announced with fanfare, that it’s the easy-going and easy-drinking beer – easy for everyone. “We are ushering in a new era for this brand,’ said Alissa Heinerscheid, vice president of marketing for Bud Light, in an interview. She promised then to “strip away all the loudness and the distractions.”
This is not a bad strategy to take when other brands have owned the low-carb area for decades, and their biggest competition is less “easy” drinking heavier IPAs. Their follow-up ad “Carry” showed a woman at a bar managing to bring an armful of beers to her friends without spilling a drop, while shaming a tray-guy on the way.
Then Bud Light shat in the blue cabinet as they managed to offend everyone with a poorly thought-out Dylan Mulvany sponsorship that caused such an uproar and sale decline that Alissa Heinerscheid was put on leave.
It’s in light of all that we see this new summer ad.
On the surface, it’s just a funny series of vignettes of all things summer. Hot asphalt and bare feet, difficulty opening kegs, sunburns, hammock struggles, and windy picnics. But people are reading into all of this, seeing clumsy men, doofus dads, and incompetent idiots – taking it to mean “the people who still drink Bud Light are utter morons.” To them, Bud Light is now easy to boycott, rather than easy to drink.
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Inside Stagwells Sports Beach at Cannes Lions 2023
Opportunities for athletes
Beyond visibility for Stagwell—venue speakers included Jo Shoesmith, Amazon’s global chief creative officer; Mark Kirkham, senior VP and chief marketing officer of PepsiCo International Beverages; Amrapali Gan, CEO of OnlyFans; and Paulie Dery, chief marketing officer of Yeti—Sports Beach provided an opportunity for athletes to market themselves at Cannes, many of whom attended the festival for the first time.
One athlete, who hadn’t been to the festival before, was “surprised” by the experience and said it offered the opportunity to meet with brands in a novel way.
Another athlete, Kelvin Beachum, an offensive tackle on the Arizona Cardinals, said the venue “empowered” athletes to be able to talk directly with brands. “Brands need to do a better job of having direct conversations with athletes and allow us to drive the narrative instead of putting their agents in front of the athlete all the time,” he said.
Related: Meet the NBA’s next marketing superstar
One executive marveled at the fact that athletes were sprinkled throughout the festival and felt like it “elevated” its stature. Another remarked that the athletes felt more “down to earth” and approachable than other celebrities.
Several athletes, including Anthony, McCollum and Marshall, as well as Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, were spotted at a party Wednesday night hosted by Group Black at Bisous Bisous Club that featured a performance by rapper Q-Tip.
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Cannes Lions: TBWA boss Ruhanen blasts creative standards and bent juries
It’s always good when an industry high-up cuts through the bullshit so congratulations to TBWA\Worldwide president/CEO Troy Ruhanen (below), discussing the Cannes Lions with Ad Age.
Amid the usual dreary questions about AI, Ruhanen has this to say about the prevailing level of creativity in adland:
Q/Do you feel like AI is overshadowing any topics this year?
A/It’s overshadowing the fact that I think the work (across the industry) is still pretty bloody average. There’s a lot of work that has a purpose, and then it’s about trying to find a client. It’s better that we’ve seen more real clients doing real work, getting rewarded. That to me is massively important.
“But I do think we have to talk about where creativity is at. Creativity is probably not in its boldest place right now. And it’s been three years and we’re out of COVID so at what point are we really going to acknowledge that?”
Not at the Cannes Lions, one suspects. Then:
Q/What are you hearing about the judging criteria for juries at Cannes this year?
A/I’m hearing about certain companies educating their employees to do jury training to sort of make sure that they can steer (awards) toward their work. It takes away from the purity of this thing. I know that’s a naive statement, but that’s just going too far for me.
“That’s not Cannes’s fault per se. They could probably try to find a different way again to change the criteria, but I think it’s also in the heads of juries and I think they’ve got to be more aggressive against the people that are in that room and stop the games that are getting played. And if you’re a jury head, take responsibility.”
This, of course, will be dismissed by some as sour grapes but if there’s any truth in it – and there surely is, Ruhanen’s no fool – it’s scandalous.
The two issues are, of course, linked. Clients are going to be suspicious of creativity and the risks it entails if they think creatives are abandoning their better judgement (assuming they have any) to suck up to their bosses. As for the bosses..
Time to grow up.
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