Through the foggy masked-covered gloom of October Christmas for adland is coming upon us fast. That means inevitably so are the new batch of Christmas ads. All I can say is what a time to be an agency trying to ...
Read More »Wunderman Thompson hires strategy chief Sid McGrath, brings back Quality Street
Wunderman Thompson has hired Sid McGrath as UK chief strategy officer. McGrath joins from Karmarama where he spent 14 years building the agency, now part of Accenture Interactive. McGrath’s role in stitching creative, data and technology together there is named ...
Read More »Havas UK launches 2025 employee inclusion charter
Havas UK has reaffirmed its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion with the appointment of a new DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) executive committee and the launch of a new charter, setting out the business’ commitments over the next five ...
Read More »Giles Keeble: Howard Gossage was right all those years ago, we need more generalists
I recently came across a D&AD discussion in which Naresh Ramchandani argued the case for generalists. It reminded me of Howard Gossage, who — apart from being a wonderful copywriter — once set up Generalists Inc. as a sideline. Inspired ...
Read More »Richards Group founder Stan Richards exits as “too black” comment puts agency in play
What we might call institutional ‘wokeness’ has claimed another victim, Richards Group founder and creative director Stan Richards, 87, has, in his own words, “fired himself” after being clocked saying a Motel 6 ad was “too black.” He’s said he ...
Read More »Ali MacCallum of Kinetic: programmatic points Out of Home to a better post-Covid future
If anything is defining the impact of Covid it is uncertainty. Not knowing how the pandemic will develop in terms of further restrictions and economic impact nationally and locally, is making brand media planning infinitely more difficult and the advertising ...
Read More »Electric car ads from Honda & Lexus have a one-track mind
There’s very little to choose between these two ads for electric cars from Honda and Lexus. Both are composed of cloud shots, nature scenes, neon-lit tunnels, night-time cityscapes, bridges, stirring music, and a dramatic female voiceover talking about imagination. Electric ...
Read More »McCann Worldgroup CEO Harris Diamond retires, COO Bill Kolb takes over
There were plenty of doubters when Harris Diamond – a PR man from IPG’s Weber Shandwick – was made chairman and CEO of McCann Worldgroup in 2012. The fact that his retirement is seen as a loss is testament to ...
Read More »McDonald’s’ recipe for gloomy Britain – ‘A little means a lot’
Here’s another gritty slice of life from gloomy Britain from McDonald’s (London’s going into virtual lockdown following most of the north of England and Scotland) and Leo Burnett – ‘The gift’ with a teenager getting a not entirely welcome (initially) ...
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