This week: UK advertising in the media

It is now 367 days until the first match of Fifa World Cup in Qatar and brands should start preparing their campaigns early, advertisers were warned today.

Go Kevin: Why We All Love A Cute (Or Cringey) Brand Mascot

Attaching your brand to a cute character (or even an odd one: Ronald McDonald anyone?) can be a powerful lever of success, and now the brand mascot is back in fashion.

‘Anti-social’: Why Lush is resurrecting its social media ban

Chief digital officer Jack Constantine tells Marketing Week about the beauty retailer’s plans to come off social media for the second time, why it has decided to make a stand and what went wrong the first time round.

Campaign Big Awards 2021: winners revealed

AMV BBDO, Engine and Uncommon were big winners at the prestigious Campaign Big Awards 2021, which took place at The Londoner Hotel in Leicester Square.

Facebook gives advertisers contextual brand safety controls in the NewsFeed

Omnicom Media Group says it is “a step in the right direction.”

IPA micro-targeting campaign goes on despite Meta pledge

The IPA’s three-year campaign for political advertisers to stop micro-targeting social media users will go on, despite Meta’s recent announcement to limit targeting options.

Amazon Prime Video debuts smiling hyena Christmas ad to stand apart from Amazon

Amazon Prime Video has gone solo in Europe with a Christmas ad campaign distinct from Amazon for the first time. Helen Cowley, Amazon Prime Video EU’s director of marketing, explains why.

How is it still a White Christmas?

Why did Diwali get picked as the launch day for Christmas ads? The average 90%-white ethnic composition of the agency teams behind this year’s work is your answer, according to Engine Creative’s Alpesh Patel.

Buying through social media offers huge opportunity for brands, report says

The report was produced by media agency Essence, its first major research dive into social commerce.

Campaign podcast: COP26, misinformation and advertising-for-good

Adland talks about COP26, climate change misinformation and the role advertising should play as brands transition to being more sustainable.

Marketers must prove ‘sustainable consumption’ is not an oxymoron

Brands need to encourage better – not more – consumption, if they are to have a place in a sustainable future for our planet and society.

COP26: moving from ambitious talk to the starting line

Maintaining profit means investing in new models of consumption, writes MediaCom’s strategy director.

Mars Celebrations Calls On The Nation To ‘Bring The Whoop Whoop’

The spot by AMV BBDO encourages party goers to celebrate whatever the time of year.

Summer of sport used to ‘deluge’ families with junk food advertising – report

This year’s “summer of sport” was used by the food and drink industry to deluge families with junk food advertising, according to a report.

We should prepare now for more Apple on our media plans

Apple’s ad business is rarely discussed but has the potential to become a major player. Advertisers should proceed with caution.

Red Mist Can Cloud Creativity

But the constant and unmerited attacks on advertising at least shows that it’s culturally resonant.

ITV reveals its ‘digital future’ with Adlabs

ITV has launched a new enterprise ITV Adlabs to streamline its digital and commercial offering.

ITV bundles TV and metaverse innovations within Adlabs

ITV has launched the ITV Adlabs, a new home for all of its branded innovation to sit in as the company continues to diversify its income and offer more to marketers.

‘Thank truck’ for that: ASA finds Green Flag wordplay unlikely to cause offence

A total of 46 complaints were lodged with the ASA, but the regulator dismissed them.

Don’t sit on the sidelines: Five ways ad industry can lead on sustainability after COP26

COP26 may be over, but it’s crucial the industry continues the momentum towards a more sustainable future. UK adland can be a world leader in driving that change, writes Advertising Association CEO Stephen Woodford.

ITV Palooza: strong programme slate and innovations impress market
This was a showing of renewed optimism, confidence and long-awaited fun by ITV, Britain’s biggest commercial broadcaster.

Turning the page with recycled paper: how Posterscope & Nestlé made billboards sustainable

Posterscope won the ‘Innovation in Out of Home’ category at The Drum Awards for Out of Home with its campaign for Nestlé. This project took one of the industry’s staples, the humble paper billboard, and used it to send an important message of sustainability.

The Metaverse? Let’s fix the Internet first

In the first of a two-part article, Nick Manning assesses what’s wrong with a digital landscape dominated by Google and Facebook and why the advertising industry is hamstrung to fix it.

Agencies name Mail Metro Media as best media owner partner

Agencies have named Mail Metro Media as the best media owner to work with in the a survey conducted by the IPA.

Lidl, Pernod Ricard, new ad ban: Everything that matters this morning

Good morning and welcome to Marketing Week’s round-up of the news that matters in the marketing world today.

Britons uneasy with third parties tracking internet habits for tailored ads

Viewers more likely to fully engage with ads if they are entertained.

TV advertisers braced for ‘exceptionally inflated’ winter

The first months of 2022 are predicted to be significantly more expensive to advertise on TV than previous years because of higher demand from brands coinciding with a post-Christmas decline in audiences.

Eerie TimeTo ad highlights danger of sexual harassment as people return to the office

Created by Lucky Generals, the urgent ad moves TimeTo’s ‘where do you draw the line?’ tagline onwards, urging businesses ‘it’s time to draw the line’ by signing up for TimeTo training.

Could addressable TV allow broadcasters to win ad share from the tech giants?

TV’s embrace of targeted advertising is opening the door to smaller advertisers, but do Google and Facebook need to worry?

Week in Media: ITV’s night of polyadmory and edgy content

ITV’s annual bash for advertisers was packed with memorable content – including some striking off-the-cuff moments – as it tries to widen access to a crowded TV market, writes the editor.

Nadine Dorries appears unsure of how Channel 4 is funded in select committee hearing

Nadine Dorries stumbled on the source of Channel 4’s funding in a her first appearance before the Culture Select Committee in Parliament.

‘The stakes are higher than ever’: Can retailers make up for lost ground this Christmas?

After all the disruption of the last year, major retailers are doubling down on advertising this Christmas. But with stock and price challenges still in play, the real focus should be on what’s coming around the corner.

Is it time to rethink online ad viewability?

Why are advertisers charged for unseen ads? Traditional metrics are becoming insufficient to track the performance of a campaign accurately.