What this year’s Christmas adverts can teach us about making a great ad campaign December 17, 2018 With just over a week to go until Christmas Day, the big question is: have you bought all your presents yet? (I haven’t.) If you have, did any of this year’s festive ads sway your opinion? Did Elton John tickling the ivories mean that retailer John Lewis tickled your fancy, or did you feel like doing [...]
The unstoppable rise of podcasts: How an industry was reborn December 16, 2018 It seems nothing can stop the rise of podcasts. On-demand listening has become the sine qua non of the commuter; the lifeblood of dinner party conversation. Popular podcasters attract millions of listeners, and advertisers are starting to reap the rewards. And yet podcasts are not a new phenomenon. They predate Facebook, Youtube and Twitter, and [...]
‘Non-sexy’ is the new cool: UK fintech predictions for 2019 December 13, 2018 Despite the continued uncertainties of Brexit, 2018 was another year for the UK’s fintech sector. Record levels of investment poured into the community, with $16bn secured in the first six months of 2018, exceeding the value of investment in US fintech by almost $2bn. In addition, progressive regulation and a thriving financial services sector attracted [...]
The seven trends in the digital sport world to look out for in 2019 December 11, 2018 This has been a transformative year for the digital sport landscape, from tech giants Amazon and Facebook making major rights acquisitions to a rise in behind-the-scenes and self-authored content. Here, Charlie Beall of consultancy Seven League assesses the trends that dominated 2018 and look set to shape the next 12 months. 1. Athletes becoming media As [...]
Coca-Cola’s advertisement history is like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly December 11, 2018 Coca-Cola's advertising resonates with millions across the world. It is renowned for being effective, entertaining and instantly recognisable, but the “Because I Can” campaign released in January proved to be a disappointment. This raised the question: what’s happened to its ad strategy? It’s time to delve into the good, the bad, and the ugly of [...]
WPP to slash 3,500 jobs as it launches new streamlining strategy December 11, 2018 Advertising group WPP is cutting 3,500 jobs as it restructures the business and shifts its focus to technology in a bid to stave off competition from tech giants. WPP today said it will spend £300m over the next three years as it simplifies the business, aiming to make annual savings of £275m by 2021. The [...]
With our North American friends, we are proving that trade is not a zero-sum game December 10, 2018 All eyes will be on Westminster tomorrow as parliament prepares for a crunch vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. We must remember, however, that the world is not stopping for Brexit, even if it continues to dominate the headlines back at home. That is why I am today starting my first overseas visit since taking [...]
Former GCHQ boss calls for greater regulation of Facebook December 7, 2018 Former GCHQ boss Robert Hannigan has attacked Facebook, claiming it is undermining democracy and demanding that the social media giant face greater regulation. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Hannigan stated that Facebook “isn't a kind of fluffy charity providing free services". "It's is a very hard-headed international business and these big tech companies are essentially the [...]
Facebook documents: Four things we learned from 250 pages of confidential emails December 5, 2018 Parliament today published a tranche of confidential Facebook documents it seized as part of an inquiry into fake news. The release of nearly 250 pages of internal documents, seized from a tech firm suing the tech giant, includes emails sent between chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. Damian Collins, chair of the Digital, [...]
US judge seizes laptop of app boss who leaked Facebook info to British MPs December 2, 2018 The software company co-founder who released a trove of sensitive documents about Facebook to a parliamentary committee has been ordered by a US judge to turn in his electronic devices for inspection. San Mateo County judge V. Raymond Swope ordered Ted Kramer, the founder of Six4three – a now-defunct bikini-related app company – to pass [...]