Dispatch from an advertising future #146

https://www.adweek.com/digital/why-so-many-stadiums-are-racing-to-install-5g-even-with-live-events-paused/ This is going to be the biggest rally of the campaign. The drones’ flightpaths are programmed and timed to the soundtracks; the augmentations are ready to run on the StayApart (™) screens; the SafeAir (™) purifiers are loaded with smells ready for the Christmas story; the seat speakers are set for the soundwave. We’ll …

Dispatch from an advertising future #145

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/11/16/why-linkedin-put-real-people-its-ads Colleagues. It’s been another successful quarter particularly in terms of productivity. Well done. The number of ads we are now producing is at an all time high. Clients know we can turn work around faster – and of course cheaper – than our competitors, still failing (in my opinion) to embrace the potential of …

Dispatch from an advertising future #144

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/11/13/john-lewis-very-different-2020-christmas-ad-we-nearly-didnt-produce-ad-year He was old. He felt old. They looked at him and saw “old”. They humoured him when he talked about Christmas past, appointment TV, tentpole campaigns, iconic ads. He tried to explain the idea of something that everyone watched and talked about. He tried to paint a picture of millions seeing and talking about …

Dispatch from an advertising future #143

https://www.thedrum.com/news/2020/11/12/anatomy-merger-akqa-group-s-ahmed-and-houston-share-their-candid-thoughts A merger’s been on the cards for some time. The CEO wanted to make her mark and ‘refreshing’ the portfolio is a quick win. The trade press has focused on the name and staff on the redundancies but at my level, it’s more fundamental than that. Existential, even. Merging, it speaks of a loss …

Dispatch from an advertising future #142

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/utmost-support-future-talent-during-pandemic/1699162 The networks were rough. Gangs patrolled the feeds, claiming territory, defending their corners. Things got nasty very quickly. Resources were scarce. Opportunities few and far between. Everyone knew someone who had been caught up in something. A skirmish or a full on battle. Since The Collapse, the feeds were no place for the timid …

Dispatch from an advertising future #141

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/7/21553998/netflix-linear-channel-france-streaming-cable-tv He didn’t get headaches any more. He slept better. The doctor said the wearable was posting data “in the right zone”. He felt better, calmer. They reminded him of the glasses he’d worn as a kid to help with his dyslexia. Tinted a cool John Lennon colour, they’d helped stop the words buzzing. These …