The Marketing of Doctor Who Is About to Enter a Whole New Dimension

Doctor Who, the longest-running action-adventure television series in the world, turned 60 in November. And, true to form after all of those years traveling in space and time, it’s only just beginning. The quintessentially British show, produced by BBC Studios, has begun a partnership with Disney that is already taking the show’s brand and commercial…

This Is Your Brain on Food: Postmates Co-Opts Famous Tagline for Trippy Ads

Food is more than just sustenance–it can be a wild romp through a fiery hellscape in the case of Nashville hot chicken, or a joyride on a geyser of steaming hot broth if the dish is soup dumplings. Digging into a flavorful favorite like barbecue or boba doesn’t just satiate hunger, it jumpstarts the nervous…

Off the Clock: Typography Is Therapeutic for Born Social’s ECD

Working in the relentless environment of social media, Paddy Smith, executive creative director and partner at agency Born Social, likes to step away each week to focus on something he finds therapeutic. This conscious separation from his daily work has led him to a hobby that is physical rather than digital: typography and hand-lettering, a…

Apple Drops New ‘Shot on iPhone’ Ad With Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo’s latest music video was shot entirely on the new iPhone 15 Pro, with Apple’s creative agency quickly dropping behind-the-scenes footage and content snippets from the shoot as commercials for the product. TBWA/Media Arts Lab launched the ads on Instagram and YouTube moments after the introduction of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15…

The Award-Winning Metaverse Project That’s Saving a Nation

With a population of about 12,000, the nine islands of Tuvalu sit in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and Australia. But for how much longer? As a low-lying country, it is under severe threat from climate change and rising sea levels, which could see it become uninhabitable over the next century. To preserve the sovereignty…

The Freak Brothers and Weedmaps Fire Up a Collaboration to Reach New Fans

A trio of Woodstock-era stoners smoke the dankest, most magical strain on the planet, take a 50-year nap and Rip Van Winkle into current-day San Francisco. Along with adjusting to their new normal, post-Summer of Love, these dudes will need to restock. That’s where Weedmaps comes in, with the cannabis marketplace showing up as the…

Exclusive: McCann Taps Havas Leader Stephanie Nerlich for Newly Created Global President Role

Stephanie Nerlich, a veteran Havas Creative leader, is assuming a new global president role at McCann Worldgroup’s McCann agency. She’ll report to McCann Worldgroup and McCann CEO Daryl Lee and focus on new business development–especially in global markets–and on supporting McCann clients. She’ll take on a leadership role for McCann U.S.’s Verizon account. This kind…

Two Indie Agencies—Crossmedia and Joan Creative—Partner on Media and Creative to Achieve Scale

Two independent agencies–media shop Crossmedia and Joan Creative–are reimagining how to reintegrate media and creative disciplines. They’re rolling out a novel service offering, dubbed JoanxMedia, that’s designed to offer clients more options and could inspire how other independent agencies go to market. The partnership is one way independent agencies can integrate services without having to…

Regal Cinemas Uses FOMO to Pull Movie Fans Into the Multiplex

A creepy long-haired creature levitates into a pool party, adding some unexpected terror to an otherwise sunny day. The demon hasn’t arrived to possess souls but rather to ask questions. Namely, why hasn’t one of the sunbathers been to the multiplex to check out the hottest horror flick du jour? Everyone’s talking about it, including…

Hyper-Realistic CGI Ads Are Taking Over Your City, And Your Timeline

A giant Barbie towers over Dubai’s business district, unfixing her long limbs from a plastic Mattel box as high as the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. Meanwhile, in London an underground carriage adorned with eyelashes rolls into a station, coating them with a lick of Maybelline’s “Lash Sensational” mascara on the way. These aren’t real ads, they’re…

A Love Letter to My Favorite Childhood Brand, Vans

Working with brands as part of my everyday job, I often think about those that have had a lasting impact on my life. Growing up, one of them was Vans. Vans allowed me to embrace the lifestyle that I admired and aspired to as a teenager growing up in Southern California during the 1990s. Whether…

Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About Non-Competes?

In December 2022, I was made redundant. Citing financial challenges, my employer eliminated several roles across the company. I was ten months into leading the Marketing team and about to start my Christmas break. It stung. Additionally, almost six months later, I’m still waiting out my non-compete. It raises the question: When faced with an…

Salesforce Positions Itself as the Sheriff of AI’s Wild West

On the heels of a new campaign asking who is going to be the sheriff of the Wild West that is artificial intelligence, Salesforce also releaased a survey showing that almost three-quarters of employees believe the technology introduces new security risks but plan to use it anyway. The 15-second campaign, titled “AI Sheriff,” features the…

A$AP Rocky Directs and Stars in Beats Ad About His Family Life

For A$AP Rocky, promoting Beats By Dre’s new Beats Studio Pro over-ear headphones is a family affair. The rapper directs and stars in the brand’s ad, titled “Iconic Sound,” in which his off-screen partner–global superstar Rihanna–interrupts his recording session to send him to buy diapers for their infant son. Still wearing his Beats headphones, he…

These Agencies Prioritized Sending Early-Career Creatives to Cannes

The Cannes Lions Festival has, historically, been a place where senior-level agency employees congregate to drink, network and vie for awards. Attending the event is harder for early-career advertisers. Budgetary concerns, and the sheer lack of relevant on-site opportunities for young people, create a barrier. Some agencies and third-party industry organizations are pushing back on…

Apple’s Underdogs Return in an Action-Comedy to Chase Down a MacBook Thief

In case Tom Cruise and Barbieheimer don’t end up saving the box office, maybe The Underdogs can do it. The cubicle jockeys-turned-entrepreneurs haven’t broken into Hollywood just yet, but they do star in the latest long-form ad for Apple that’s as action-packed and end-to-end entertaining as much of the fare on the silver screen. The…

After Winning Creative AOR, Mischief Reunites Sizzler With Jodie Sweetin After 35 Years

Before Jodie Sweetin uttered her “how rude” catch phrase on Full House, she was shoveling shrimp into her mouth in a commercial for Sizzler. Over 35 years after Sweetin made her acting debut in the ad for the family steakhouse, she returns in a new campaign for the regional restaurant. In “Still as Great as…

Intuit TurboTax Names R/GA Its Lead Creative Agency

IPG creative agency R/GA has won Intuit TurboTax’s business, following a creative review that began in March. Intuit brands include Intuit TurboTax, Credit Karma, QuickBooks and Mailchimp. R/GA will work on increasing consumer adoption of TurboTax offerings TurboTax Live and TurboTax Full Service. To do this, it will take a full-funnel approach to strategy, spanning…

Boston THC Party: Cannabis Execs Protest High Taxes on Weed Industry

For those who might have skipped a few classes in high school, a quick recap here: in 1773, a group of colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the Boston Harbor in what would become one of the most famous tax protests in American history. This week–some 250 years later–senior leaders at multistate cannabis company…

Here Are the Nominated Ads for the 75th Annual Emmy Awards

Coming on the heels of Cannes, the Oscars of the advertising world, the 2023 Emmy Awards announced its nominations today for Outstanding Commercial. Not surprisingly–and not without precedent–there are several repeat appearances on the Television Academy’s list by brands that collected hardware recently in the south of France. Tech giant Apple, a perennial favorite at…