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John Lewis and Waitrose have both posted positive sales during what was the worst Christmas for retailers since the financial crash in 2008 but the retailer's owner, the John Lewis Partnership, has warned on profits as "weak consumer demand" increases pressure on the high street.

In the seven weeks to 5 January - which included John Lewis's biggest sales week thanks to Black Friday - like-for-like sales at the department store chain grew by 1%, boosted by good performances in fashion (up 6.8%), beauty (up 11.2%) and own-brand womenswear (up 14.7%).

The home category, however, was down 2.5%, while the electronics category was up just 1%.

When asked during a press call whether its Elton John Christmas blockbuster had the resonance with people John Lewis was hoping for, managing director Paula Nickolds said: "The full figures are not yet available but we have 50 million views on social media, that's 16% up on last year.

"It was launched brilliantly by our partners to the extent it was trending on Twitter within 15 minutes of launch. It's a really important time of year for us and therefore the campaign remains an important part of our tools for Christmas."

Nickolds said John Lewis was "pleased" with the number of pianos it sold over Christmas but again stressed that the ad was less about the piano and more about "thoughtful gifting".
READ MORE: Marketers react to the John Lewis Christmas campaign
However, there are signs this year's Christmas ad may not have performed as well for John Lewis as previous campaigns. According to research by System1, the ad scored just three stars in a ratings system that measures how people feel about an ad and how intensely they fell that aims to predict long-term brand impact on market share and likelihood of purchasing. By comparison, Monty the Penguin scored five stars in 2014.

The score also meant the Elton John ad only just scraped into the top 10 best Christmas ads, behind campaigns from brands such as Heathrow, Coca-Cola and Sainsbury's. Many thought the campaign this year was too much Elton John and not enough John Lewis.

John Lewis Partnerships warns on outlook

At Waitrose, despite a sharp reduction in promotional activity, like-for-like sales increased by 0.3%, while online sales over the Christmas period were up 12.8%. As such, Waitrose says it is "well on track" to growing profits for the full year.

While Waitrose's managing director Rob Collins said early analysis suggests the product-focused Christmas campaign "worked really well", figures from Kantar Worldpanel show that Waitrose's market share dropped by 0.2 percentage points to 5% in the 12 weeks to the end of 2018, putting it seventh out of the UK's 10 biggest grocers.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said gross margins remain under pressure in what has been an intensely competitive pricing environment - promotional activity around Black Friday was up 20% to 30% compared with 2017- and as a result profit will be "substantially lower" this year.

The John Lewis Partnership has also warned that it is considering whether to suspend the staff bonus scheme. The last time it was forced to make that move was in 1953, during rationing.

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John Lewis boss on why the Christmas ad is still 'incredibly important'

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John Lewis and Waitrose have both posted positive sales during what was the worst Christmas for retailers since the financial crash in 2008 but the retailer's owner, the John Lewis Partnership, has warned on profits as "weak consumer demand" increases pressure on the high street.

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When Divine Chocolate launched in the UK 20 years ago it had a clear point of difference: its ownership model. It is 44% owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers' co-operative in Ghana, making it the only chocolate company to give profits back to the farmers that grow the cocoa beans.

That ownership structure informed much of the brand's early positioning and marketing. Its advertising spoke about the fact it was Fairtrade and highlighted the role of the Ghanaian farmers. One particularly high-profile and successful campaign showed female farmers that work at the co-operative but the company admits it didn't get people wanting to eat the chocolate.

That in some ways limited its appeal. The product appealed to an audience interested in Fairtrade but didn't reach out in the same way to chocolate lovers, a much bigger audience.

"[That campaign] got that we needed to say we were different because we were so little and we had so little money but actually the feedback from that was we made people sit up and think but we didn't make them want to eat the chocolate," CEO Sophi Tranchell says, speaking to Marketing Week at The Marketing Society's Brave Conference last month.

We have a very complicated proposition; but then your brand becomes even more important because it needs to somehow wrap up all these messages into a shorthand.

Charlotte Borger, Divine Chocolate

That realisation led to Divine Chocolate's new slogan, 'Owned by cocoa farmers. Made for chocolate lovers'. Tranchell says the company now knows it needs to "single-mindedly remember it is selling chocolate" and that its advertising has to show the product and how good it tastes as well as trying to point out why it is different.

"When we started off the audience was the people who were already into Fairtrade and were waiting for someone like us to get behind. We had a ready-made Fairtrade audience. The step change was when we knew there were millions of chocolate lovers out there and we had to appeal to all of them. You really have to start being a brand people want to engage with," says Divine's communications director Charlotte Borger.

"We have a very complicated proposition; but your brand becomes even more important [then] because it needs to somehow wrap up all these [messages] about farmers and Fairtrade and taste into a shorthand. That is what brands are for."

"The mission is a journey we take people on," says Borger, with Tranchell adding "and some people don't need to go there. But as they become more brand loyal we can go more deeply into the story."

Changing the language of brand purpose

When Divine does talk about its purpose, it aims to make the cocoa farmers the protagonists and avoid the language of charity.

"The farmers aren't people who are beneficiaries of our benevolence and they aren't poor, helpless people," explains Tranchell. "Even saying the word 'help' makes it sound as if they need our aid. It's about how they become protagonists in the story and [we do that] by saying their names, using beautiful photography and highlighting their stories. It is a shift from benevolence to empowerment."

Divine is also increasingly able to talk about every area where it "makes a difference" rather than just the Fairtrade aspect.

"What's been very interesting is 20 years ago we were talking about a product that was Fairtrade and those benefits but now people are interested in the whole of what a company does. That sense we are a company that does business differently, that we treat our employees properly, we care about the environment and we produce these products."

Fairtrade is the Ronseal of certifications. It does what it says on the tin.

Sophi Tranchell, Divine Chocolate

Fairtrade has been under pressure recently, with companies like Sainsbury's and Cadbury moving away from the official organisation in favour of their own offerings. But Tranchell believes there is still an important role for independent verification of claims in this area.

"It is inappropriate for big corporations to mark their own homework, which is sort of what they're wanting us to believe. It's very important to have third-party verification and Fairtrade, among a proliferation of ethical marks, is the only one that's saying 'actually those people in developing countries need to be paid properly if they're going to have better lives and invest in their communities and their future'. It's the only one saying the unsayable, that to stop poor people being poor you pay them more," she says.

"We can do all the dancing around the edges, protect the rainforest, which is very important, but you've got to pay people more and Fairtrade is the Ronseal of certifications. It does what it says on the tin. It pays people properly and it lets them make decisions about the extra money they get and that's as important now as it was 25 years ago."
READ MORE: Is this the beginning of the end for Fairtrade?
While Divine now has a strong brand and sales in the UK and USA, Tranchell is keen to expand its footprint globally. It recently bought a distributor in Sweden and has "nice sales" in Scandinavia, Canada and South Korea but sees potential in new markets such as Japan.

It is also looking at how it can bring its model to other farms. It has just launched a new organic range with farmers from São Tomé, an island off the coast of West Africa, the first time it has worked with farmers other than the ones in Ghana.

"We've got some really exciting potential in what the future looks like helping build farmer organisations but also helping them come together to learn from each other," concludes Tranchell.

"There's also some fantastic initiatives around what doing things differently looks like. Aardman [Animations] giving shares to employees, [organic vegetable firm] Riverford doing the same thing, and Lush. 20 years ago that was pretty unimaginable. These are successful British companies that rather than just enhancing the wealth of shareholders are recognising what their employees are bringing and that [the company] is probably safer in their hands than it will be in anyone else's."

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Why Divine Chocolate shifted marketing focus from purpose to product

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When Divine Chocolate launched in the UK 20 years ago it had a clear point of difference: its ownership model. It is 44% owned by the Kuapa Kokoo cocoa farmers' co-operative in Ghana, making it the only chocolate company to give profits back to the farmers that grow the cocoa beans.

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Sales of both clothing and food were down at Marks & Spencer in the third quarter of 2018 which the retailer has blamed on a combination of low consumer confidence, mild weather, Black Friday and widespread discounting by rivals.

For the 13 weeks to 29 December, like-for-like food sales were down 2.1% and clothing & home sales down 2.4%, resulting in overall group revenue falling 3.9% to £3bn.

However, M&S claims its product-focused Christmas campaign - which the retailer's director of marketing for clothing & home Nathan Ansell said it decided to take an "unashamedly commercial approach" on - worked well, with record sales across all advertised lines.

Marks & Spencer has no plans to return to blockbuster advertising this year, with the focus remaining on product and sales rather than brand.

During a press call this morning (10 January), chief executive Steve Rowe said M&S had "held its nerve in a very competitive market" and the business can see "early signs of encouragement" that it is on the right track to ensure the business has a long-term future. However, he said he "didn't want to call it" on how long it might take to return to positive growth.

The decline in clothing & home reflected lower footfall to stores, partly as a result of the increasing pace of closures. M&S also decided not to take part in Black Friday this year - something Rowe maintains was the "right thing to do" and despite John Lewis recording its biggest ever sales week in the period.
READ MORE: M&S ditches blockbuster ads for Holly Willoughby in digital-first Christmas campaign
It also reduced promotional activity in December by 37% and put 25% less stock into the sale, making it the smallest Christmas sale M&S has had in a number of years.

UK online sales grew above the market average and was up by 14%, which boss Steve Rowe said highlights the need to accelerate its store closure programme and shows it is on track to move a third of its business online within the next three to five years.

Rowe said Holly Willoughby has also helped to attract a younger audience to its clothing & home business with the 'Must Haves' ad campaign and range. Womenswear online growth "significantly outperformed," he added.

Within food, where deflation was 2%, M&S said customers responded well to its Christmas ranges and campaign, resulting in "solid volume growth" over the Christmas period with the majority of stores delivering like-for-like revenue growth.

Bryan Roberts, global insights director at tcc global, says the "disappointing" set of numbers signals that the turnarounds in both general merchandise and food have a way to go.

"We have been heartened by some of the self-help measures M&S has put in place for food, such as simplifying the range and promotional structures, and seeking to reduce base pricing," he says.

"However, there must be a degree of concern that many competitors have at least partially closed the gap in terms of innovation and premium private label."

M&S will continue to cut prices across food and clothing & home until the Spring.

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M&S claims 'unashamedly commercial' Christmas ad strategy paid off despite sales drop

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Sales of both clothing and food were down at Marks & Spencer in the third quarter of 2018 which the retailer has blamed on a combination of low consumer confidence, mild weather, Black Friday and widespread discounting by rivals.

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Oh dear. It looks like this year's selection of Christmas ads, which have seen Kevin the Carrot face-off with a wicked parsnip, Elton John travel back in time to the moment where it all started, and Holly Willoughby shamelessly plug some 'must-have' jumpers, have failed to get festive pulses racing.

Just 29% of campaigns got three stars or more out of five, according to data from System1, half the 59% that scored at least three stars last year and making 2018 the worst year since the company began measuring Christmas ads. The score is calculated by asking people how they feel about the ad and how intensely they feel, ultimately predicting long-term brand impact on market share and likelihood of purchasing.

The fall suggests a couple of trends are at work. On the consumer side, people simply aren't in the mood, whether for reasons around Brexit, the economy, or wanting to be more careful with spending. And on the marketing side the quality and emotional resonance of the ads just isn't as strong this year, especially as many brands have abandoned the usual heart-warming epics in favour (mostly out of necessity) of product-focused ads.

Heathrow comes out on top

The only ad to achieve a four-star rating this year is Heathrow's 'Bears Return', back for the third year, which came out on top with a score of 79.6.

Verbatim consumer responses included: "I loved it", "it was so festive and heart-warming", "good old teddy" and "great ad, hope they don't go on strike".

Coca Cola's classic ' Holidays are Coming' ad came second with a score of 76.9 giving it a three-star rating, followed closely by Sainsbury's ' The Big Night' (76.5) and Asda's high-speed ' Bring Christmas Home ' (76.3).

Cadbury and Boots also scored three stars, while Aldi's Kevin the Carrot - having avoided a near-puree crisis - picked up three stars for the third year in a row.

Brands really need to raise their game if they're going to stick with the big blockbuster storytelling and move above that.

Tom Ewing, System1

John Lewis's highly-anticipated Elton John ad only just scraped into the top 10 with three stars. That is a big dip compared with previous ads that have had more of a festive narrative; Monty the Penguin scored five stars in 2016 and consumers were left seemingly confused and interpreted it as too much Elton John and too little John Lewis and Christmas.

Meanwhile, Iceland's re-purposed Greenpeace film about palm oil exploitation, which didn't make it on to TV but resulted in 50 million online views and a million-signature petition, came right at the bottom of the table with one star and a score of just 46.1 - significantly lower than the second lowest-scoring ad which was JD Sport's #IAMJD (62.6).

Has the focus on product over brand paid off?

It is no secret that retailers have pulled back spend this year amid the challenging retail landscape, and there has been a much stronger focus on products and commercial promotions.

The results of this change in tact have been mixed. M&S' food-based ad got three stars for its still-food-porny shots of food (in spite of the increased focus on value), although this is a step down from Paddington and Mrs Claus which both got four stars.

M&S's main clothing and home campaign starring Holly Willoughby and David Gandy, however, only made it to number 20 with two stars.

Other brands in the two-star bracket include Lidl, Amazon, KFC and Tesco, while Debenhams's departure from "vanity project" TV ads resulted in a deflated mix of three one-stars and one two-star for its "dull" and "rather stupid" low-key spots.

The top 10 still has plenty of high-budget storytelling ads, suggesting this is still the best way to activate emotions and build brands at Christmas . But with only one brand breaking into four-star territory, it suggests that the tactic is losing its power - even if there is no obvious successful alternative.

System1's head of marketing and market intelligence, Tom Ewing, says consumers have become fatigued with generic Christmas ads.

"It's become a genre, a quite traditional and expected part of the calendar, and when you become a genre people notice when you're generic," Ewing says.

"People see a Christmas ad and there's not so much surprise there, it's what they're expecting. So brands really need to raise their game if they're going to stick with the big blockbuster storytelling and move above that."

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Heathrow tops Christmas ad list amid lacklustre year for festive campaigns

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Oh dear. It looks like this year's selection of Christmas ads, which have seen Kevin the Carrot face-off with a wicked parsnip, Elton John travel back in time to the moment where it all started, and Holly Willoughby shamelessly plug some 'must-have' jumpers, have failed to get festive pulses racing.

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John Lewis has settled months of rumours that Elton John is indeed the star of its 2018 Christmas campaign with the launch of the film this morning.

It is, as has come to be expected from John Lewis, a major piece of creative that tells a story and has that 'feel good' factor. Even if the retailer's customer director Craig Inglis argues the ad is actually a "very understated story" about a boy and his piano that "could almost be anyone".

But compared to John Lewis's previous Christmas campaigns - which have included Moz the Monster, Buster the Boxer, Man on the Moon, Monty the Penguin and Bear and the Hare - 2018 marks a significant change in creative direction for the retailer. That is something Inglis says the retailer really pushed for when giving long-standing agency adam&eveDDB the brief at the beginning of the year.

"It's strategically always in this space around 'thoughtful gifting' and going the extra mile, but each year the challenge is to ensure it's fresh and to have a different take on it," Inglis tells Marketing Week. "We really pushed adam&eve on that particular aspect."

The different take was also driven by a need to make the campaign as effective as possible. While 2017's Moz the Monster performed well in terms of views and engagement, according to Inglis, it had the lowest ad awareness of any of John Lewis's previous five Christmas ads, as well as being spoken about the least.

That is why John Lewis decided to "turn left" this year.

"It's true to say in terms of some of the resonance and brand sentiment it wasn't quite at the same level we had seen before," Inglis says. "It just felt like a point to slightly turn left and have a fresh take on Christmas and at the same time stay true to the brand."

The Boy & The Piano became the creative idea after it was whittled down from more than 300 scripts. Before deciding on this direction, John Lewis had it down to two or three "very different ideas" that Inglis says would have taken the brand to "very different territories".

But this one, based on "a pure intuitive judgement", stood out, he adds.

It just felt like a point to slightly turn left and have a fresh take on Christmas and at the same time stay true to the brand.

Craig Inglis, John Lewis

"It's a leap of faith in many ways because at that point it is just words on paper," Inglis explains. "You've got to believe that you can create something that will be special and tell a John Lewis story in a John Lewis way and that will resonate with audiences around the country when it gets to 10 months later."

The ad also feels less Christmassy than previous years' campaigns, which should help it resonate well beyond the festive period (and into next year when John embarks on his final stadium tour). However, Inglis says the notable lack of festivity wasn't "explicitly" deliberate.

"[The scenes] are based on the big moments in Elton's career and we knew that was going to get us to that incredible end scene," he says, "which was all about what really matters at Christmas."

Creating an effective Christmas marketing campaign

2018 has been an especially tough year for many retailers, particularly those on the high street. There have been retailers falling into administration, such as Toys 'R' Us and Maplin, as well as chains shutting stores.

John Lewis has not been immune. Its owner, the John Lewis Partnership, saw profits drop by 99% in the first half of the year. But while other retailers have pulled back on media spend and shifted creative focus to products and price, rather than brand, this year, John Lewis still sees the value in emotional storytelling and the big TV spot.
READ MORE: How department stores are fighting back to combat declining sales
"These two months of the year are where we make the vast majority of our profit so commercially it's really important we get this right," Inglis says, adding that John Lewis usually sees returns in excess of £20 for every £1 spent on marketing during the festive period.

"What we've found over the last 10 years is that this kind of advertising, which connects with people on an emotional level, is what really is most powerful at Christmas. In our view, the way TV works most powerfully is by telling a story. It's when it goes on to telly that it really starts to get mass audience appeal and really be talked about."

John Lewis has quashed "wildly inaccurate" rumours that it paid Elton John £5m to be in the ad, with Inglis saying the ad cost "about the same" as any TV campaign at Christmas and that the vast majority of spend was, "as ever", on media. It is understood John Lewis usually spends around £7m on its Christmas campaign, with around £6m of that going on media.

Working with Waitrose

This is also the first Christmas since John Lewis and Waitrose rebranded to add '& Partners' to the end of their names in a bid to differentiate in an increasingly competitive retail market.

In September, they unveiled their first joint marketing campaign to mark their change in identities. However, Inglis says it made sense to keep them separate over the Christmas period rather than doing a joint ad that would end up "compromising" both brands.
READ MORE: Are the John Lewis and Waitrose rebrands a cosmetic fix or a strategic move?
Indeed, Waitrose's 2018 festive campaign has taken a very different approach to John Lewis with a series of "playful" and light-hearted 30-second spots focusing on the fact people "will do whatever it takes" to get to the food.

"We've always said we will bring the two brands closer together and we are doing that, particularly in digital channels. We're finding lots of opportunities to work together," Inglis says.

"With [Christmas] we looked into whether we could and the reality is what Waitrose needs to say at Christmas about food, the joy of food and the role that plays is very different to what we wanted to say about choosing a gift and going the extra mile. We would've ended up compromising both of the brands if we'd gone together so we made the choice to keep them separate."

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Why John Lewis 'turned left' for unusually un-Christmassy festive blockbuster

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John Lewis has settled months of rumours that Elton John is indeed the star of its 2018 Christmas campaign with the launch of the film this morning. It is, as has come to be expected from John Lewis, a major piece of creative that tells a story and has that 'feel good' factor.

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Agencies' commercial credentials, innovation and workplace wellbeing are among several areas being celebrated at an awards event being judged by a panel of senior marketing leaders.

Marketing Week's sister brand Oystercatchers has unveiled the shortlist for its relaunched awards, which will take in London on 21 November.

Across 13 categories, the awards celebrate partnerships between agencies and clients and the people and agencies who "strive to the move the industry forward".

Adam&eveDDB, AMV BBDO, Croud, OMD UK and VCCP will compete for the 'Large Agency of the Year' award, which acknowledges agencies employing 100 people or more that demonstrate innovation, a great culture and best practice.

Meanwhile, AML Group, The Gate London and TIPi Group have been shortlisted for the 'Best Small Agency' award, which celebrates those employing fewer than 100 people.

Elsewhere, the 'Industry Leader of the Year' award will be handed to the person "who has gone above and beyond to champion the marketing industry and move it forwards, through innovation, strong leadership and mentoring".

Competing for the title are Isabel Farchy, founder of the Creative Mentor Network; Daniel Gilbert, CEO of Brainlabs Digital; Mark Runacus, founder of industry LGBT+ network PrideAM; Robin Wright, president of Engine, founder of WCRS and the Ideas Foundation; Su-Mei Thompson, CEO of the Media Trust UK and previously The Women's Foundation; and Amanda Fone and Adrian Walcott, founders of BAME2020.
READ MORE: How marketers can ensure their voice is heard by the rest of the C-suite
The 'Best Place to Work' award recognises companies large and small that provide a support framework, which allows people to realise their potential. The agencies shortlisted for the large agency category are adam&eveDDB, Brainlabs Digital and Wunderman. The small company shortlist consists of AML Group, MBA, St Luke's, Therapy and TIPi Group.

Grey London, The Bio Agency and The Brooklyn Brothers will compete for the 'Commercial Acumen' award, a category that will reward agencies working in partnership with their clients in the boardroom through a partnership that "ensures marketing is a commercially credible, respected part of every organisation".

Other notable categories include the 'Lifetime Achievement' award, the winner of which will be announced on the night, the 'Evolve Award for Outstanding Technology Innovation' and 'Best New Agency'. You can view the full shortlist here.

Shortlisted agencies and winners were chosen by a panel of more than 20 senior marketing leaders. The judging panel includes Centrica Group CMO Margaret Jobling, Barclaycard marketing director Alex Naylor and managing director for group brands and marketing at Lloyds Banking Group Catherine Kehoe.

Portraits of several judges shot by photographer Rankin will be exhibited on the evening of the awards, which will take place at St Pancras Renaissance Hotel in London. Other senior marketing leaders featured in the exhibition include Unilever CMO Keith Weed and Diageo CMO Syl Saller.

The awards are delivered in partnership with Hogarth, MiQ, Oracle and Rankin. The awards are supporting Macmillan Cancer Support.
For more information about the awards visit the Oystercatchers website.

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Agencies' commercial credentials, innovation and workplace wellbeing are among several areas being celebrated at an awards event being judged by a panel of senior marketing leaders. Marketing Week's sister brand Oystercatchers has unveiled the shortlist for its relaunched awards, which will take in London on 21 November.

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Aunt Bessie's is getting rid of its core protagonists, Margaret and Mabel, in a positioning shift that aims to modernise the frozen food brand.

Aunt Bessie's introduced the two humorous old women as characters in 2009 but after testing last year found they no longer had the same appeal.

Hannah Haas, marketing director at Aunt Bessie's, tells Marketing Week: "We'd used Margaret and Mabel for 10 years and while we know they test well on awareness, we saw as soon as they did or said anything the emotional engagement dropped off a cliff."

The new £5m campaign, created by agency St Luke's, aims to address that engagement issue. It includes a TV spot that features a father desperately trying to get home and cook for his family. 'George' steals a bike and rides a horse in order to get home on time and the ad ends with the tagline "Bring out the Bessie in you".

The campaign, which launches today (25 October), will run across television, digital and social. It marks Aunt Bessie's largest ever investment in marketing.

"We are trying to change those negative connotations of old and turn them on their heads and tell people it's frozen food: it's convenient it's fast but there is no reason you shouldn't serve it with pride," Haas says.

She adds: "People are starting to see frozen as a fixture or a category but younger consumers are realising it can help with health, with freshness and food waste."

The first run of the campaign will end on 23 December but the brand will look to bring it back next year alongside new packaging.

"Packaging is the final piece of the puzzle for us because our research told us we were taking people to the frozen food section but we weren't converting that into sales because we assume packaging didn't live up to expectations. "
READ MORE: Birds Eye on rethinking its 'bland' marketing strategy to save the frozen food category
The ad and packaging are part of a new marketing strategy for the brand that aims to ultimately drive purchase for its core products. Haas explains: "We know we have a few things to achieve: increase consideration among our core customers across more products, convert new customers and step up our penetration and grow sales of our hero products."

Aunt Bessie's was bought by Birds Eye owner Nomad Foods this year and Haas praises the company for investing in the brand.

Haas says: "Early on they told us they would put money behind TV and a redesign, all of which we didn't necessarily have in place. They are really strong, supportive owners."

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Aunt Bessie's shifts marketing message in biggest ever campaign

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Aunt Bessie's is injecting £5m into a new marketing strategy with a new TV ad that sees the end of Margret and Mabel.The frozen food brand is injecting £5m into a new marketing strategy that will see it get rid of its brand characters Margaret and Mabel in favour of a more "modern" approach.

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1. Joy by Dior - The new fragrance

Dior's campaign for its new fragrance Joy, featuring actress Jennifer Lawrence, is everything you might expect from a high-end brand - it's sleek, it's aesthetic and it's glossy. Set in the garden of a luxury home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills, the ad is set to classic Rolling Stones tune 'She's a Rainbow', which also featured in Apple's ad for its iMac Colours in 1999. Throughout the slow-motion scene Lawrence is seen swimming under water in a flowing white gown before basking in the sunshine.

2. Apple - Apple's big news in 108 seconds

Apple has covered a season's worth of major product launches in 108 seconds in this fast-paced, dynamic and jam-packed advert. Opening with the phrase, "this is big", the ad showcases the tech giant's latest products, such as the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Apple uses the erratic video to showcase some of the products' key features such as their A12 bionic chip, durable glass, stereo sound and water resistant capabilities. The ad doesn't stray too far from Apple's usual characteristics and also features a snippet of Odesza's song 'Loyal'.

3. Fiat - 500X: A taste of tomorrow, today

Has a vehicle ever given you the impression that you're travelling through time? In Fiat's 1960s-themed ad, a young couple experiences the future first-hand aboard the company's new 500X model which, according to the ad, can time-travel. Paying tribute to Hollywood movie Back to the Future, the couple is transported to the present day when their classic Fiat 500 is struck by a bolt of lightning before morphing into the new modern vehicle. The surprised couple take off in their new Fiat leaving a trail of flames and dust in their wake. They then try to make sense of the car's seemingly futuristic tech features, which include an inbuilt mobile service, map and blind spot alert. The man can be heard saying: "I think this is a spacetime navigator".

4. Apple's iPhone XS - Everything to know in 54 seconds

Do you really know the iPhone XS? Probably not, which is why Apple has also unveiled a shortened version of its 'Big news in 108 seconds' ad (see above). Within this whirlwind breakdown of the phone's features, the tech giant opens the film with "welcome to the big screens". The advert is everything Apple embodies, it's fast and sleek while showing off almost futuristic features.

5. Nike - Dream Crazy

"Don't ask if your dreams are crazy. Ask if they're crazy enough," is the main theme of Nike's 'Dream Crazy' campaign. Featuring Colin Kaerpernick, the campaign itself caused quite a stir with consumers split over whether this particular advert was the right way to go. For many, Kaerpernick is someone to admire for standing up for racial injustice. For others, his decision to 'take the knee' during the national anthem at NFL games is disrespectful. Kaerpernick narrates the video which pays homage to 16 athletes young and old, including Serena Williams, who have overcome adversities within their lives to defy the odds and be where they are today.

6. Apple Watch Series 4 - Better You

7. The National Lottery - Amazing Starts Here

8. Specsavers - Don't Lose The Picture, Sheepdog

9. Ford UK - The Beauty of Change

10. Debenhams - Beauty Club Community

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Dior, Apple, Nike: The top 10 YouTube ads in September

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Dior's campaign for its new fragrance Joy, featuring actress Jennifer Lawrence, is everything you might expect from a high-end brand - it's sleek, it's aesthetic and it's glossy. Set in the garden of a luxury home in Los Angeles' Hollywood Hills, the ad is set to classic Rolling Stones tune 'She's a Rainbow', which also featured in Apple's ad for its iMac Colours in 1999.

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Find a promotional campaign that:
•Create awareness

•Persuade customers to buy

•Inform consumers about the product/service

•Point out aspects of the product/service that the competition do not offer (competitive advantage)

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The supermarkets spend millions on large-scale ad campaigns each year (and never more so than at Christmas time).

So, what have been the best campaigns, and why? Here are ten particularly memorable examples.

#LidlSuprises

Lidl is now the seventh largest supermarket in the UK, but it wasn't always a hit with shoppers. In 2014, many consumers assumed that its low prices were a sign of poor quality products.

To change this, the retailer created the 'Lidl Surprises' campaign, which saw unsuspecting members of the public taste-testing its food. The reactions were undeniably positive, leading to surprise and delight when it was revealed to them that the products in question came from the budget supermarket.

The campaign cleverly combined experiential marketing - using the real-time reactions of the public - with social elements to encourage shoppers to share their own #lidlsurprises. As a result, it helped to turn around negative brand perceptions, ultimately contributing to the brand's boost in sales and growth in market share.

'I don't like tea, I like gin' by Aldi

Aldi generated wide-spread affection from the public in 2011 with its simple but highly effective price comparison campaign. The first ad, featuring 83-year old Jean Jones declaring her love for gin went on to become the most-liked of the year.

Unlike typical supermarket advertising, which often centres around emotive elements or high-profile celebrities, Aldi went for a simpler approach. The short ads involved customers comparing groceries (which are similar in taste) and pointing out Aldi's cheaper prices.

Alongside this, the humorous aspect - with Jean saying "I don't like tea, I like gin" - captured the attention of viewers, as well as positive conversation on social media.

It wasn't without its faults - Aldi was actually punished by the ASA for misleading viewers about prices - but the advert's tone was certainly a hit with viewers at the time.

Sainsbury's & Mog's 'Christmas Calamity'

With a below-average budget and later start than its competitors, Sainsbury's' needed something big for its 2015 Christmas campaign. Luckily, it pulled out a corker with Mog's Christmas Calamity - a three-and-a-half-minute film featuring the famous cat from Judith Kerr's book series.

Based around its seasonal tagline of 'Christmas is for sharing', the ad effectively used storytelling to tug on viewer's heartstrings and promote the brand's family-friendly image. Alongside the ad, Sainsbury's also released a new Mog book and cuddly toy, with all profits going to Save the Children.

The campaign was certainly one of the best that festive season - a fact reflected by a 2.6% year-on-year rise in sales for the retailer in the week before Christmas Day. What's more, it also helped the retailer raise over £1.6m to help children's literacy.

Tesco's original 'Every Little Helps'

Tesco has often featured actors as fictional characters in its adverts. It has used Cold Feet star Fay Ripley, and more recently, Ruth Jones and Ben Miller - also known for their comedy acting work.

One of the supermarket's most famous series of ads was broadcast back in the 90's, starring Prunella Scales as 'Dotty' and Jane Horrocks as her long-suffering daughter. Serving as a personification of the retailer's 'every little helps' tagline, the ads saw the famously demanding Dotty putting Tesco's customer service to the test.

While the supermarket's character-driven strategy has come in for criticism - arguably going down a 'middle of the road' option with a lack of innovation or focus - the original ad still serves as a good example of celebrity advertising.

By using a much-loved TV personality (and striking the right gentle comedic tone) the brand managed to insert itself into the public's consciousness. Consequently, the ads reportedly contributed to £2.2bn in sales for Tesco in the late 90's.

Iceland and 'The Power of Frozen'

Speaking of celebrity ads, Iceland is one brand that has become synonymous with the genre, previously enlisting people like Kerry Katona and Peter Andre to front ad campaigns. The association hasn't always been a positive one, however, leading the retailer to change tack in order to create a new brand image.

The result was 'The Power of Frozen', which used the family kitchen as a setting rather than the supermarket to better highlight the value and convenience of frozen food.

Alongside this, Iceland forged a valuable partnership with YouTube channel 'Channel Mum' to help change perceptions about the brand on social. Teaming up with a number of popular vloggers, it was able to reach its target audience with valuable content relating to cooking and mealtime ideas.

According to reports, approval ratings for Iceland amongst mums increased from 10% to 80% after viewing the videos created by vloggers.

Waitrose is live from the farm

While price and quality are typical consumer concerns, provenance has also become a focus in recent years, with a greater public interest in how grocery products are produced.

Waitrose aimed to provide reassurance to customers in 2016 by highlighting its own sourcing policy, using footage from the farms that supply its supermarkets. The ads (which were broadcast soon after being filmed) showed cows freely grazing and free-range hens pecking food.

Alongside TV spots, the campaign also included an out-of-home element, with live footage being streamed to commuters in train and bus stations. It was a successful strategy, effectively positioning Waitrose as an ethical retailer and one that cares about both its customers and the welfare of animals.

'Morrison's makes it'

Up against larger supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury's, Morrisons has strived to differentiate itself by taking a more local approach, describing its employees as both 'foodmakers' and 'shopkeepers'.

Its 'Morrison's makes it' campaign is centred around the notion that it makes more food in-store than any other, promising customers both quality and value with its own-brand premium and healthy food ranges. The accompanying ad reflects this notion, depicting the supermarket in the context of everyday family life - and how it often centres around the dinner table.

While its not the most imaginative campaign in this list, it's certainly one of the most personal, striving to the show the supermarket in a less corporate light than we're perhaps used to.

Asda's halloween 2017

Most supermarkets focus on Christmas, but Asda put a surprising amount of effort into Halloween this year, positioning itself as the place to go for scary decorations and spooky-themed food. Its 2017 ad was set inside a Halloween party, with celebrations kicking off to the song 'Word Up' by Cameo.

The ad also involved a collaboration with music app Shazam, allowing viewers to scan the ad which then took them to a Halloween mobile site.

While the use of AR was innovative (with users able to superimpose a singing mouth over their own face) - the creativity in design and infectious nature of the ad is what resonated the most. Again, with most supermarket advertising taking on sentimental or overly emotive themes - its light-hearted tone and music-video style felt like a breath of fresh air.

Sainsbury's 'Christmas in a day'

Yet another Christmas-themed ad, and another one from those emotional terrorists Sainsbury's.

'Christmas in a Day' was a documentary-style advert from Oscar-winning director Kevin McDonald, created from 360 hours' worth of footage of British families celebrating Christmas. Naturally, it depicted scenes ranging from the heart-warming to the ridiculous, including kids waiting for Santa and dads struggling to put up the tree.

The beauty of the advert, and the reason it resonated so deeply, was that it was not staged or overly planned. Each clip presented a real and authentic picture of how Brits truly celebrate Christmas - not the often airbrushed and overly-sentimentalised version presented to us by brands.

'Not just any food...' by Marks & Spencer

M&S is not a traditional supermarket, having first made its name selling fashion. However, it's been focusing more on its standalone Simply Food stores in recent years, with the consumer appetite for M&S food being whetted by its now-iconic adverts.

It was in 2004 that M&S released the first ad, using the tagline - "not just any chocolate pudding, this is a Marks & Spencer chocolate pudding" - alongside a decidedly sultry narration and glorious slow-motion footage. It soon caught the public's imagination, becoming ripe for parody and ultimately one of the most recognisable ads of the noughties.

So why did it resonate quite so much? By focusing on the food - and the sheer indulgence of its products - M&S foretold the 'food porn' trend, which was soon to further explode on social media channels such as Instagram. Since, the brand has revived the iconic ads to remind the nation of its appreciation for food glorious food, with just a slightly more modern twist.

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10 of the best ad campaigns from the UK's top supermarkets - Econsultancy

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The supermarkets spend millions on large-scale ad campaigns each year (and never more so than at Christmas time). So, what have been the best campaigns, and why? Here are ten particularly memorable examples. Lidl is now the seventh largest supermarket in the UK, but it wasn't always a hit with shoppers.

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Burger King, 'Google, Home of the Whopper'

With brands clamouring for attention, it takes something innovative to stand out. That's what Burger King managed with its 'OK Google' stunt, devised by agency David.

The 15-second ad, which was on YouTube before being aired on US TV, was designed to activate Google's voice assistant speaker Google Home by asking "OK Google, what is the Whopper burger". In response, the device replied with a list of Whopper ingredients taken from the product's Wikipedia page, which had been edited with the ad in mind.

This was not the first time content airing on TV had triggered a response from a smart speaker, but it is, as far as we know, the first time a brand has done it deliberately in an advert. And boy did it get people talking. There was widespread criticism of the ad on social media sparked by privacy concerns and debates about the invasiveness of a brand entering someone's living room in this way.

Google and Wikipedia were not impressed either. Google found a way to block Home from recognising the audio in the ad, while Wikipedia deleted the updates to the Whopper page and locked it to stop any further changes being made.

Yet what this clamour missed is the ingenuity behind the ad and the way it used new voice technology. It might have been invasive and outrageous, but it was also clever. Here was a great creative idea carried out with aplomb that did exactly what Burger King wanted - got people talking. With ads like this it is no wonder Burger King was named 'Creative Marketer of the Year' at Cannes Lions this year. Or that the stunt saw it walk away with the Grand Prix for direct marketing. SV
READ MORE: Burger King - Galvanising the whole business around an idea is the only way to ensure it isn't vanilla
Heineken, 'Worlds Apart'

This year has seen a growing number of brands get behind a cause or purpose. Heineken couldn't resist doing something similar as part of its long-running 'Open Your World' platform.

The 'Worlds Apart' ad wanted to challenge Brits to break down barriers and find common ground with others who have opposing views. The campaign video, created by Publicis, showed a real-life social experiment that put together two strangers divided by their beliefs. The pairings included a feminist with an anti-feminist, and a climate change activist with someone who thinks it is "piffle". The aim of the video is to prove that even the most divided groups can come together to find common ground - all over a Heineken beer of course.

Heineken's UK head of marketing Cindy Tervoort claimed the campaign was put together over the course of nine months, following the insight that "empathy, openness and tolerance are under threat".

The campaign was met with mixed reviews. The Cannes crowd seemed to love it - the ad won bronze Lions in the 'Brand Voice' and 'Strategic Storytelling' categories, as well as a bronze in the 'Business Citizenship/Corporate Responsibility' category.

Others disliked it. One writer in the Guardian even went as far as to say that brands such as Heineken "don't care about social justice" and "exist solely to sell you crap you probably don't need". Marketing Week's Mark Ritson, meanwhile, claimed the Dutch beer brand should forgo this floaty message and remember that marketing is about profit and not purpose.

Despite some negative backlash, Heineken received plenty of free publicity, and the beer's volume sales in the first half of 2017 increased 3.9%, driven by the US and Europe where the ad was mainly seen. LR
READ MORE: Vote for your campaign of the year
Heinz, 'Pass the Heinz'

If you have seen TV's Mad Men, you will remember the episode where fictional renegade agency man Don Draper unsuccessfully pitches a daring ad campaign for ketchup to Heinz executives in 1967. His idea? Not to show the product at all and instead show close-ups of foods without ketchup, such as French fries and burgers, with the slogan 'Pass the Heinz'. Draper's campaign was designed to create a mouth-watering effect among viewers.

Unfortunately, Draper did not win the account. However, in real life 'Pass the Heinz' this year got the green light from the brand. In March, Heinz ran a local print and out-of-home campaign across New York City, where Mad Men was set, using the artwork from Draper's failed pitch on the show. The meta-campaign quickly went viral, with Nicole Kulwicki, head of the Heinz brand, playfully promoting it in interviews.

"Although Don Draper created the 'Pass the Heinz' campaign almost 50 years ago, the communications still really work in today's world," she told AdWeek. "Mr Draper understood the one thing every Heinz fan knows, which is to never settle for the foods you love without the great taste of Heinz. What we loved about the campaign is that it doesn't require paragraphs of copy to explain it. It features mouthwatering food images, and all that's missing is the Heinz."

This campaign was a great example of how a brand can playfully reference its place in pop culture to generate viral fame and strong levels of earned media. Although it was only a local campaign, 'Pass the Heinz' was referenced by publications across the world and arguably generated more attention than any traditional campaign promoting ketchup could have done. TH

Ikea's response to Balenciaga's 'copycat' bag

Ikea's quick response to comparisons being made between its well-known blue shopping bag and a designer bag by luxury fashion brand Balenciaga should be a lesson for all marketers in how to nail reactive marketing.

The two bags do bear an uncanny resemblance in colour, shape, size and style, even down to the double-loop detail on the handles. The price, however, is markedly different, with Ikea's bag selling for a modest price of 99 cents (40p) while the designer version is an eye-watering £1,600.

After much joking on Twitter about the likeness, the Swedish retailer initially responded with a brief statement saying it was "deeply flattered" by the resemblance. But seeing the overwhelming consumer response, it followed up with a playful ad to help consumers tell the difference between its blue Frakta bag and the designer 'counterfeit'.

The tongue-in-cheek guide explained how to make sure people had an authentic Ikea bag, including such advice as: "Shake it. If it rustles, it's the real deal." The ad, which was created by agency Acne and the Ikea Creative Hub, also asked consumers whether they could fold the bag into the size of a small purse. "If the answer is yes, congratulations."

The campaign was picked up by mainstream media across the world including Vogue, the Daily Mail and the Guardian, generating more than 165 million unique media impressions and over $6m of earned media. Not bad given it had zero media budget.

It is not the only time the retailer has responded with humour to trending stories this year. Ikea hit the headlines again in August when it emerged characters on Game of Thrones were wearing jazzed up versions of its Skold rugs. The retailer responded with a do-it-yourself guide to help shoppers create their own GoT-inspired outfits. LT

Jigsaw, 'Love Immigration'

Perhaps the most powerful example of a brand getting social purpose right in 2017 was Jigsaw's 'Love Immigration' campaign. After racially-motivated hate crimes in the UK soared past 6,000 in June, according to the Home Office, the fashion brand was inspired to take a stand.

Launching in October, the campaign by agency The Corner - which included a full takeover of Oxford Circus tube station in London and The Times website, as well as print, social and digital activity - aimed to show how Jigsaw sources materials from across the world while making the point that without diversity its products could not be made.

Bold outdoor ads included a powerful state-of-the-nation address, with visible lines such as "Fear, isolation and intolerance will hold us back" and "We need beautiful minds from across the world".

In many ways, the campaign was the antithesis to Pepsi's tone-deaf Kendall Jenner protest ad, which embarrassingly tried to tap into the energy of the Black Lives Matter movement. By instead relating the UK's social backdrop to tangible and relevant aspects of the brand, Jigsaw avoided the same pitfalls as the soft drink giant.

Jigsaw's group head of marketing Alex Kelly told Marketing Week brands cannot just make a stand for the sake of it and have to be prepared to live out their socials values for the long term. And for marketers that could be considering taking a similarly bold political stand in 2018, he has advised: "The immigration campaign really fits into our core brand values as our founder John Robinson started the business by bringing an Afghan coat back to the UK in the 1970s - our brand is built on immigration.

"So I'd say you have to really back up your message. It is too risky to do something like this if you can't back it up and it will end up doing more damage than good." TH

The Labour Party, 'For the Many, Not the Few'

The Labour Party's surprisingly good showing in the snap general election on 8 June, which caused the Conservative Party to lose its Parliamentary majority unexpectedly, has in large part been attributed to Labour's ability to harness the youth vote.

Young people surged to the polls in growing numbers in 2017, with 54% of 18- to 24-year-olds voting in the general election versus 43% in the 2015 vote, according to Ipsos Mori.

Among young voters the swing to Labour was substantial. YouGov found that 66% of those aged 18 and 19 voted Labour, compared to only 19% who chose to vote Conservative.

This pattern was reflected among 20- to 24-year-olds (62% Labour to 22% Conservative) and 25- to 29-year-olds (63% Labour to 23% Conservative). All age groups below 44 swung towards Labour, with the highest swing occurring among those aged 25 to 34, according to Ipsos Mori.

Crucially, the Labour Party managed to appeal to younger voters both from inside and outside the establishment. The 'For the Many, Not the Few' campaign slogan harnessed the nature of a protest movement, while the manifesto contained policies that directly appealed to young people, such as ending zero-hours contracts and scrapping tuition fees.

On social media, statistics show Labour's ads were consistently shared more widely than their Conservative rivals. The party deliberately chose a positive tone, sharing practical advice on how to register to vote and where to find local polling stations.

The official party effort was backed by pro-Jeremy Corbyn grassroots movement Momentum, which shared video content on social media rather than paying for advertising. Momentum estimates it reached 400,000 people through WhatsApp alone.

Another crucial element was #Grime4Corbyn, a campaign spearheaded by grime musicians such as Akala, JME and Stormzy, who used their reach and authenticity to speak directly to young people and encourage them to engage with the electoral process like never before. CR

Marks & Spencer, 'Spend It Well'

Back in May, Marks & Spencer was keen to talk up the "radical" nature of its new 'Spend It Well' brand positioning. The first major work from new agency Grey London, the campaign aimed for something more aspirational than its previous advertising by bringing together its food and clothing iconography for the first time.

The TV ad showed female characters of all ages, focusing on life-defining events such as experiencing music festivals and bad first jobs, while talking up the role M&S plays continuously throughout all life stages.

"'Spend It Well' is all about radically empowering our customers to say no to the ordinary, so they can say yes to the best," said Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, the retailer's executive director of customer, marketing and M&S.com. He said the branding was inspired by internal research that showed people are increasingly looking to spend more money with brands that enable good life experiences.

The creative may not have been radical - John Lewis famously followed the story of a woman from birth to old age in a 2010 ad - but for M&S, creating the first brand platform encompassing all of its business propositions was a decisive move at a time of crisis.

Marks & Spencer's UK like-for-like sales had tumbled by 3.6% in the previous quarter, with clothing and homewares performing worse than expected with a 5.9% drop. More recently, the signs point to M&S slowly turning things around. In the six months to 30 September, it said the division was showing "encouraging" signs, with like-for-like sales down by 0.7% - a much better performance - and total UK like-for-like sales down just 0.3%.

And according to YouGov BrandIndex, since the ad aired in May, the brand's impression score, a balance of positive and negative consumer perceptions, has risen 2.7 points to 54.8 - a rate deemed statistically significant. If M&S can show more conclusive signs of a recovery in 2018, then 'Spend It Well' will start to look more like a defining moment. TH

Nike, '#Breaking2'

In 2017, Nike needed a campaign that could make a big statement in its bid to compete against its fast-growing rival Adidas in the global sportswear sector.

The German company continues to grow its share of the North American market, where it saw sales surge 31% in the three months to the end of March. Nike, by contrast, saw sales grow just 3% during the same period.

Undoubtedly looking to harness the same level of buzz generated by Red Bull's 'Stratos' stunt in 2014 - for which Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner performed a freefall from space - Nike sought to create a concept so audacious it would turn the launch of a new shoe into a must-watch event.

Three Nike-sponsored athletes - Lelisa Desisa, Eliud Kipchoge and Zersenay Tadese - were challenged to run the first sub two-hour marathon wearing the brand's new Zoom Vaporfly Elite racing shoe. Nike used the event, conceived by agency Wieden + Kennedy, to promote the Vaporfly's performance benefits, explaining how the shoe's ultra-lightweight foam could cut the amount of energy needed to run by 4%.

Taking place at the Formula 1 racetrack in Monza, Italy on 6 May, #Breaking2 was live-streamed on social media. Nike hosted its own coverage fronted by American sports presenter Sal Masekela, which featured running influencers from around the world live-blogging behind the scenes.

Nike also partnered with Airbnb to give 10 fans a chance to witness the record attempt in person by spending the weekend at a campsite adjacent to the racetrack.

Despite the fact Kipchoge was 25 seconds shy of beating the two-hour mark, #Breaking2 was a PR success, receiving worldwide media coverage. The term #Breaking2 generated 84,459 mentions on social media between 6 and 8 May alone, according to media monitoring tool Meltwater, and notched up a further 140,029 mentions across Twitter, Instagram and Facebook during the six months between the announcement of the record attempt and the date itself. CR

RNIB ad break takeover

As part of National Eye Health Week, the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) worked with Channel 4 and a number of well-known advertisers to illustrate how certain eye conditions affect sight through the use of innovative visual filters.

Partnering with brands including O2, Paco Rabanne, Amazon Echo, Freeview and Specsavers, the charity took over an entire ad break during Channel 4's The Undateables. Through the use of the filters, familiar ads became obscured or disappeared as the symptoms of each condition presented themselves.

With @RNIB, we present a special ad break, applying filters to illustrate eye conditions. @O2 @PacoRabanne @amazon @FreeviewTV @Specsavers pic.twitter.com/7a6AoWhyx2

- Channel 4 (@Channel4) September 18, 2017

Conditions highlighted include macular degeneration, which affects the central part of a person's vision (illustrated by a gradually increasing black cloud in the middle of the screen) and glaucoma, a condition that damages the optic nerve (shown by a black filter creeping in from the edges until the whole screen has been obscured and the ad is no longer visible).

The ad break was followed by a fully audio-described version 15 minutes later, which Sophie Castell, director at RNIB, believes "marks a cultural shift in advertising".

The campaign received an overwhelmingly positive response on social media via the hashtag #C4SightAdBreak, with people sharing praise for the charity's efforts to raise awareness. It was described as a "very real way to spread awareness" by one Twitter user, with another calling it a "powerful insight into the world of people with visual disabilities". It was also commended by those living with such conditions for helping them explain how their vision is affected.

By allowing people to see an ad break through the eyes of people with visual impairments it hammered home the importance of eye care and raised awareness for what the charity stands for in a very real way. LT

State Street Global Advisors, 'Fearless Girl'

The statue of Fearless Girl appeared on 7 March this year, the day before International
Women's Day. The bronze sculpture depicts a Latina girl proudly facing the famous Charging Bull statue in the heart of New York's financial district. Despite the bull's size and supposed aggression, she has her head held up high and hands confidently on her hips.

Sculpted by Kristen Visbal, the statue was commissioned by agency McCann New York for State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) to symbolise the power of women in leadership. It was also part of a campaign by SSGA to emphasise that companies with women in top positions perform better financially.

The stunt led to a lot of coverage, and even became one of the most highly honoured campaigns in the history of the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity. Fearless Girl won 18 Cannes Lions awards, including the Titanium Grand Prix in the Glass Lions, which honours marketing creativity that transcends traditional categories such as media, film or
radio. It was also praised by the jury for advocating gender equality.

According to the Cannes Lions judges, Fearless Girl managed to pull off two seemingly contradictory successes: being both timely and permanent. Titanium Lions jury president Tham Khai Meng, worldwide chief compliance officer at Ogilvy, said: "We may not be here anymore one day, but that icon will stay there forever... In our business, the stuff we do can be fish-and-chip paper the next day. But this thing has a permanence."

SSGA's purpose-driven message was somewhat undermined when it agreed to pay out $5m, after US regulators found it paid white men more than women or minorities - a charge it still denies.

Charging Bull sculptor Arturo Di Modica also complained the Fearless Girl turned his "positive, optimistic" message into a "threat", thus violating his rights.

The number of column inches and awards it attracted shows a simple message can resonate globally. It also shows the dangers of communicating a brand purpose not sufficiently embedded in an organisation. LR

Sunlife, 'Welcome to life after 50′

Advertising aimed at the over-50s has tended to depict amorphous groups that fail to represent the many faces of those past the half-century mark. It hasn't gone unnoticed. A recent study by Gransnet and Mumsnet revealed 85% of Britons aged 50 or over believe ads aimed at older people rely on stereotypes. More than three-quarters (79%) say their age group is patronised by advertisers.

Financial services brands have been as guilty as anyone of reducing an entire group down to sledgehammer stereotypes. This year's Sunlife campaign is therefore a refreshing change from the norm. Acting on a huge quantitative and qualitative research exercise with more than 50,000 respondents aged 50 and above, the result was 'Welcome to life after 50'.

The multichannel campaign challenged stereotypes by depicting the panoply of behaviour, attitudes and activities enjoyed by those past 50. Executions included people getting their first tattoo, scuba diving and becoming a personal trainer.

The campaign scooped Marketing Week's Masters of Marketing award for the financial services sector. The winning entry claimed brand consideration increased by 8% by the end of the campaign. Its quirky approach enjoyed reach most campaigns in its category could only dream of. On social media, ads were viewed 1.6 million times while coverage of the campaign reached over 23 million people.

The rewards for brands who can look past stereotypes is undeniable. According to a report by Hitachi Capital UK and the Centre for Economic and Business Research, the over-50s overspent spent a huge £367bn in 2016, outspending younger consumers for the first time.

Brands take note: it's not just the right thing to do, it could potentially reap significant rewards. RP

Wendy's, '#NuggsForCarter'

American fast food chain Wendy's showed that sometimes on social media it's not about what you broadcast but how you respond. And earlier this year the brand garnered more attention than it could have ever dreamed of when a teenager, Carter Wilkerson, asked how many retweets he would need to earn a year of free chicken nuggets.

It would have been easy to ignore the request, but instead Wendy's challenged him to get 18 million retweets - nearly six times the then-record that was held by Ellen DeGeneres for her star-studded Oscars selfie. Unfazed, Wilkerson duly went about trying to do just that.

News of the attempt spread like wildfire. Wendy's took a relatively hands-off approach, but even so, within 24 hours Wilkerson had more than 1 million retweets and the record-breaking attempt was being mentioned by accounts from companies including Amazon, Google and United Airlines, as well as celebrities such as Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul. Twitter did its part by verifying Wilkerson's account and creating a custom emoji triggered by the #NuggsForCarter hashtag, which was used more than 234,000 times.

HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3

- Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017

In the end, Wilkerson didn't make 18 million, but with more than 3.6 million retweets he did beat DeGeneres. According to Wendy's agency of record VML, which runs Wendy's Twitter account, there have been more than 5 million online mentions of Carter's quest for nuggets, boosting conversations mentioning the brand by 376% year on year.

More importantly for the brand, it generated more than 2.5 billion earned media impressions from 1,076 placements, including on top-tier publishers such as the New York Times, USA Today and the Today Show. Wendy's also earned 213,000 new Twitter followers and 23.9 million visits to its Twitter profile in April alone.

And in the end, despite not hitting 18 million retweets, Wilkerson got his nuggets. SV

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2017 year in review: Campaigns of the year

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With brands clamouring for attention, it takes something innovative to stand out. That's what Burger King managed with its 'OK Google' stunt, devised by agency David. The 15-second ad, which was on YouTube before being aired on US TV, was designed to activate Google's voice assistant speaker Google Home by asking "OK Google, what is the Whopper burger".

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Marketing campaign is defined as a series of activities used in marketing a new or a changed product or service. Marketing campaigns are designed with different goals in mind that include building a brand image, introducing a new product or increasing sales of a product already on the market using various methods.

For marketing their campaigns, companies are using video marketing to inform and educate new prospects about the need and how their solution is a right fit.

In this article we look at 20 marketing campaign that are on the spot. Watch these marketing campaign examples to get ideas for marketing your own internet security offering. Here we go :

Apple is one of the best addition to the world of technology. The company has come up with different ways to grab attention, online as well as offline. The successful marketing campaign video illustrates its health application called 'Mindfulness', tells people to calm themselves down. As someone rightly said a calm mind is an ultimate weapon against challenges, so just relax.

IBM Cloud Professional Services is one of the first to provide automated patch management, using an extensive library of patterns. IBM's Services removes the bottlenecks that result from manual setups of middleware provisioning, with full automation across infrastructure and middleware, and vastly reduced IT workloads, errors and costs. The successful marketing campaign video describes in detail how IBM's services can help you ease your business complications.

Capgemini's integrated supply chain management, planning & execution solution synchronizes all supply and demand plans with execution processes across your supply chain, allowing you to read and react based on customer demand and actual sales. They offer flexible, sustainable and technologically robust solutions to help you integrate your value chain, from suppliers to customers, based on their Integrated Planning & Execution model. The successful marketing campaign video highlights how organizations can achieve better margins, cost reductions and improvements in efficiency and working capital through SCM tool.

This Facebook marketing campaign was made to make people aware of the new way of building their brand. The objective of this was to help every business or an individual to reach the right people and maximize awareness for their brand. The marketing campaign video talks about how each one of us can build up any brand by just advertising our products on Facebook.

Cognex Logistics solutions helps distribution centers to increase productivity and reduce labour costs is greater than ever. One way distribution centers achieve this goal is by upgrading to digital reader technology that delivers increased read rates. Cognex barcode readers offer solutions for many logistics applications, such as those used in automated sorting, hand sorting, and bulk sorting. The integrated marketing campaign video show how Cognex solutions help companies cut costs, improve efficiencies and maximize.

Adobe's Creative Cloud has all the softwares that a designer may need to get their work done with absolute perfection. All they need to do is get a membership and start working on their projects. The marketing campaign video showcases how Adobe can help designers, editors and other professionals achieve perfection in pretty much anything they do.

PayPal is an online payments system that supports online money transfers and serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods like cheques and money orders. It lets you easily transfer money and make payments across the globe. The marketing campaign video shows how Paypal helps you accept various payment options easily and securely from your international customers.

Seedly is an expense management app that allows you to Import transactions automatically from banks and credit card accounts into Seedly. It automatically organizes your spending into categories like F&B, transport and bills, showing you where money is being spent. The marketing campaign video shows how Seedly can allow you to view all your bank account transactions in one place to help you efficiently manage expenses.

Shark Agent is a real estate CRM & transaction management software. It helps agents manage clients from start to finish. It does everything from holding leads and clients information till the paperwork. The power of Shark Agent Workflow Platform lies in its flexibility to handle everything from the most common systems to more sophisticated, conditional based workflows for your entire team, making your brokerage or personal practice more productive and efficient. The marketing campaign video highlights how Shark Agent CRM can simplify real estate business.

Siignia's iid is a stylish piece of jewellery which, when read by someone's phone, displays your digital business card. Using iiD revolutionizes the way one can exchange contact details with clients, business partners and even friends. It makes the paper business card a thing of the past because put simply, it's easier, faster and it works better. iid lets you update your contact details immediately online or with our easy-to-use app, meaning they're never out of date. It also allows you to adjust which of your details and/or social networks your contacts can see. The marketing campaign video gives a brief idea how the wearable technology works.

MediaScouting Broadcast is a versatile and powerful audio/video stream management and retrieval environment including cutting-edge technologies such as Automatic Speech Recognition, subject-based categories with advanced keyword search and metadata parsing from the Electronic Program Guide. The marketing campaign video incorporates powerful narration and business marketing tools that make the video stand out.

Sharestates makes it easy for individuals & institutions to invest in quality real estate deals, as well as provide real estate developers & rehabbers with quick access to funding. It also gives access to investment properties that may have been previously inaccessible. Sharestates' startup Marketing Campaign video shows how it is a quick source of capital for a shorter term loan or equity offering.

ServiceTitan is a cloud field management platform that offers marketing ROI and conversion tracking capabilities, that links every service request call to its eventual sale or missed opportunity. It also offers mobile solutions for field workers allows them to offer visual sales presentations in the field and process invoices and credit cards instantly. Other features include custom reporting, call recording, text messaging and dashboard. The marketing campaign video details how ServiceTitan can help you improve sales and increase customer satisfaction. integrated marketing campaign examples help you to get an idea for Marketing.

Enphase Energy Management System combines solar, storage, and software that tracks your production and consumption: an all-in-one solar energy system that maximizes your savings while you're busy living your life. The Marketing Campaign video provides an overview of how the Enphase brings energy generation, storage, control and management together into one complete solution, smarter and more connected than ever before.

Mintt is an innovative and highly effective pay-as-you-go online recruitment platform. Providing a fresh approach for organizations to recruit personnel without the need for costly recruitment agencies, Mintt utilizes the latest in web advertising, social media and video interviewing technologies to provide an end-to-end recruitment service that can reduce costs by over 40%. Mintt provides a fixed cost recruitment solution, fully available online, which makes the recruitment process fast, efficient and easy to manage without sacrificing the quality of candidates that you attract. The marketing campaign video shows how Mintt can be used for all sizes of business.

Crowdcube is a leading investment crowdfunding platform where you can handpick the businesses you want to back and invest anytime, anywhere. Crowdcube makes investing accessible, affordable and rewarding by enabling everyday investors to invest alongside professionals and venture capital firms in startups, early and growth stage businesses. The marketing campaign video gives an overview of the success of Crowdcube in the field of crowdfunding.

Omega Pharma is a specialist in over-the-counter medicines and healthcare products. Omega Pharma markets health and personal care products to which the end-consumer has access without a medical prescription. With its innovative products, Omega Pharma aims to offer consumers the possibility of pursuing a healthy lifestyle and experiencing a better sense of well-being. The marketing campaign video gives a timeline of the enterprise and its achievements over time.

One World is an innovative staffing and recruitment firm whose customized services help companies and staffing firms source talent for opportunities at home and abroad. Their Global Recruitment Services and Expatriate Services are tailor-made for every client's needs, which is a blend of traditional recruitment services and creative solutions to gain a foothold in the market and helps them mobilize their human resource value chain. The stunning marketing campaign video explains what IMS stands for and their unique approach.

SBDA Customer Insight is a сustomer-centric banking marketing platform. SBDA's Customer Insight turns raw banking data such as transactional histories, into targeted marketing and customer relationship management with a platform that marketers and product managers will love to use. It enables them to select customers by their real-world activities to make banks campaigns highly personalized. The marketing campaign video provides an end-to-end solution for coordinating the campaign with other specialists needed and for launching it in a few minutes.

MailPlants is an email service provider focused on delivering an intuitive tool that is easy to use for marketers of all levels. While their focus is on mobile optimization, they are dedicated to providing the email marketing features that enable their clients to achieve the results they expect from their valuable email campaigns. The successful email marketing campaign video shows features and benefits of MailPlants.

WE CAN CREATE THE FOLLOWING VIDEOS FOR YOUR OFFERING :

Overview Video

Brand Video

2D & 3D Animated Explainer Video

Marketing Video

Promotional Video

Youtube Teaser Videos

Business Use Case Study Videos

How To Videos

Key takeaways from the above examples of marketing campaign videos are :

Build a strong creative brief

Find a reference video or combine multiple video elements from different sources

Work with a company that can understand your video production requirement easily

With the above marketing campaign videos, it's evident that companies are fast integrating videos in their marketing campaigns and various other touchpoints. If you are planning to develop these animation videos, a good start is to develop a brief of what can be the tone and style for your videos. We advise you to be different and unique while you create your messaging through the videos.

We at Advids create custom videos based on your brief. With a complete video production services plan at a fixed price, our design team works right from concept development, to art design and animation. Having created 1200 plus explainers for businesses, our Creative team can help you come up with the right fit. Do talk to us or send us a note on what your company plans to create with for the next video requirement.

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20 Stunning Marketing Campaign Video Examples

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Marketing campaign is defined as a series of activities used in marketing a new or a changed product or service. Marketing campaigns are designed with different goals in mind that include building a brand image, introducing a new product or increasing sales of a product already on the market using various methods.

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Promotional Products Blog | Quality Logo Products (QLP)

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You might think promotional products are pretty cut and dry. It's putting a logo or advertising message on a pen or water bottle and calling it a day, right? That is an easy misconception to make since these are items that we often take for granted. Have you every stopped to appreciate your custom tote bag? Do you wake up and smell the rose-scented lip balm?

If you haven't, you should. Promotional products are the #1 most effective form of advertising on the planet, because let's face it, everyone (grandmas, kids, politicians, crazy people in costume) loves getting something for free. No wonder 85% of people have done business with the advertiser after receiving one of their promo giveaways, whether it was at an event or just for walking through the door.

The best part about promos is that companies, non-profits, startups, and entrepreneurs can get creative with the items they choose to give away. With that being said, take a look at 13 examples of creative promos in action!

Image credit: Toxel

The Y+ Yoga Center in Shanghai, China imprinted a person on the bendy part of a straw to make them look like they were doing a yoga pose every time the straw was bent. The straws were given out to customers at local fruit juice bars and the response was completely euphoric, with people loving these unique giveaways.

Y+ Yoga Center showed their clients they're creative and original, which is important since they are located in the biggest city in China. Clearly, these promotional efforts paid off as their fitness center is recommended by Culture Trip as one of the best yoga studios in the country.

It might seem counter-intuitive for Colgate to promote with sweet treats considering that the toothpaste brand is supposed to be fighting against cavities. However, Colgate Palmolive in Thailand gave out ice cream and cotton candy during Oral Health Month. The sticks were shaped like toothbrushes and had the message "Don't Forget" with the Colgate logo.

This promotional product is genius if you think about it. People are always going to eat desserts, but Colgate is there to make sure you can have your sweets and your clean teeth, too! Thailand is definitely doing things right. Dental tourism is a hot topic and many people travel overseas to get work done there due to the low costs, variety of treatments, and patient-friendly centers.

Image credit: PSFK

Vantage Detergent, a company in Brazil, offered a free packet of its stain remover in the shape of a ketchup stain. The packet read, "Stains. Hard to avoid, easy to remove. Vantage stain remover." About 100,000 of these custom packets were distributed to restaurants and snack bars around São Paulo. They were gone in three days!

These packets were a great way to cause people to look twice, which is always good for brand exposure. Many customers took the packets home as souvenirs and family and friends asked for more details. This gave them a chance to talk about Vantage Detergent, a product that consistently gets five-star reviews.

Brussels Airlines wanted a way to raise awareness about pickpocketing. Their solution was to slip rubber hands into passenger's unattended bags at the airport with the message, "This hand just slipped into your bag. Beware of Pickpockets." The airline's logo was imprinted just below the message.

While this might seem invasive, it's a lot better to end up with a fake hand than have all of your stuff stolen. Most passengers appreciated this reminder and were more likely to trust Brussel Airlines for future flights. Today, they are the largest airline in Belgium and see people from countries all over the world.

Sometimes people need a dramatic reminder in order for a message to really sink in. Friends of Cancer Patients raised awareness about skin cancer by handing out coffin-shaped beach towels to sunbathers in Dubai. The towels were imprinted with the saying, "Over-exposure to the sun causes skin cancer killing 20 people every day. Protect yourself."

While this promo might seem extreme, it's actually incredibly effective and memorable. Love it or hate it, this kept people talking about Friends of Cancer Patients and made the sunbathers less likely to continue basking in the sun. A win-win for both exposure and creating change that supports your mission.

Image credit: Hoaxes

Those with an aversion to creepy crawlies be warned, this promo might give you the shivers. D.D. Drin Insect Elimination took fake cockroaches and slipped them under people's doors at their homes. "See how easy it is to get into your house?" was imprinted on the belly along with contact information for the pest control company.

This is a good example of guerilla marketing, which is an advertising tactic that involves promoting your products or services in an unusual way. There's no telling how many people impulsively stepped on these promos in fear, but D.D. Drin sure made a memorable impression and got people talking!

Alzheimers New Zealand promoted on hollowed out erasers that were fitted with a USB drive. On one side was the message, "Alzheimer's Erasers. Your Memories. Save Them." The reverse had the company's logo directing people to their website for more information. These were handed out to local organizations and politicians to raise awareness.

The non-profit's campaign was so popular that it won the Silver Design Lion at Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2010. Since then, the organization has taken their mission to the national level and continues to focus on their mission of moving towards a world without dementia.

Novocortex, a digital marketing business, helped a newly formed Dutch car insurance company get new customers by making it seem like their cars had been scratched. The fake "scratches" were printed on sticky paper that had the message, "We repair your damages as easily as you remove this sticker" with the company's name and contact information.

As you can imagine, people had a mixed bag of emotions when it came to this marketing strategy. Novocortex filmed these reactions and put them on YouTube. Whether they were angry or confused, this sticker caused people to pause and read the message left by the company.

Volkswagen was looking to promote its Polo model as a tough vehicle even though it's small. Similar to Novocortex's strategy, the car manufacturer had magnetic panels made that were printed with scratches and dents. The magnets were put on random cars along with the message, "Volkswagen Polo, small but strong."

The company reported more than 2,000 contacts as a result of the magnetic panels. This was an easy way to get more people interested in Volkswagen's Polo. Today, the make is still going strong, with the 2018 model including fancy features like emergency braking, detection sensors in the wing mirrors, and a premium media system for music.

The Whoopee Cushion might seem like a lewd promotional item, but when used right, it can actually result in a pretty memorable marketing campaign. Take for instance the St. Paul Saints, an American professional baseball team that gave these giveaways to the first 2,500 fans who came to the Metrodome to celebrate the 30th anniversary of "Inflation Day."

This giveaway reminds Saints fans they can persevere through anything, namely the crippling blizzard that caused damage to their arena back in the 1980s. The Whoopee Cushion brought a sense of humor to the affair, and according to Executive Vice President Derek Sharrer served as "an opportunity for fans to relieve themselves with a deflating of their own."

Image credit: Toxel

Your dad might refer to going to the bathroom as "doing paperwork." The School of Visual Arts in New York poked fun at that phrasing by changing items like paper towels, napkins, and toilet paper and making them look like notebook paper. At the bottom of each was the simple message: Think, followed by the school's name.

As a place for creative minds, it only made sense for the School of Visual Arts to give students an opportunity to jot down notes or sketch drawings while doing their business. The college has been going strong since 1947, with notable alumni including Academy Award winner Jared Leto and "Courage the Cowardly Dog" animator John R. Dilworth.

Iams, the pet food company, handed out promotional Frisbees in the shape of barbell weights to show their brand is "stronger" than others. Each disc had "Strong Dogs" and the company name imprinted and were handed out in Australia to increase brand awareness.

This promotional product is perfectly suited to the audience, which in this case is both dogs and their owners. The giveaway was noticeable enough to get attention at dog parks and many people raved about the clever marketing. Meanwhile, Iams has stayed out of the doghouse with an estimated worth of $3.8 billion.

It is not uncommon for television networks to send out press kits for upcoming shows with promotional items inside. The creative minds behind the TV show "Fringe" made a memorable impression by sending out Tabasco sauce with the label "Observers Are Here." This was in tandem with a 2009 episode about eating spicy food to stay alive.

The Fox show was about unusual crimes and situations, with the hot sauce tying in directly to one of the episode's plot points. It was a clever way to get people to tune in as they were wondering what was the deal with the hot sauce. "Fringe" was a modest hit for the network with 3.2 million viewers during the season finale and 3 Emmy nominations.

If these brands prove anything, it's that there are no limits to your creativity. Go ahead and be daring! Have a fun element at your next trade show like salsa dancing or a pirate theme. You could even take it further by bringing along treasure like metallic water bottles or tote bags. Talk about a great way to make your competition walk the plank!

Do pirates make you cringe? Leave the scallywags behind and march to the beat of your own drum! No matter what, you're going to make an impression on customers by thinking outside of the box and doing something different. Get creative with your marketing and promotional products, and before you know it, you'll have a bunch of new customers running through the door!

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Alyssa Mertes

Alyssa loves food. A LOT. Particularly pizza and popcorn, but she knows beggars can't be choosers. When she's not stuffing her face (which is rare), she loves watching movies, playing volleyball and softball, and engaging in any number of interesting shenanigans. If she had to pick a spirit animal, she'd be an otter because they are playful and love to laugh. Most of the time she's laughing at herself, whether other people are laughing with or at her is to be determined.

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The 13 Most Creative Promotional Products of All Time

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You're looking for creative promotional products but it seems like everywhere you turn, you're finding more of the same. Pens and notepads are great, but you need something that makes you stand out from the crowd. Whether you own a yoga studio or a restaurant, these unique promo giveaway ideas will make your brand pop!