dentsu is marking the successful launch of its LGBTQ+ Pride solidarity campaign ‘dentsu and Friends’ in London, now in its fourth year. The campaign was devised by dentsu in collaboration with Co-op, Holland & Barrett, Santander, Mastercard, Wickes, and more, to stand against the hate faced by the LGBTQ+ community. Dentsu has secured advertising space with OOH leader JCDecaux to feature the ‘dentsu & Friends’ pride flag on billboards across the UK. The design is now on display throughout London, for an estimated 10 million people to see. Brands taking a stand alongside dentsu are represented via the rainbow stripes on the flag. The campaign reminds people that Pride was always a protest. Despite progress in recent years, hate crimes based on sexual orientation in the UK remain a prevalent issue, with 24,102 offences committed in 2022 – 2023, a GOV.UK report has found. The Pride solidarity campaign is committed to acknowledging, and raising awareness for, the many obstacles faced by the LGBTQ+ community, especially for trans men and women, and those who identify as non-binary.
TikTok has launched a new campaign in partnership with Team GB and Paralympics GB, as part of the platform’s It Starts on TikTok campaign. The new campaign harnesses the mindset of athletes when it comes to starting new endeavors and celebrates the new things that people start after discovering them on TikTok. The star-studded marketing campaign features some of the UK’s most inspiring athletes, including Katarina Johnson-Thompson, Team GB Heptathlete; Lauren Steadman MBE, Paralympic Triathlete; Oliver Lam-Watson, Paralympic Fencer and Delicious Orie, Team GB Boxer. The campaign aims to showcase the incredible stories and journeys of these athletes and highlight how they use TikTok to inspire others. From 8th July, billboards of the Olympians and Paralympians’ stories will feature up and down the country. The campaign will also feature on TV, radio and socials, and you can watch it in full here.
Global Italian coffee company, Lavazza,has launched a new advertising campaign featuring its global brand ambassador – Jannik Sinner. Showcasing its passion for and long-lasting commitment to the world of tennis, the new campaign celebrates the partnerships with the oldest Grand Slam tournament in the world, as well as the No 1 male tennis player in the world. Under the tagline ‘More than a cup’ the 30s ad is a nod to the key value shared by Lavazza and Wimbledon, passion for excellence, in Lavazza’s typical humorous yet classy tone of voice. Filmed directly on the legendary courts of the iconic tournament, this is one of the biggest tennis-centric campaigns the brand has created.The ‘More than a Cup’ commercial will be airing on Connected TV, YouTube, Video and Display programmatic, as well as social media, while the key visual will be displayed in key OOH locations like Oxford Circus and Ecclestone Yards in Belgravia. Fully wrapped taxis can be spotted around town and an interactive OOH execution at Waterloo tube station allows passers-by to take home a collectible poster featuring Jannik Sinner. Tube, rail and bus shelter visibility round up the comprehensive media plan. Lavazza’s new campaign is signed by VML Italy.
SHOUT by UniTaskr, a full-service creator and media buying agency, has been awarded the first ever TikTok Agency Marketing Partner Badge. This prestigious accomplishment highlights SHOUT’s expertise in delivering outstanding TikTok campaigns and strategies that resonate with global audiences. Since its creation, the agency has rapidly expanded from the UK into the USA, creating a diverse network of over 200,000 nano and micro influencers, as well as a client list that includes world leading brands such as Spotify, Adobe, Amazon, Uber, and Red Bull. Whether raising brand awareness to boosting e-commerce sales, by combining creativity with data-driven insights, SHOUT’s experienced team specialise in creating campaigns that bring brands’ stories to life and captivate audiences. Headquartered in London and Miami, SHOUT was named the largest nano & micro influencer agency in the world by TikTok in 2023. As one of TikTok’s early adopters, SHOUT’s expertise in the platform’s cutting-edge features is unparalleled, allowing brands to enjoy seamless support across their marketing objectives and the competitive advantages this brings.
As community-led trends continue to dominate social feeds, global creator agency, Billion Dollar Boy, has partnered with TikTok to bring marketers the industry’s first ever whitepaper on trend-centric marketing, and has conducted new independent research. Billion Dollar Boy’s research, which canvassed the opinions of more than 4,000 consumers, 500 content creators and 500 senior marketers and brand managers across the US and UK, found that 94% of marketers are committing at least one in five of their brand owned social media posts to trends. Additionally, 77% of marketers plan to increase trend-based content over the next 12 months – with US marketers leading this initiative at 85%, followed by UK marketers at 69%. The survey results suggest that leveraging trend-based content can help brands drive greater impact from their creator partnerships, with 92% of creators reporting better performance compared to their non-trend-based content. The findings are supported by one in five (18%) consumers who say they would be more likely to make a purchase or consider making a purchase as a result of seeing brands publish trend-based social media content, as well as the three quarters (27%) of consumers who say trend-based content increases brand recall. You can access the Finding Success with TikTok Trends whitepaper here: https://www.billiondollarboy.com/report-tiktok-trends/
Branded entertainment destinations company Merlin Entertainments has launched a new UK brand campaign. The campaign positions Merlin Entertainments, home of iconic theme parks and attractions including Alton Towers Resort, LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort, the lastminute.com, London Eye and Madame Tussauds, as the home of memorable joy in the UK this summer, making fun accessible and ensuring that families can create magical moments without breaking the bank. The campaign was created by TBWA\MCR, with Wavemaker UK overseeing the media planning and buying for the campaign as part of their remit overseeing all of Merlin’s UK and global media activity. The nationwide campaign, which encourages families to get ready to say yes to fun this summer, spotlights the joyful experiences and generous offers across all of Merlin’s diverse attractions, unifying them under a single identity for the first time. Targeting families with children aged 6-12, the campaign reaches those who desire to create magical summer memories but face budget constraints, and who often have to say ‘no’ more than ‘yes’. It reflects attitudes towards summer, with parents viewing it as a joyous yet daunting time, while children view it as the ultimate season of fun. The campaign launches on 12 July with a captivating 60-second TV spot, followed by 30-second TV spots, social media and out of home adverts including dynamic motion displays at London’s Euston and Waterloo Stations.
Omnicom Media Group (OMG), the media services division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) has announced its UK sponsorship of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, the world’s largest centre for research into marketing. OMG are the only media agency group in the UK (and across Europe) to currently sponsor the Institute, which provides the group with access to the latest research ahead of the market. The sponsorship demonstrates OMG UK’s continued commitment to full funnel audience insight, innovation, inspiring change and delivering transformational growth. Based at the University of South Australia, the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute is a market-leading independent, not for profit, research institution consisting of marketing scientists who are advancing marketing knowledge and helping brands grow. The Institute is led by Professor Byron Sharp, author of How Brands Grow: what marketers don’t know which has been named as one of the most influential marketing books of the past decade (WARC, 2015). Through sponsorship of the Institute, OMG will gain access to a wealth of benefits and material. This includes access to the Institute’s latest research ahead of the industry, exclusive events, workshops and seminars, and direct access to c.65 marketing scientists working within the Institute. This access will enable OMG and their agency teams to benefit from the Institute’s rigorous approach to evidence-based marketing.
