What’s Next for MediaLink Following CEO Michael Kassan’s Exit

The legal fallout between MediaLink founder Michael Kassan and its owner, United Talent Agency (UTA), has caught the world’s entertainment and advertising industries by surprise, including many within the management consultancy itself. Now MediaLink, without its figurehead, is facing questions about its leadership plans moving forward, as the succession plan for Kassan has long been…

How Brands Will Help the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Go for Gold

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games are set to be the most watched in its history, with a record 160 broadcasters signing up to cover the event. That will be welcome news for sponsors, but for organizers it marks a whole new step forward for the para movement. The previous Paralympic Summer games, held in Tokyo…

Amazon’s Gritty Campaign Shows How Tough Women’s Soccer Can Be

For those in any doubt, women’s soccer can be a brutal sport, as ecommerce giant Amazon’s European campaign portrays through bumps, scrapes and post-match recovery. In creative agency adam&eveDDB’s first work for Amazon, “The Grit” celebrates the spirit of the women’s game with 30- and 60-second edits. Directed by BAFTA-nominated director Molly Manning Walker, the…

R/GA Is Making BBC Studios’ First U.S.-Focused Brand Campaign

BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the British broadcaster, is in the process of building awareness across the U.S. and will produce a brand campaign created by R/GA to support that aim. The organization has been on a recruitment drive in the U.S. in recent months, hiring various executives to build its expansion of digital…

Regulators Find a New Way to Ban Calvin Klein’s FKA Twigs Ad

British advertising regulators have reconsidered a controversial decision to ban a Calvin Klein ad featuring musician FKA Twigs on the basis that it presented her as “a stereotypical sexual object.” The billboard in question featured the singer with a shirt draped across her body, revealing part of one breast and the side of her buttocks,…

Diageo Tests the Waters of the Apple Vision Pro With Don Julio Tequila

Whenever new technology platforms come along, brands will follow, and with Apple’s Vision Pro, Diageo’s Don Julio Tequila aims to utilize its storytelling potential. Working with developer Trigger XR, the tequila brand aims to utilize special computing to enable users to travel virtually to Mexico to experience the legacy, craft and culture of the spirit….

McDonald’s Seeks the Truth About the ‘Hamburger Icon’ Conspiracy

A potential conspiracy is at the heart of a McDonald’s initiative out of Finland as it aims to get to the bottom of the theory that the three-lined digital menu icon found in the corner of many digital interfaces is deliberately meant to resemble a triple-decker Big Mac. Named “The Icon,” the campaign from Nord…

WPP UK President Karen Blackett Set to Depart After Three Decades

Karen Blackett, WPP’s U.K. president is set to leave the business after almost 29 years. During her time there she has held key leadership roles, including chief executive of MediaCom U.K. Blackett has risen through the ranks of the business after joining Mediacom U.K. (now EssenceMediacom) in where she would hold the posts of new…

New DDB Paris CEOs Named as Veteran Jean-Luc Bravi Steps Aside

Omnicom-owned DDB Paris’ chief executive Jean-Luc Bravi will step aside after nearly 23 years, with Alexander Kalchev and Paul Ducre set to jointly succeed him. Bravi will become the chairman of the agency, a newly created position that will allow him to remain involved in the 26-year-old business that began as Louis XIV in 1994…

The Fractional CMO Is a Trendy New Marketing Title—and It’s Not Going Anywhere

Out of a global workforce of 3.38 billion people, almost half (1.57 billion) are freelance, The World Bank revealed last year. But the definition of “freelance” is evolving to now reach the C-suite, including senior marketers. The pandemic changed many aspects of work, introducing more companies to the concept of hybrid schedules and boosting digital…

Mondelez Took Legal Action Against Rival Tony’s Chocolonely, in Response it Made a Campaign

Global confectionary producer Mondelez has moved to protect its purple packaging by issuing a lawsuit against independent rival Tony’s Chocolonely. It came after the former company began mimicking competitor brand packaging in a campaign to highlight child labor practices within cocoa farming. The campaign from Dutch-based Tony’s, released in Germany and Austria, saw it adopt…

What Happened When Ikea Decided to Run Its First Global Campaign After 80 Years

Ikea is fresh off launching its first global ad campaign at the ripe old age of 80, and its most senior marketer is hopeful a unified approach will help the retailer appeal to customers across borders battling the same cost-of-living crisis. “When Ikea first started in 1943, we were only based in Sweden. Since then,…

Volkswagen Appoints CMO From Within To Drive Brand Into the Future

Volkswagen Group has promoted from within to fill the vacant global chief marketing officer (CMO) space at its eponymous brand, appointing Susanne Franz to the position. Franz has led global marketing for the group’s Audi brand since 2019. Now, she will be tasked with overseeing Volkswagen’s marketing efforts globally for its passenger car business. Among…

WPP CEO Mark Read Commits to Tech Clients and Dispels Sora Competition

WPP CEO Mark Read underlined the advertising business’ commitment to its technology clients despite citing their lack of spend last year as having weighed down its financial results, as the company reported organic revenue growth of 3.2%, underperforming against its nearest competitors. The agency network–which owns Ogilvy, GroupM, VML and AKQA–reported revenue for 2023 of…

Stagwell Bolsters European Footprint with Sidekick Acquisition

Advertising services group Stagwell, which owns agency brands such as 72+Sunny and MDC Partners, has bolstered its European offer with the acquisition of a collective of specialist agencies known as Sidekick, which will join the network’s consultancy, Allison. The deal will see Sidekick, which currently employs 40 people in London, aim to bolster the brand…

Magnum’s Artsy Film Reimagines Ice Cream as a Winter Treat

Ice cream sales typically plunge with the temperatures, but an artsy black-and-white film from Unilever’s Magnum encourages consumers to use the treat as an escape from the winter blues. Created by agency LOLA MullenLowe and directed by Juan Cabral through MJZ Films, the 90-second “Find Your Summer” begins as a moody film depicting the bleakness…

Greenwashing Crackdown Begins on EU Brands Making Vague Eco Claims

European brands and companies will no longer be able to cite weak claims of carbon offsetting as regulations to battle greenwashing practices are tightened. The European Parliament made recommendations to strengthen its legal framework, which, alongside vague net zero and sustainability claims, will also include carbon neutral/reduction claims around products and the banning of brand-owned…

Most European Influencers Fail to Disclose Ads, a Sweep Finds

The majority of influencers and social media creators across Europe are breaking European Union consumer law by failing to disclose their advertising activities. The regulation of online influence is a growing discussion across the EU, with the Belgian presidency especially keen, it has been reported, to introduce further legislation at a national level. According to…

Could a Marketing Reset Help Volkswagen Shift Gears?

It’s been a busy February for Volkswagen, which is fresh from airing a blockbuster Americana-inspired Super Bowl spot celebrating 75 years in the U.S. In between perfecting its Big Game moment, the brand also found time to conclude some elements of its marathon $2.6 billion media pitch within the last month, and saw the departure…

Humanizing SAP—A New Chapter for the Tech Business

“We knew that we needed to secure an emotional territory that is very distinct,” explained Julia White, SAP’s chief marketing and solutions officer. “The world of business-to-business marketing and B2B tech is busy, and it can all feel the same. So I wanted to know what our unique place in the world was and what…