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…

McDonald’s Customers Told ‘Send Your Kitchens on Vacation’

Families in the Baltics are ready to give their overworked kitchen appliances a break as they seek out excuses to go to McDonald’s. Created by TBWA Latvia, the 30-second advert from the quick service restaurant giant, “Send Your Kitchen on Vacation,” promotes the various ways customers can pick up food from McDonald’s. The ad features…

Publicis Health Settles Lawsuit Related to US Opioid Marketing

Publicis Health is set to pay around $350 million in a multistate legal settlement involving its role in marketing highly addictive opioids and the resulting U.S. addiction crisis. Through the now-shuttered agency Rosetta, the advertising network was working with Purdue Pharma, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2019 due to the lawsuits it was…

Why Soccer OTT Platforms Are a Boost for Clubs and Marketers

The introduction of over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting platforms by European soccer’s football elite has been on the rise as part of a growing trend of sports properties recognizing the potential of acting as their own media platform. With streamers such as Amazon Prime Video and now Netflix, with its $5 billion WWE Raw deal, getting into…

Why Doritos Is Evolving Its Long-Standing ‘Bold’ Brand Platform

Doritos is introducing a new brand platform to reach a multi-generational audience with the beginning of a global campaign that will help it redesign the meaning of “bold.” Having introduced the platform “For the Bold” in 2013 with its first global campaign, the PepsiCo-owned snack brand will evolve the line to become “For the Bold…

Inside Barilla’s Award-Winning Leftover Pasta TikTok Series

Even for the most discerning home cook, it’s a burden that lays heavy: cooking more pasta than you need. That’s why, when it found out that one in four pasta dishes made globally are wasted, Italian pasta and sauce maker Barilla made tackling food waste its mission. Drawing on the Italian tradition of using pasta…

Austria Parodies AI Ads With Its ChatSkiPT Tourism Campaign

Tourism campaigns have grown to focus increasingly on humor in recent years as they attempt to lampoon the absurdity of society’s trends while promoting the beauty of their locations. And now, it’s the turn of Austria as it offers its artificial intelligence technology to answer tourists’ questions–called ChatSkiPT. Even though AI is now seen as…

Marketers More Excited Than Threatened by AI Says WFA

The world of work is changing as highly skilled jobs, including the role of the marketer, with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) set to impact 40% of all jobs and 60% of those within advanced economies. However, the chief executive of the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Stephan Loerke, says that marketers are excited…

AB InBev Named First Global Olympic Beer Sponsor, With a Twist

Anheuser-Busch InBev signed on as the first global beer sponsor of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games through 2028. However, there’s a plot twist: Corona Cero 0.0% beer will be the breakout star. The alcohol-free brew will be the official beer of the Summer Olympics in Paris, joining Coca-Cola, Toyota, Airbnb and others as the…

Greenpeace’s Trilogy of Terror Takes Aim at Climate Change Causes

Last year was officially declared the warmest one on record. Yet humanity has barely changed its behaviors to curb climate change–creating perhaps the greatest horror story of all time. To present the nightmare of a situation, environmental group Greenpeace France has released a series of online films highlighting three destructive climate behaviors, but in the…

Oreo’s Pac-Man Collab Calls on Consumers to ‘Chase Playfulness’

Continuing its collaborations with established pop-culture franchises such as Batman, Super Mario and Pokemon in recent years, Oreo revealed a linkup with 1980s gaming classic Pac-Man. The campaign for the Mondelez International-owned brand promotes the tagline “Chase Playfulness.” It is led by a 20-second hero film that sees office workers playing the role of Pac-Man…

How the NBA Paris Game Will Serve Europe’s Basketball Fans and Brands

More than half a billion (585 million) people globally play basketball annually, the National Basketball Association (NBA) discovered through a YouGov-run fan survey two years ago. It is an international sport with a great deal of potential for further growth outside of its core U.S. and Canadian bases. And as it aims to tap that…

London Sphere Proposal Withdrawn by Madison Square Garden Entertainment

A potential advertising innovation proposed for London in the style of the Las Vegas Sphere will not move forward after Madison Square Garden Entertainment (MSG) withdrew its proposal. MSG had hoped to build a 21,000-capacity venue in the Stratford area of the city, but that was rejected by Mayor Sadiq Khan late last year. Despite…

Mondel?z’s Marketers Are Zeroing In on Creative Effectiveness

Global snack producer Mondelez International is growing, and its creative marketing strategy is driving its success. For its third-quarter results released in November 2023, the company revealed an expectation of organic net revenue growth of 14% to 15% for the year ahead as it continues to serve over 150 countries around the world. The European…

These Provocative Ads Highlight the Choice Many Women Still Lack in a Sea of Options

Deciding on the right souvenir to take home from a trip or what to eat for lunch may sometimes seem like a tough choice, but a provocative campaign from MSI Reproductive Choices and agency Uncommon Creative Studio contrasts those options with the lack of choices many women have when it comes to their own bodies….

An Independent Havas Could Lead to Structural Changes and Acquisitions

With French media company Vivendi’s announcement that it’s exploring a sale of Havas–as well as sister company Canal+ Group and stakes in publisher Lagardere and Telecom Italia–could unlock more value for the agency, making it attractive to potential buyers, sources tell Adweek. The potential sale follows the partial sale of record label Universal Music Group…

Why Animated Ads Hit Harder

At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, animation became a lifeline for creatives in a world where lockdowns and social distancing rendered advertising production practically impossible. Animation itself can be traced way back to the early 1900s, but it’s a medium that’s continually evolving. For modern marketers, recent campaigns have proven the technique to be…