Blog Posts

No matter how many taboo topics are tackled through advertising and marketing, certain taboos - i.e. subjects it's deeply uncomfortable for many of us to contemplate/discuss - persist. And we even create new ones in addressing others. Here we take a look at six areas that either remain firmly taboo or that we'd expect to see among the barriers coming down in 2021.Abortion Highly charged emotionally, the issue of abortion is rarely reflected even in public health advertising. In the UK, a 2010 ca
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COVID-19 darkened and restricted aspects of many lives in 2020. But the crisis also threw fresh light into dark corners, perhaps even accelerating the tackling of certain taboo topics. Let’s take a look at how advertising is helping to break the silence in these six areas.LonelinessIsolation and premature/unnecessary/unexpected closing-down of people’s life enjoyment suddenly went ‘viral’ as huge swathes of the population were affected. A condition frequently borne in sad silence began to find a
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It’s been the year that saw top fashion houses denied access to the physicality that forms an integral part of their mystique. Global restrictions shut down the lights-music-action framework of catwalks, the collective gasps – or pursed lips – from impeccably turned-out punters in the coveted see-and-be-seen front-row seats, the very sound of stunning creations rustling, crackling or whispering past...Vogue Business warned earlier in the year that fashion and luxury overall should brace for sales
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The phrase 'A Diamond is Forever' was coined by copywriter Frances Gerety in 1947 when De Beers wanted to jack up its sales after the Depression years.The phrase encapsulated the core resilience of diamonds - so hard they are used to tip cutting and drilling machinery - while elevating them to the embodiment of romantic love.It worked, and it still works.But times move on, and more conscious consumers nowadays seek provenance reassurance in the wake of concerns –environmental, societal and polit
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It's the question Ralph Fiennes as 'M' asks in this trailer for the new 007 movie, which was scheduled to hit screens in November.We can all understand why 'No Time To Die' was pushed back from its April 2020 release. Now there's been a further delay, to April 2021.The good news for consumers keen to get their hands on the latest Bond-related swag is that the associated sponsors and partners have not delayed their launches - far from it.Champagne House Bollinger, which has brought sparkle to 007'
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First, they just had to be good football players. Then their bodies got used to sell. Then they were celebs and meant to be role models too. Then COVID-19 swept them off the heady, feel-the-sweat, hear-the-roar performance pitch and onto screens as remote actors in deserted stadia. Is there a touch of door-to-door-salesmen about ‘Coca Cola’s Home End Deliveries’ campaign to ‘reward’ loyal fans with personal visits from players like Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, or is it healthy reconnection in
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With the November 3rd US presidential elections hurtling towards a nation still reeling from the COVID-19 coronavirus, Republicans and Democrats alike were forced to run their conventions mainly digitally, and the candidates for both parties spent hard on mud-slinging: the incumbent President Donald Trump laid out $80 million in the first half of 2020, and former Vice-President Joe Biden coughed up $65 million.Money talks – what’s it saying?While Joseph Robinette 'Joe' Biden Jr. officially accept
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Quorn has been around since 1985, producing a meat substitute made from a fungus found growing in Buckinghamshire in its bid to help reduce reliance on animal protein to feed the world.Fast-forward to 2020, and Britain's Leeds-based Meatless Farm stirred things up with its attention-grabbing 'Now, that's a M.... F.... Burger!' images. ''We wanted to communicate to meat-eaters that there is no compromise on taste, texture or price when going M*** F***. Simply swapping once a week can make an aston
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After British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was hospitalised for COVID-19 coronavirus treatment, he acknowledged that being fat had put him at increased risk. He has since lost several pounds by taking up jogging, and his government has now launched a national Obesity Strategy to help improve the overall health of Brits - of whom approximately two thirds are overweight and more than one in four obese.Turning his back on his earlier criticisms of 'nanny state' health initiatives by previous governm
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Within days of each other, the USA's Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Britain's Royal Navy Submarine Service put out digital ads as part of their recruitment drives in a bid to reach potential recruits where they are - on streaming platforms.The CIA's one-minute campaign  also aims to showcase its diversity credentials. Women feature largely: Director Gina Haspel is the first woman to head the Agency, and since she took over, all five CIA directorates have become headed up by women."Advertis
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They can cost more than your airfare and – like a good reputation – be lost in a moment of carelessness.They’ve been used through the decades to conjure mystery, allure and entire brand personalities - think Anna Wintour for ‘Vogue’, Clint Eastwood as ‘Dirty Harry’, US former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and fashion designer Victoria Beckham.Beckham says a picture of her in her sunglasses is an image many people would recognise, and that her shades say a lot about her. She also says:“This p
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Brits have already spent £150 million on CBD products in 2020, with interest doubling during COVID-19 lockdown.CBD (cannabidiol) oils, drinks and other products were already a growing sector. Derived from the cannabis sativa plant, CBD won't get you high: it's THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) that's the psychoactive ingredient of cannabis.Many stores now carry non-THC products, and they're being hailed by wellness practitioners and users alike as helpful for a range of conditions like insomnia, pain an
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The global luxury fashion industry generates revenue of close to one trillion dollars, and capturing the gorgeous movements of high-end fashion is a specialised niche. From veteran trailblazers Mario Testino and Steven Meisel to Harley Weir, 27, and 20-year-old Gray Sorrenti (image above), some just have the knack. Here are a few advertising campaigns using top photographic talent that have caught our eye.Youthful exuberanceThe daughter of Mario and niece of Davide and Vanina Sorrenti, Gray Sorre
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“Flowers can seem ridiculously extravagant, but that’s why they’re so powerful,” says luxury floral designer Elizabeth Marsh. “There’s no self-interest, they just tell the recipient, ‘I see, hear and understand you’ – you cannot underestimate the power of that.”(Photograher Sebastian Ragusa)From the nervous bride to the five-star hotel or corporate events manager, clients need to be understood, says Marsh, who is a great believer in flowers as a point of engagement as well as communication. “We’v
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Italian Lavazza coffee is a familiar and well regarded brand for many of us, but far fewer will be aware of the work being done by the Lavazza Foundation,which is behind this trailer for a documentary for Amazon Prime now on limited release in Italy, the UK and the USA.It introduces us to Johana, a Colombian woman who lost everything as a result of the five-decade guerrilla/government war that killed more than 260,000 people and displaced millions, and is rebuilding her life through coffee farmin
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British-owned Aston Martin has long been the ultimate high-octane yet elegant brand, renowned for spectacular good looks, luxury engineering, and, thanks to its 007 association, racey intrigue.  The 107-year-old company has roared into the headlines in an already eventful 2020:-It’s putting out a limited edition of 'fully loaded' 007 DB5 remakes as driven by Sean Connery (in image) as James Bond in 'Goldfinger', under the name Continuation. They weren’t able to have the ejector seat, and obviousl
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Britain's farms were already in trouble in terms of harvesting before the COVID-19 coronavirus hit. The 2016 Brexit vote led to a drop in fruit and vegetable pickers from the EU flooding in for the season, with UK farms reporting a shortage of 10-20% of seasonal workers in 2019.Despite the government expanding the number of permitted non-EU seasonal workers four-fold in early 2020, subsequent COVID-related restrictions presaged a severe shortfall. Hence the clarion cry to 'Pick for Britain', as r
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Ever stayed in a luxury hotel and pocketed a couple of their miniature plastic-bottle bathroom goodies?No judgment here, just asking.If you have, you may be feeling out of step with the times. What used to be a real little luxury might now get a curled lip and a flat “Oh. Right.” if you showed it to friends. They might just think you’re wrong for taking home single-use plastics.And increasingly – and ironically – it could reflect badly on the fabulous hotel you stayed at.The plushest hotels in th
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"Did you hear about Milan?” exclaimed a friend based in continental Europe.“No,” I said, not without a faint whiff of apprehension.“They’re using the lockdown to reduce traffic,” she explained with glee. “In the central area where there used to be two-way double lanes – so four lanes of engines that were idling half the time, pumping out fumes ‘cos there were so many vehicles the traffic could barely move – they’ve cut it down to one lane each way.“The other lanes are to expand cycling and pedest
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