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Why advertising is emotionally stunted and how to fix it /

Barney Worfolk-Smith and Ian Forrester, co-founders of creative effectiveness platform Daivid, on the ad industry's strange relationship with emotion and why it's damaging effectiveness

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‘Generative AI is like a toddler’ /

Tips and best practices for incorporating generative AI into the creative process, from OLIVER Agency's chief creative, Rod Sobral

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Hub and spoke creative agencies: why this time it’s different /

Dan Salkey, the co-founder and strategy partner at Small World, on why after decades of false dawns, now really is the time for agencies built on independent talent

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Account Planning and Strategy: 50 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll /

As JWT's landmark Planning Guide turns 50 years old, author Paul Feldwick recalls what it was like at the birth of planning, and how it compares to strategy today

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Greenhushing is on the rise — and I welcome it /

It's good that brands have been cowed by accusations of greenwashing, argues Solitaire Townsend, chief solutionist at Futerra.

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Why high fashion brands don’t have the luxury of ‘eating the rich’ /

Global growth means luxury brands have a larger pool of customers than ever before, argues Oskar Zander, a client manager and digital strategist at TBS Mediabyra in Stockholm, and that could be their undoing.

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Reasons to be optimistic about the ad industry in 2024: Part 2 /

Candy-floss positivity is not enough to make it in advertising, says Colenso BBDO's chief creative officer, Simon Vicars. You need deranged optimism.

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Reasons to be optimistic about the ad industry in 2024 /

VCCP's chief strategy officer, Clare Hutchinson, takes inspiration from Ian Dury to offer some reasons for adlanders to be cheerful in 2024

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How generative AI can help advertising agencies pitch /

Saatchi & Saatchi London senior creative Avani Maan explains how generative AI has transformed the agency's pitch process.

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Why is no one in advertising talking about sustainability anymore? /

Last year was the hottest on record, and climate disasters claimed tens of thousands of lives and cost billions of dollars. So why does it feel like the climate crisis has fallen off marketers’ agenda?

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TikTok and interest-based targeting: what’s old is new /

TikTok advertising goes against 20 years of digital marketing best practices, says And Rising co-founder Jonathan Trimble, and that's a good thing.

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Cookies, curiosity and creative advertising /

As Google begins to phase out third-party cookies, Paul Domenet, creative strategy director and partner at Free The Birds, asks whether a reliance on data has robbed advertising of its taste for the unpredictable.

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‘2018 trend reports read eerily similar to the forecasts for 2024’ /

Foresight strategist and author Matt Klein has published his annual meta analysis of the year’s major trend reports, and he's starting to get déjà vu. Do we have the wrong idea about how long it takes for a trend to establish itself? Or is culture stagnating?

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Eat The Rich: Revisited /

Tom Beckman, the global chief creative officer at Weber Shandwick looks back on whether 2023 really was the year that society ‘ate the rich’

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The rise of ‘meh-diocrity’ /

An efficiency drive among the entertainment industries is causing culture to stagnate, argues Accenture Song’s global thought leadership lead, Katie Burke. It's time for some lunacy

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How to spot a true, transformative insight /

Chris Kocek, the founder of Gallant Branding, offers a handy mnemonic for recognising when you've struck strategic gold

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Eating the elephant of creative transformation /

Building a highly creative culture, one bite at a time

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‘Return on inclusion is the new ROI’ /

Put DEI at the heart of creativity and you can win more than awards, says Creative Equals’ Ali Hanan

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‘Ignoring the Menopause is not just bad for women, it’s bad business’ /

Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, but you wouldn’t know it based on the output of adland.

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‘Trends have lost all meaning’ /

Brands’ fascination with social-media fads has devalued the rigorous practice of trend forecasting, says Reddit's head of global foresight, Matt Klein. Brands should remember some simple laws of physics to get back on track.

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Why comments are the new creative brief /

We Are Social's executive editorial director, Charlie Cottrell, explains why online comments sections can be a strategist's secret weapon

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Brands should pay more attention to single and satisfied ‘solos’ /

Behavioural economist Peter McGraw believes a bias against singles persists in marketing and has identified four categories of consumer who are going it alone

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In defense of Web3 and the metaverse /

Criticisms and technological limitations should not dissuade marketers from continuing to explore the possibilities of Web3, argues Cult’s strategy director, Alex Manning.

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Frameworks, freedom and the conditions for creative excellence /

AMV BBDO’s heads of strategy, Lola Neves and Sam Williams, on breaking the rules to protect creativity

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The Great Transition is coming: how to talk about sustainability /

EdenLab's Leo Rayman on how not to get flattened by the biggest wave of your career

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In tough times, brands should go The Full Monty /

Societal angst and meagre marketing budgets should not stop brands from being playful, argues Lucky Generals' head of special ops, Paul Mallon.

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Hellmann’s, Terry Smith and the paradox of purposeful brands /

The beliefs that brands exist to make profit or serve a higher purpose don't have to conflict. You just need mental flexibility.

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Why ‘eat the rich’ will be the dominant creative narrative of 2023 /

Pop culture villains tell us a lot about society's anxieties and fears, and right now they're telling us that people are no longer in thrall to the rich, says Weber Shandwick's Tom Beckman

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‘The ad industry is having a crisis of imagination on climate change’ /

Greenpeace's Cannes stunts are a good reminder that the climate crisis needs pressure from the outside and action from the inside, writes Purpose Disruptors co-founder Lisa Merrick-Lawless

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Why serious times call for funny advertising /

The world is a serious place right now, says Lucky Generals’ head of special ops, Paul Mallon, but that’s no reason why brands should be afraid to be funny

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Liquid Death, porn and purpose /

Why Liquid Death's chaotic brand belies a calculated morality

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In defence of brand storytelling /

Storytelling increasingly feels like a dirty word in marketing circles, connoting a flippant, regressive or trivial approach to the business of selling things. But marketers abandon it at their peril.

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Activision Blizzard CCO: How brands can win gamers /

Pelle Sjoenell, chief creative officer at Activision Blizzard, explains how brands can approach gamers without being annoying or ignored

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Why pet insurance desperately needs better brands /

The crisis among UK vets presents a branding opportunity for UK pet insurers, but which among them can summon the creativity to go for the ‘commodification jugular’?

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Crypto Loyalty: the real Web 3.0 opportunity for brands /

Uncommon CX founding partner David Yates says blockchain technology presents brands with real opportunities beyond NFT gimmickry

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Fashion and the metaverse /

Contagious editor Chloe Markowicz on luxury brands’ Damascene conversion to tech enthusiasm

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Attention and advertising: the dog cone conundrum /

What happens when the nature of our attention changes? What does it mean for advertising, culture and society? Orlando Wood, chief innovation officer at System1 Group, questions what the study of attention tells us about advertising

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Breaking out is hard to do /

Contagious editor Chloe Markowicz on distinctive brands and the science of simultaneous discovery

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The Power of Constraint /

How constraints on time and money can often encourage creativity rather than impede it

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The WhatsApp Test /

Why marketers must streamline the communication processes between creatives and decision-makers to unleash quick-thinking campaigns

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Closing the intention-behaviour gap for sustainable shopping /

It's up to retailers to get the Greta Generation to shop green – here's how

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Advertising and enlightened self interest /

Why brands have real power to effect change in the world

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Why does Snickers keep getting accused of homophobia? /

An ad for Snickers ice cream in Spain has been denounced as insulting to gay people, raising questions about similar instances in the brand's past

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Why femcare ads risk going from unvarnished to wallpaper /

A new breed of ‘unvarnished reality’ femcare ads should be a concern and an opportunity for creatives

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Ronaldo and Pogba’s Euro 2020 sponsor snubs are fair game /

Sponsorship is the lifeblood of global events, but lazy product placement isn't worth defending

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It’s a great time for irrational, intangible value /

Whether or not NFTs and cryptocurrencies are a good investment, they’re a reassuring reminder of our irrational nature, says Contagious editorial director, Alex Jenkins.

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Funny times: why advertising swings between cynicism and sincerity /

Advertising's shift from irony-laden cynicism to full-throated sincerity plays to Felix Richter's strengths as a creative, but the Droga5 co-chief creative officer isn't sure it's good news for society

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Same product, fresh perspective /

Getting a fresh perspective should be your first instinct, not a last resort when the cash runs out, says Contagious editorial director Alex Jenkins in his leader column from issue 66 of Contagious magazine

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The ‘wiggle room’ in marketing science /

Do the laws of marketing science laid down by the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute leave wiggle room for creativity to play a role? Ethan Decker, president of Applied Brand Science, explores.

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The Art of Iteration /

The creative spark in marketing feels uniquely human but AI can play a pivotal part in the discovery and expression of ideas, argues Tom Ollerton, founder of Automated Creative

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Why the pandemic has sent creativity into free fall /

Martin Lindstrom explains why pandemic working practices are killing creativity

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Supporting the post-Covid talent pipeline /

How Ally Owen is taking the Brixton Finishing School mission across the UK to improve access to all underrepresented groups and break down the class barrier

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Plummeting differentiation shows brands ‘sleepwalking into oblivion’ /

Kantar research shows that 'meaningful difference' among brands has declined for eight years straight. Dom Boyd, managing director, UK Insights at Kantar, explains why this is bad news and offers tips for getting back on track.

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Why brand activism is a hero trap /

Thomas Kolster took a hatchet to his beliefs about brand activism when he realised it had become a performative shouting match, and discovered the missing link between purposeful advertising and sales

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Break up with social media? Brands have too much to lose. /

Saying goodbye to social means saying goodbye to customers and advocates, argues Nathan McDonald, co-founder and group CEO at We Are Social. Rather than walk away, brands should pull it closer to the heart of their ambitions

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The Lipstick effect and post-pandemic consumer trends /

Tinuiti's head of media Obele Brown-West on what previous recessions and times of trauma in America can tell us about consumer trends in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic

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Why Quibi will succeed – eventually /

Quibi's platform for on-the-go watching couldn't be less suited to pandemic living, but don't write it off, says Addictive founder Simon Andrews

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Advertising and the Covid-19 information apocalypse /

Sleeping Giants founder Matt Rivitz on why he fears we risk losing a 'shared truth' amid the coronavirus pandemic

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Why an organising principle is key to doing purposeful marketing right /

Cynics view purpose as a fad – an obligatory CSR box-ticking exercise. However, Contagious co-founder Paul Kemp-Robertson argues that when purpose follows a core business strategy it can enable brilliant creativity and social good.

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Creative empire building: Consistency tips from ancient Rome /

How can marketers make achieving great creativity more predictable and systematic? James Womersley turns to the past masters of consistency for answers – after all, everything ends up leading back to Rome

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3 strategy questions for pandemic brand planning /

Uncommon co-founder Lucy Jameson explains the three key strategy questions her agency is asking clients as they seek to navigate the Covid-19 pandemic

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#Brand Twitter has a problem /

VMLY&R’s Matt Keck, one of the architects of Wendy’s popular and influential Twitter account, on why brands that use the platform must find a new shtick

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Why virtual clothes have become actual fashion /

Digital fashion presents an opportunity for brands to be more sustainable and satisfy an appetite for digital goods

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2 decades of challenger brands: what’s changed? /

Twenty years after his book ‘Eating The Big Fish’ helped popularise the concept of challenger brands, Adam Morgan, partner at global strategic brand consultancy Eatbigfish, has collaborated with Malcolm Devoy, chief strategy officer at PHD EMEA, to investigate the strategies today’s challengers are using to disrupt their markets

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6 things that weren’t advertising that got people talking in 2019 /

The Contagious team picks the most influential trends, memes and events of 2019

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Hemispheres of Influence /

A new book pins the decline in advertising effectiveness on our collectively malfunctioning grey matter. James Swift asks if this is cerebral thinking or hare-brained guff

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Why Didcot holds the key to the future of advertising /

One thing about the future is certain: everyone is suddenly about to have strong opinions about it

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3 takeaways from a hectic week at Web Summit /

R/GA's EMEA chief creative officer, Andre Le Masurier, on why this year's Web Summit gave him hope for the future of 'purpose' in advertising

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Is collaboration a buzzword or the ad agency model of the future? /

As agencies are bombarded by competition from all sides, Patrick Jeffrey outlines how they can restructure to protect themselves against getting burnt

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The risky lure of brand sadfishing /

As children are warned of the dangers of sadfishing, it's a lesson that attention-hungry brands could stand to learn, too

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Why Big Agency thought leaders don’t speak for an entire industry /

Nick Ellis, creative partner and Halo co-founder, on why it's hard for small agencies to relate to advertising thought leaders

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Why Paddy Power’s shirt sponsor stunt is cavalier /

Paddy Power's Save Our Shirt campaign was welcomed with open arms by football fans, but was it a smart marketing play?

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Generation Z and the environmental impact of digital /

R/GA London experience design director Joe Hearty on how Generation Z will reconcile their digital diet with concern for the environment

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How joy became the brand buzzword of 2019 /

Wildfire account director Alex Warren on the companies jumping for joy and what it takes for a brand to successfully own a feeling

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Post-rationalisation: The great white lie of advertising strategy /

Why agencies feel the need to post-rationalise their ideas.

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The Value of a Good Hiccup /

Jade Trott, a senior art director at Oliver, and Lee Trott, a senior copywriter at Oliver, on how a clanger can boost a brand's fortunes

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How to own your ideas /

A step-by-step guide for getting your ideas accepted and executed, from SYZYGY project director Marlen Lutter

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Black Twitter: the driving force of the internet /

Brands will never excel on social media unless they pay attention to the community at the root of conversation

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Funny business /

what brands can learn from stand-up comedy

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The ignored giant /

Why is our industry failing one of the largest and most culturally relevant demographics going, asks BBH data strategist Ronan Patrick.

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Diversity makes for better design /

Marisa Jensen, a product designer at Ustwo, on the inequality that persists within design and how it can be addressed

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Why Stranger Things glimpses the future of product placement  /

Stranger Things might be set in the past, but the show's array of brand deals could foreshadow the future of entertainment

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5 ways brands can create membership models that inspire true loyalty /

Anna Bulman, associate strategy director at R/GA, on why the future of brand loyalty is tribes, not bribes

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4 things about working with influencers /

Contagious attended the Oystercatchers Club panel on influencer marketing on 14 May.

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Why a speed addiction is bad for creative agencies /

If you want to move fast, you also need to know when to take your time

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How brands can change their assets without losing their identity /

Remember, it’s a corporate guideline, not a rule. Getting creative with your assets can drive results too, says Alex Jenkins

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How brands can apologise  /

Marketing is a foggy business but at least one thing is becoming clearer with each passing day – at some point you’ll be sorry.

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You Can Go Your Own Way /

As Judy Garland would tell you, following everything your competitors do is a terrible way to get ahead

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The most powerful human enabler /

R/GA's EMEA head of data Hanan Belarbi on how agencies can learn to treat data with respect

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Drowning in Kool-Aid /

Is being your brand’s most die-hard fan a demonstration of loyalty, or just a prejudicial way to divorce yourself from the real world?

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The next big objective for brands /

It’s not just the tech giants that must prove themselves reliable gatekeepers, argues author Steven van Belleghem

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IWD: One day a year is not enough /

Year-round vigilance to your own shortcomings is the only way to make a change

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Anatomy of a cannabis commercial /

The biggest cannabis company in the US has produced a slick and starry ad, and there’s a lot to unpack

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Reddit’s due /

As Reddit secures funding pricing it at $3bn, James Swift looks at its value for brands

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Who are you being funny for? /

Desmond LaVelle, VP and ECD at Peter Mayer examines who's laughing when it comes to Super Bowl ads

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Fyre Festival: Marketing Lessons From An Almighty Balls Up /

Bafta award-winning comedy writer and Don't Panic founder Joe Wade on why fraudster Billy McFarland is a persuasion genius

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Designers and writers: a new conversation for 2019 /

How copywriters and designers can work together to adapt to the era of computer conversation

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How to get dark social right /

Looking for someone to shed light on Dark Social? We Are Social's research and insight director, André van Loon, shares his knowledge

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The 6 things that weren’t advertising that got us talking in 2018 /

The Contagious team gives you their insights into the things, people and moments that defined this year

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Sexual healing /

JWT's Lucie Greene on the burgeoning sexual wellness industry

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Clearcast's Iceland decision shouldn't upset eco-warriors /

Rang-tan might not make it on TV, but maybe that's a blessing in disguise

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How do you do, fellow youth sub-brands? /

Hilton has joined the ranks of brands creating youth-focused sub divisions – are they ever more than a sticking plaster solution?

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Patagonia the stalking horse /

Patagonia has endorsed two US Democrats in the race for the Senate. Is it blazing a trail for brands?

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Bloody risky /

Bodyform broke through unconscious biases with its Blood Normal campaign. Everyone should try it

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What Would Jerry Do? /

Read an exclusive excerpt from Seth Godin's new book, This Is Marketing: Why You Can't Be Seen Until You Learn To See

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Amazon Is Playing Dumb With Its Display Ads. Why? /

Why is the world’s largest ecommerce retailer pretending to be stupid?

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Please Stop ‘Pivoting’ to Video /

Everyone seems to be pivoting to video, but marketers and publishers should be wary about making this change

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Four Principles for a Strong Brand Proposition /

Jessica Ryde, senior consultant at R/GA London, on how to build a robust brand propositions

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The future favours the brave /

Contagious' Alex Jenkins offers five predictions for the future of content

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WTF is branded content? It’s complicated /

Justin Kirby asks industry leaders to define the elusive term