What got people talking this week — 30 July
Originally published on O2’s Workplace on 30 July
1. Hollywood actors in unexpected ads
- First up it’s Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer teaming up with the NHS to drive blood donation whilst also promoting their new film Free Guy.
- Burberry have partnered with Adam Driver to launch their new fragrance ‘Hero’. Directed by Jonathan Glazer and with music from FKA Twigs.
They’re certainly both memorable!
2. Freedom despite the pingdemic, several brands are releasing ads celebrating the world opening up. Our top picks:
- TFL’s “Welcome Back London” from our friends at VCCP
- Durex’s OOH show a giant condom wrapper that reads “freedom” with the tagline beneath “It’s here. Enjoy it”
Have any others caught your eye?
3. Mental health has been in the headlines with Simone Biles’ exit from the Olympics. Many praised her decision as a good role model and celebrated all her achievements to date.
However, Piers Morgan criticised her in the Daily Mail with comments trivialising her feelings such as “playing the mental health and race cards.” This sadly fuelled hateful racist reactions in the unmoderated comments section.
A more considered reaction can be seen here and an important takeout on thinking before you post on social media here.
4. The future of OOH is virtual air space?
Brookfield Properties in the US has opened geofenced AR ad inventory across 100+ shopping malls, which covers more than 150m square feet in 42 states. This will create AR opportunities for brands to advertise their content, which consumers will be able to access via mobile.
The rationale is that by in-person shopping integrating AR, it enhances the experience and better competes as online shopping grows.
In other AR news, Olympics athletes in 3D are the latest AR objects available in Google Search that you can see in your living room!
Just enter “Olympics” or that athlete’s name as a search keyword, then on the results page, scroll until you see the “Athlete in 3D” or “(Athlete Name) in 3D”.
Bonus
- HSBC have pledged £2m to support 30 new Stormzy Scholars at the University of Cambridge over next 3 years
- The latest installment of Apple’s ‘Shot on iPhone’ campaign series features pictures of cats and dogs by photographer Jason Nocito. I’ve already had a friend ask how their dog could be featured!
- All the data on Love Island from agency Rise at Seven, using the BuzzSumo platform. Includes comparison on brand metrics of all sponsors, opinion on the islanders and who has the top Instagram followers!
- Sky Mobile launch new Text to Switch ad featuring Lady Leshurr and spoofing old music videos
- Dreams launch free illustrated bedtime stories inspired by Team GB stories, harnessing their role as the Official Sleep Partnership of Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
- Rapper DaBaby dropped by Boohoo after offensive comments at live show about HIV
- Football Manager has announced it will now include women’s leagues
- Campbells soup launches its first NFT with charity element. The brand is looking to modernise its connection to the worlds of art and pop culture that was first made through Andy Warhol’s iconic 1960s pop art series.
- A massive 3D AI Data Painting NFT launched on a 30-Storey Tall Billboard In Times Square in an effort to raise awareness about The UN’S 17 Sustainable development goals. Pretty mesmerising and for a great cause
- Kids lay down sick rhymes in George at Asda’s back to school campaign “Arrive like you mean it”
- TikTok is introducing a dedicated Live button in the For You and Following pages, pushing the prominence of live content on the platform
- Craig David makes it to the Olympics
