Cadbury has launched a new campaign to support the return of its Find a Legend, Win a Legend promotion. The push was developed in partnership with creative agency ELVIS.

For the fourth year of the campaign, Cadbury is partnering with six of the nation’s top football clubs, lining up a legend from each club, including Arsenal FC’s Ian Wright, Chelsea FC’s Petr Cech, Manchester United’s Gary Neville, Liverpool FC’s Robbie Fowler, Manchester City’s Micah Richards and Tottenham Hotspur’s Rafa van der Vaart.

The push, which is part of Cadbury’s wider promotional activations strategy centred on its partnership with six of the nation’s top clubs, aims to get people buying standard chocolate following the festive period.

Consumers are invited to buy a promotional bar, and if they find a legend’s shirt inside their pack, they win an experience with the featured legend. If they don’t find a shirt in the pack, they can head online to legends.cadburyfc.com, enter their barcode, and find out if they have won a £5/€5 or £10/€10 club shop voucher or a personalised video message from one of the six club legends.

As part of the campaign, Cadbury has worked with ELVIS to develop national social content starring football legend Ian Wright, which sees the viewer finding his shirt in their Cadbury pack, before it pops up in Wright’s living room, much to his surprise. ELVIS developed the concept as a playful analogy for the campaign headline, bringing to life the idea that finding the legends shirt inside your Cadbury pack launches you into the legend’s world. This activity is supported by club-specific content featuring the other football legends, as well as several radio ads.

Media agency Carat is managing media planning and buying for the campaign. PR is led by Golin, fulfilment is by Promo Veritas and talent is provided by MKTG.

Pippa Rodgers, Brand Manager, Mondelēz, said: “We’re delighted to bring our popular Find a Legend, Win a Legend promotion back for 2021, partnering with the nation’s top football clubs to offer some amazing prizes. We wanted to offer a fresh take on Legends while retaining strategic consistency. It’s a simple and flexible campaign which we hope will drive even more participation and engagement than in previous years.”

Neale Horrigan, Executive Creative Director, ELVIS, added: “For Cadbury Legends’ fourth year, we wanted to create a winning mechanic that would bring the club partnerships to the fore, and to celebrate the new legendary names added to our line-up while ensuring that the campaign feels very much like an evolution from previous years.

“Hiding the club legends’ shirts inside the pack was a sure-fire way to generate excitement (along with our money-can’t-buy grand prizes) and formed the basis of our playful social content starring Ian Wright. We’ve really taken Legends to the next level.”

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Amidst many consumer challenges over Free School Meals, Hovis^® Best of Both^® has committed to increasing its support for families living in food poverty by donating an additional 250,000 loaves. This is enough bread to make an additional 2.5 million sandwiches in 2021 on top of the annual donation of 250,000 loaves from the brand. The bread is being donated in partnership with the charity FareShare, the UK’s longest-running food redistribution charity, which, along with Hovis, also supports the Marcus Rashford Child Food Poverty Taskforce. In 2020, Hovis donated 250,000 loaves from across their range – providing enough slices for 2.5m sandwiches to those families living in food poverty.

Not only has Hovis committed to increasing its bread donations to create 2.5 million additional sandwiches in 2021, but it has also promised that its donations will be of Best of Both, one of its longest-standing product ranges that have just re-launched with a new recipe. The new Best of Both is rich in Vitamin D which helps to support the immune system1.

Health and immunity remain at the front of minds and the benefits of Vitamin D are believed to be even wider than just maintaining bone and muscle health and helping the normal function of immune systems. As such, Public Health England (PHE) has set out a recommended daily intake for Vitamin D1 of 10 micrograms.

Hovis Best of Both is rich in Vitamin D, which helps to support the immune system1, a source of fibre and protein, rich in calcium to maintain normal teeth and bones and is also low in fat and sugar. Just two slices of this new and delicious loaf contain at least a third of your daily recommended Vitamin D and calcium intakes.

Nina Shanahan, Head of Marketing, said “With the figures for child food poverty increasing, we’re committed to continuing the work we are doing with FareShare and the Taskforce to tackle food poverty. We are pleased to increase our support not only to provide tasty bread but to provide more bread that has nutritional ingredients such as Vitamin D.”

Marcus Rashford MBE said “Hovis’ commitment to supporting those children most affected by hunger is the reason I invited them to join the Child Food Poverty Taskforce. The active steps Hovis has taken to help cover deficits with great quality product is brilliant and I can’t thank them enough. The inclusion of Vitamin D into the product also guarantees children are getting the vital nutrients they need.”

Lindsay Boswell, CEO FareShare, said: “Huge thanks must go to Hovis who have stepped up to support vulnerable communities across the country with bread, at a really challenging time. This donation is very welcome and FareShare will be distributing these loaves to the many thousands of charities across the UK that remain open to provide a lifeline to those most vulnerable communities throughout 2021.”

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Easter is not only a busy time for consumers, traditional marketeers and the chocolate industry, but it can also be eventful for some less obvious practitioners. Below, is a collation of some memorable Easter campaigns from well-known brands that don’t traditionally belong in this space.

1: Ikea’s Flatpack Chocolate bunny

When we see or hear ‘Ikea’ we think of flat-pack furniture and windowless stores but definitely not chocolate. So how did Ikea occur in this Easter line up?

Courtesy of some serious creative alignment their flat-pack chocolate Easter bunny, Vårkänsla, was brought to life in 2019. Less difficult to assemble than your standard Ikea product this fun and irreverent campaign playfully left the consumer satisfied, content with their construction and without a bag of unexplained screws at the end.

2: Deliveroo’s Game of Thrones Dragon Eggs

The Game of Thrones season finale and Easter occurred in parallel in 2019. To celebrate this, Deliveroo launched a limited edition of a GOT Dragon Chocolate Eggs hunt, with eggs resembling the famous Dragon eggs hatched in season 1.

Deliveroo encouraged its audience to purchase the Three eggs through their online app, available in selected cities in the UK for a bargain price. Deliveroo was fully aware of its target audience – Game of Thrones fans who enjoyed a night in, drawing in new account sign-ups from customers and fans alike, all trying to get their hands on the limited-edition eggs.

3:   The Marmite Easter Egg

Marmite, it’s always been a love or hate relationship with this brand, which is exactly what you want to gain visibility and hype at a time that is almost exclusively focussed on chocolate.

This campaign was a masterpiece to say the least. Marmite teamed up with Asda to put the brand in the chocolate aisle during a key trading period. It neatly provided ASDA with a USP to get Marmite lovers into their stores and online.

Just like Deliveroo, Marmite knew how passionate their fans were and this great campaign showcased their ability to get people engaged with their brand.

According to research firm Kantar Asda’s sales rose by 0.1% in the 12 weeks to 24 March, taking its market share to 15.4%.

Which campaigns do you remember? don’t forget to share them with us at membership@theipm.org.uk 

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Helen Hanson, Founder of Hel’s Angels, shares the rising trends around mindful drinking and how drinks brands can adapt to meet this popular lifestyle. 

With the rise in popularity of campaigns such as Dry January, cutting down on alcohol is no longer confined to just one month of the year – it’s now a lifestyle choice.  For some, it’s an extension of the mindfulness movement where you tap into how your mind and body is feeling, to take control of your drinking habits. Whereas for others it’s about cutting down on alcohol consumption and being as happy attending events and occasions where no alcohol is served as they are when its available. And for others, its simply about drinking less but better.

So what are the main trends around mindful drinking?

Quality versus quantity

Mindful consumers are now more likely to save up for a bottle of alcohol they desire rather than buy what’s on offer. The rise of small batch brands, especially in the gin market has fuelled mindful drinking. Small batch distillers are popular and drinkers are now purchasing brands they can savour and show off about. And with the rise of social media, everyone can be a bartender at home. Drinks are being made to be photographed and how cocktails look is becoming almost as important as how they taste.

The consumption of quality over quantity also extends to bars and pubs, as the theatre around building a drink has increased in popularity. Drinks may be served up with a theatrical twist by a bartender, or in unusual glassware or even the use of bespoke ice and garnishes. These drinks are made for sharing, not only with friends but on social media.

A New Way to Socialise

As the popularity of mindful drinking has increased, it’s no surprise that the prevalence of mindful drinking events has also been on the rise, such as Club Soda’s Mindful Drinking Festival. These events are often the showcase for ‘Low & No’ alcohol brands who want to target the mindful drinking consumer. Brands at this year’s event included Big Drop Brewing Co (0.5% ABV beer), CEDER’S (distilled non-alcoholic alt-gin) and Lindeman’s, who showcased their range of Alcohol-free wines.

Pubs and bars also need to step up. It’s no longer enough just to have regular juices and sodas available – people want to drink better things. After Sainsbury’s noticed nearly a 32% increase in sales of low and no alcoholic drinks they have set up the Clean Vic – a pop-up pub showcasing some of their low and no brands. Sainsbury want to show consumers that they don’t need to miss out on the experience of drinking, just without the alcohol content.

Sustainability

The ethics of a brand are important to mindful drinkers and distillers themselves are taking the environmental impact of their spirits seriously. According to the Spirit Business, the Scotch whisky industry successfully met its target to source 20% of energy from environmentally sustainable means in 2018 – four years earlier than planned.

As craft beer companies go to further extremes to be different, companies such as Harbour Brewing Co in Cornwall has bought up farmland so it can grow wild herbs and cultivate native yeasts, to achieve unique flavours. Plus they are telling the stories of their brand through innovative label artwork and can wraps, giving consumers a closer connection to the product.

Recent data from the Office for National Statistics showing that the proportion of adults who say they drink is at its lowest level on record, so there is no doubt that mindful drinking is here to stay

If you’d like to find out more about Hel’s Angels, get in touch with helen@helsangels.net

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Nikky Day, Senior Content Executive at Brass Agency, shares how brands’ attempts in challenging traditional advertising techniques can become another cliché.

Okay, okay so breaking the fourth wall isn’t exactly a ground-breaking concept, Charlie Chaplin and Ollie Hardy have been doing it since black and white telly.

But in the last 20 years or so, brands like John Smiths and Oasis have been directly and knowingly addressing audiences in ads. More recently, marketing giants like Doritos and Innocent have had a pop at anti-advertising, and it seems to be working.

Doritos’ stripped back “anti-ad” aims to appeal to an advertising-averse generation

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Doritos embraced the anti-advertising movement in their latest campaign, inspired by a Gen Z audience who don’t respond to overt advertising. They are the Netflix generation who are more familiar with ad free experience than anyone else, and brands like Doritos are looking for new ways to appeal.

The 60 second ad ran alongside a series of out-of-home ads that were too free of logos, gimmicks and branding as part of Doritos’ ‘Another Level’ campaign. They also removed logos from all social media channels for the duration of the campaign and changed their Twitter handle to @Logo_Goes_Here. The official website URL even changed to thelogogoeshere.com.

The campaign seems to have gone down well, with fans of the snack describing the ad as ‘brilliant’ and ‘mind-blowing’ on Twitter.

The strong visual brand language paired with iconic colour cues and product shape made this a clear choice for Doritos. And with 75% of social media users agreeing that ads are taking over their feeds, it seems a lot of us are increasingly drawn to simpler messaging.

Innocent Smoothies are the latest brand to mock celebrity endorsements

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They’re not the first by any means. Remember the 1993 John Smiths ad with Jack Dee? Brands have been taking the p**s out of celebrity endorsements for years. Innocent cleverly chose Duncan from Blue to promote their new blue (or is it green?) smoothie following an online debate about the colour of the drink.

Full of outtakes, Blue references and background nods to Duncan’s financial situation, this is an admirable example of reactive marketing. Becoming part of the online conversation gives Innocent authority to sell a product whilst simultaneously mocking it.

Funny ads have also been proven to positively affect people’s ability to recall a brand or product, so pairing humour with a celebrity willing to laugh at himself was a winning formula for Innocent.

The ad has seen a positive response on Twitter too.

BrewDog make a splash for all the wrong reasons

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Remember it? The “most honest ad you’ll ever see” from BrewDog aired in some of the most expensive TV ad slots including Game Of Thrones, The FA Cup Final and First Dates. And it’s fair to say that not everyone responded positively.

BrewDog claim they don’t want their consumers to live in a world of ‘lame advertising’, but as it turns out, many of them thought the ad was both annoying (41%) and boring (30%).

The brand brag about the slim production budget that went into making this ad, reflecting the brand mentality of rejecting the mainstream and embracing the alternative. But it’s clear that consumers do appreciate quality as they describe the ad as ‘horrendous’ and ‘absolutely sh*te’.

Others have claimed the ad is pretentious and inauthentic, which wildly conflicts with BrewDog’s original intentions.

At this point, it’s arguable that the sarcastic “tell it how it is” approach to advertising is in danger of becoming a cliché within itself with more and more brands jumping on the trend. It is definitely one to keep a close eye on in the next couple of years.

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The IPM, the UK’s trade body for promotional marketing and brand activation, and new business consultancy Ingenuity are ready for a busy post-summer pitch season with their ‘IPM Agency Referrals: Powered by Ingenuity’ service, bringing agency recommendations from the IPM’s member base.

The recently launched service gives IPM members access to exclusive brand owner briefs that fall within their discipline expertise. Ingenuity are managing the service to help create the right brand and agency/supplier partnerships that support viable growth for everyone. The IPM manages the ‘agencies looking for service/supplier agencies’ aspect of the service.

‘IPM Agency Referrals: Powered by Ingenuity’ is part of a wider strategic shift for the IPM as it strives to deliver an even more comprehensive membership package, going above and beyond to help members grow their businesses, and identifying and partnering with key industry players is a key part of this. As the sector leader, Ingenuity is well-placed to support new business and networking for the IPM’s members.

Brands are able to reach out to the ‘IPM Agency Referrals: Powered by Ingenuity’ team to discuss their challenges or brief and start the journey to finding the ideal agency partner. It’s free for brands to use, and agencies only pay a finder’s fee if they end up working together.

Paul Cope, Managing Director at the IPM, said: “The IPM prides itself in counting amongst its members some of the best agencies and service agencies operating in the promotional marketing and brand activation space. We want to help our members grow their businesses and give brands access to the wealth of expertise and talent that we know they offer. Ingenuity is the perfect partner to help facilitate this.”

Dario Pagani, Head of Brand at Ingenuity, said: “Ingenuity’s integrated new business offering allows us to have an unrivalled, bird’s-eye-view of the agency landscape – we believe that brands should have this information at their fingertips. Our partnership with the IPM strongly supports this. We have a long-standing relationship with them IPM and we’re really looking forward to getting great results for their members as the post-Summer pitch season kicks in.”

This service can be accessed by visiting the IPM website here.

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Carina Filek, Global COO at Elevate Staffing, sits down with esports industry experts to explore where the industry is headed and to uncover the best practises related to brand engagement.

Esports is one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide, with studies reporting that the industry is expected to generate more than $1 billion in 2019. No longer is gaming a strictly recreational part of our lives. It commands massive audiences that are composed of devoted and highly-engaged fans. And it serves as a tremendous opportunity for brands to connect with consumers.

To get a better idea as to where the industry is headed and to uncover best practices related to brand engagement, the team at Elevate Staffing sat down with three leaders in the esports world. Christopher McKelvy serves as the commissioner of the world’s first VR esports league and works as the Partnerships Manager and Head of Esports at Oculus VR. Vas Roberts, Vice President of sales for FACEIT, is one of the UK’s most experienced esports experts, and Róisín O’Shea, who recently served as Head of Partnerships with FNATIC. Here are their thoughts related to the future of, and all of the massive marketing potential within, the esports universe.

Elevate: According to NewZoo’s Global Esports market report, the industry is on pace to surpass $1 billion in revenue this year. To what do you attribute this massive growth?

Vas: It is down to a cultural shift. Esports is fun, engaging and easily accessible. This makes it one of the easiest forms of entertainment to follow. Add to that the core audience is a ‘’digital first’’ generation and it is not surprising that we have seen incredible growth in the market.

Róisín: Over the last two years, there have been a number of high-profile titles and tournaments in the esports ecosystem that have had a huge impact on the level of engagement, from both long-standing fans and new fans alike. The launch of the long-awaited Overwatch League and titles like Fortnite and others have engaged brands and audiences all over the world. There’s lots more to come this year and next, all contributing to a very healthy market to be in and to invest in. 

Christopher: Most of this revenue is coming from brand sponsorship, as brands look for innovative ways to authentically connect with younger audiences. What esports has that other sports don’t is a direct connection to their fans (they play the game!). Brands are investing because there is a lot fertile ground left in the industry. Mercedes is the official car sponsor of DOTA, but no competitor has moved into the Counter Strike ecosystem yet. Brands that act now can still own a piece of the esports landscape and truly make it their own.

Elevate: NewZoo also reports that “the highest-grossing individual esports revenue stream worldwide is sponsorship, generating $456.7 million in 2019.” In your opinion, what is the best way for brands to capitalize on sponsorship? What does successful in-person, experience-driven marketing look like in this mostly virtual industry?

Christopher: One of the most popular words in esports is “authentic”. Brands that can authentically communicate with the game’s audience will win. Any brand considering entering esports should take time to understand the audience of the specific title. Some great examples of this are DHL and Mercedes (seen below). These companies took time to understand the nuances of the game and their fan base. As a result, the fans of DOTA have embraced both DHL and Mercedes and these brands have become part of the culture appearing in memes and reddit sub threads.

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Róisín: Esports has a digitally native audience, made of young people who crave opportunities to see their heroes compete live. Esports tournaments bring the experience to life, hosting hundreds of thousands of fans in some of the world’s largest sports and entertainment venues. As a brand, the key is to ensure you speak their language. If you’re not sure how, partner with those who do or who can teach you. Most brands need to adapt to this audience, but the results can be extraordinary and like no other marketing investment they’ve ever made.

Vas: Whether it’s a virtual or physical activation, it’s key for the brand to find a genuine way to support and improve the fan experience. One of the most important things is for a brand to have a ‘’why.” Why are they here? What are they looking to achieve? How are they contributing? If there is not a genuine reason for a brand to be present, other than an audience play, then I feel they will not get the experience or results they would if they provided value to the space.

Elevate: When it comes to engaging with esports spectators and fans, what do brands need to know? Is there a segment of this population or a characteristic of esports fans that only insiders see that could help companies create more meaningful connections with this group?

Vas: As with any marketing or sponsorship activity, brands need to understand their audience. If they don’t, it will show, quickly. Immerse yourself in the space as much as you can. Attend some tournaments, speak to fans, or have people on your team that are fans. The audience is a highly passionate one, but they react in different ways than other demographics. Figure out how your message is going to be best received.

Róisín: Tone of voice, sincerity, and genuine investment in understanding the fans are all important when it comes to brands attempting to engage gamers (all esports fans are gamers). As a digitally native audience, they speak to each other online constantly, and they are vocal about everything – especially when it comes to their favourite games. One wrong move in a marketing campaign can have you boycotted. However, as long as you are willing to win the hearts and minds of these young adults, you will be championed in their online communities. 

Elevate: Where is esports headed? What do you see as the next frontier of this industry?

Róisín: Mobile gaming is more popular than ever, and this is where I see the most change. When it comes to esports, I think the tournaments are going to get bigger. The live events will be a bigger deal to those periphery fans (people who play games at home but wouldn’t consider going to a live event). Esports will be more accessible to more people through broadcast and live events, especially in the UK. 

Christopher: Live events for esports are going to continue to grow in popularity and size and will begin to morph into gaming festivals. The generation raised on esports values “experiences” as a form of social currency and, as they gain purchasing power, the events will scale to match. In the not so distant future, I’m confident that box seats at the League of Legends world finals will be just as valuable as floor seats at a Lakers game. I can also envision a world where stadiums full of people are all competing live in the same mobile game and the winners are crowned on stage.

Elevate: If you had one piece of advice for brands who are interested in adding esports to their marketing strategy, but who have not yet made a move, what would it be?

Christopher: Before brands enter the space, they should know exactly what they are looking for as far as ROI. The esports industry is maturing as a whole but showing ROI can still be a challenge. Brands should be clear about what they are trying to achieve and how they want to measure that success before entering into any partnerships.

Vas: First, research. Take the time and talk to professionals with credible experience. There is a proliferation of choice when it comes to the opportunities available in the market. Do not go it alone unless you are fully confident in your strategy or play. There are plenty of great companies in the space. Brands should learn from them. The second is trust. Once you done all of your research and made your decisions, trust your chosen partner or opportunity and lean in. This is a quick moving market, so if you procrastinate for too long, the opportunity may pass you by. If you have chosen the right partner and listened to their advice, you should be in safe hands.

If you would like to find out how Elevate Staffing can help you, get in touch with Carina Filek at Carina.filek@elevate-staffing.com

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Tamara Gillan, CEO of Cherry London and Founder of The WealthiHer Network, explains why brands that raise self-esteem through authentic and trustworthy communications are winning over Millennials.

Low self-esteem remains an issue for women. The WealthiHer Report, which my marketing company Cherry London commissioned, identified that low self-esteem and imposter syndrome is much more prevalent among women than men. But talking at a Kantar Event Panel recently I was shocked to learn that 35% of Millennial women identified themselves as having below average self-esteem, this is lower than all other groups.

As Millennials are forecast to make up 35% of the global workforce by 2020 and have huge buying clout, it’s not only a moral imperative that brands should make raising self-esteem a clear ambition, but it also makes economic sense for this powerful cohort.

Focus on authenticity

Millennials are synonymous with being a challenging audience to market and advertise to. They have grown up tech-savvy, are sceptical of business’ motives and trust in media is low, 43% feel that traditional media is negatively impacting the world (Research by Deloitte). Therefore, brands need to focus their efforts on authenticity in order to gain trust.

Deliver real value

Simply Be has an inclusive ‘This is Me’ ethos, celebrating the curve fashion. At the heart of the brand is a positive message of empowerment. At Cherry London we developed an award winning new-generation loyalty programme for Simply Be customers with Millennials at the heart as they represent the core audience. The rewards went beyond fashion, to help Simply Be customers’ look and feel great. The result was an impressive profit increase and ROI with customers sharing the love on social. The secret to the success is no secret: we celebrated our audience, delivered rewards which made them feel their best, ultimately delivering real value for them.

Empower don’t diminish

Recently Forever 21 made a dreadful marketing mistake by sending out free gifts of diet bars to customers who purchased clothing. Customers took to social media to express their offense. Not only did the brand harm its relationship with loyal customers but also it was a knock for female self-esteem by reinforcing the need to conform to a stereotype of beauty.

In contrast Dove celebrates an inclusive vision of beauty and calls for women to be “our most authentic selves”. The Cannes Lion award winning #ShowUs campaign calls for user generated content to “break beauty stereotypes.”  Dove is raising women’s self esteem through encouraging body autonomy and leveraging social networks to do this. Their commitment to changing negative perceptions, their authenticity and deep-seated ability to literally put each consumer at the heart of the brand, is why it continues to win hearts and minds.

Build an emotional connection to unlock value

Millennials have little time for hollow or shaming behaviour and will take a brand to task to object to this type of behaviour. For brands to succeed their intentions must be honourable. If they get it right and they offer consumers a chance to participate, with values that resonate, they will secure an emotional connection with their customer. Moving beyond a transactional to a meaningful engagement and an ongoing relationship.

Women, particularly younger women, need more from the industry: understanding, empathy and authenticity.

If you would like to find out how Cherry London can help you to build truly meaningful relationship with consumers to unlock value, then get in touch with Cherry MD Mark Stevenson at mark@cherrylondon.com / +44 (0) 20 3111 0500

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Brass agencies Content, PR and Media teams come together to share their thoughts on Love Island and what marketers can learn from it.

Whether you love it or hate it (and TBH we fall into both camps), there’s no getting away from Love Island every summer. Whether it’s the daily show, slogan tees in Primark or meme accounts that infiltrate every social platform for 2 months; the show is one of ITV’s biggest success. And, unsurprisingly brands want in on the action. So if Love Island sounds like a bit of you, we share our view on what marketers can learn from it.

Nikky (Senior Content Executive) explains why brands should think ‘that’s a bit of me(mes)’.

“Are you even a Love Island fan if you don’t spend the ad break sifting through memes on Twitter?

The hashtag #LoveIsland was used nearly 200,000 times on the UK 2019 launch date as viewers competed to win the internet with the perfect meme, and before the first ad break we already knew that “It is what it is” was the catchphrase of the series.

Each night, our feeds are filling up with memes about the islanders. But what does this mean for brands? Meme marketing works because memes are native to the language of social media, and because of the amount of noise the show makes, Love Island provides an opportunity to be reactive and relevant with sharable branded content. Just make sure it’s a good fit for the brand. Royal Mail did this brilliantly by creating the ‘Loyal Mail’ meme with 2018 star, Georgia, after she made the phrase ‘I’m loyal’ notorious”

Why are brands coupling up with Love Island? Jenny (PR Account Executive) tells all.

“With 5.8m people watching Love Island already this year, brands have huge PR opportunities available to them by getting into bed with the show.

However, caution should be taken with this type of partnership. With so many people watching the show, slip ups can quickly go viral and potentially damage a brand’s reputation via association. Whether directly involved in the programme or simply jumping on the back of the latest catchphrase, brands that embark on capitalising on popular culture events or TV shows should always have a plan in place just in case a PR blunder happens.

Anyone remember the Carphone Warehouse sponsorship of Big Brother that went sour during the controversy with Jade Goody, Jo O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd?”

Becky (Organic Search Content Manager) spills the tea on whether Love Island’s content marketing approach is her type on paper.

“We can take a lot of content marketing lessons from Love Island, however the main lesson is that they really understand their core audience, and have got to grips with their lifestyle choices and interests, even down to what they read online.

Love Island has become more than just a TV show. People can join in with conversations online, watch behind the scenes footage, download an app and even purchase items used in the Love Island villa. Take these insights and apply them when developing your new campaign. Think about how you can get the most out of it, just like Love Island have done. Review different formats, partnership opportunities and ways you can personalise your content.”

Tom (Senior Organic Search Manager and non-Love Island fan) tells us why ITV need to pie off their current search strategy. 

“From a search perspective the way that ITV have utilised their news section on Love Island is almost as bizarre as the popularity of the show. Considering they have a huge advantage in terms of releasing news and “first looks” they almost never rank for their show’s own news stories. This is down to how poorly optimised their Love Island news section is and the fact they haven’t leveraged their newsworthy advantage to ensure people are linking to their news articles. They have likely neglected the news section due to the success that newspapers have had in terms of increasing viewing figures. Yet it can’t help but feel short-sighted, if they had built up rankings and traffic they could’ve leveraged this to launch the next painful reality show when people inevitably grow tired of Love Island.”

Fran (Social & Content Manager) gives us an insight into the power of coupling up.

“It’s no surprise that the contestants of Love Island go on to have successful stints as influencers, given 4.4 million people tuned into the opening three episodes alone. A large percentage of whom, we can (fairly) confidently say will have contributed to the thousands of overnight followers the contestants gained on social media.

The show itself is largely based on image, and as a result, brands such as Missguided and I Saw it First have snapped up the opportunity to be the show’s official partner, providing contestants with clothes that commonly sell out shortly after an episode has aired.

However with influencers increasingly losing trust amongst consumers, a Love Islander promoting your brand on Instagram may have been effective a few years ago, now it’s more crucial for brands to create meaningful experiences with their audience – especially as we’re seeing industry reports saying over half of all their followers are fake! Less promo codes and more personality, please.”

Caroline (Media Group Account Director) is asking whether Love Island advertising could be a bit of you?

“With viewing up 16% (+0.8m) year on year and total viewers reaching 5.8m this year already Love Island continues to be commercial televisions biggest ratings puller for viewers aged 16 – 34. With an average of 51% of viewers falling into this category. It’s no surprise that when it comes to influencing this audience group, Love Island becomes a solid contender for media investment. However, whilst this age bracket is not surprisingly the highest, what is interesting is the audience breakdown overall and the volume of viewers the show attracts across the board:

The opportunity to reach your audience is vast, and with opportunities in both linear and nonlinear, Love Island could be a great addition to your media strategy, generating both brand and commercial success.”

Love Island might not be your cup of tea, but there’s no denying that we can learn a lot from it – good and bad. It’s caught the nation’s attention and created a buzz, something most brands would fall head over heels for.

The post Love Island – It is what it is appeared first on IPM Bitesize.

The IPM’s biggest thought-leadership and networking event of the year confirms its impressive line-up of speakers for the event on 19^th June at Havas, London (10.30am-3.45pm). You can see the full agenda and reserve your place here.

At a time when our industry is awash with the language of uncertainty – Brexit, click farms, fake news, chat bots, AI – the issue of ‘Trust and Transparency’ is never far from the surface. Savvy consumers insist on it, the best brands are built on it, agencies are expected to deliver it.

This unique IPM event, kindly hosted by Field Day and sponsored by Worldwide Special Risks, includes a morning session featuring a series of presentations from industry opinion leaders examining various aspects of this challenge, and providing practical tips for how to harness it. In addition, the IPM’s agile market research partner, Zinklar, will undertake a live, real-time research project on the day, from brief to results in just a few hours.

The afternoon will give attendees an opportunity to network with a mix of agencies and brands, hosted by IPM partner, Ingenuity.

The exciting speaker line-up has been confirmed as…

Penny Power OBE, founder of Ecademy, pioneer behind LinkedIn and author of ‘Business Is Personal’.

Having been a business owner for over 20 years, Penny called herself an Accidental Entrepreneur for many years. Stepping out of employed work and into the risky world of business ownership was a powerful learning. The catalyst for this was the opportunity Penny saw in 1998 for business people to connect online, creating the world’s first social network for business, pre-dating LinkedIn by 4 years.

Penny leads with a culture of open, real and honest contribution to the audiences she speaks to, her intention is always to make people feel stronger and more capable and for them to see the opportunities that lie within their own ability to take personal responsibility and be a “leader of their own life and business”. Penny was awarded the OBE in January 2014 for her contribution to entrepreneurship in the social digital sector.

Shahriar Coupal, Director of the Committees, CAP & BCAP

As Director of Advertising Policy and Practice, Shahriar oversees the organisation’s Regulatory Policy, Copy Advice and Compliance functions. As Director for the Committees of Advertising Practice, Shahriar is responsible for the effective running of committee business, which includes updating the UK Advertising Codes and associated guidance. He also oversees the effective running of the various CAP Panels and BCAP’s Advertising Advisory Committee.

Shahriar previously worked at Ofcom. He studied Politics at the University of Kent at Canterbury and Economics at Birkbeck.

Julian Davies, Global Marketing Manager, Bombay Sapphire

With a career working on some of the biggest brands across the alcohol sector including Stella Artois, Peroni and Bombay Sapphire over the last decade, Julian brings front-line experience from his time defining and implementing brand positioning and strategies to bear, and can talk in an informal, irreverent style of his experiences executing across the full marketing suite.

With a particular focus on “grassroots” brand building – working with influencers, building authentic brand experiences, and having the patience to build real and lasting consumer trust, Julian will talk about how he has earned the trust of consumer tribes on the brands he’s run, and how clarity and consistency on this process from a planning point of view should lead to commercial success.

Karen Fraser MBE, Director, Advertising Association

Karen leads Credos, the think tank for advertising and commercial communications. Karen created the report series Advertising Pays which shows the £120bn contribution advertising makes to the UK economy. Credos also monitors advertising’s impact on society. The Minister for Women and Equalities took Karen’s work on advertising and young women’s self-esteem to the United Nations.

Previously Karen has consulted to brands, agencies and government on strategic communications. She has given a speech at a dinner in the House of Lords on advertising and Brexit. Her work has featured in The Economist, The New Statesman, Financial Times, and on Radio 4 and Newsnight and she won a worldwide competition for a place on the Harvard Business Review: Breakthrough Ideas List for her article about corporate reputation.

She was awarded the MBE for services to diversity and advertising in the Queen’s 2017 New Year’s Honours list.

Iain Morrison, Chief Marketing Officer, University of Greemwich

Working in a number of top London advertising agencies before moving client side, Iain held a variety of senior marcoms roles at the UK’s national tourist board (VisitBritain), and the UK’s largest social enterprise (Better) before becoming Chief Marketing Officer at the University of Greenwich.

He’s also a Non-Exec Director at Shared Assets; a leading ‘think and do tank’ focused on making land work for everyone. Iain’s passionate about delivering ‘work that works’ and volunteers with NABS to help nurture the industries future talent.

Stewart Hilton, Co-founder & Creative Partner, ZEAL Creative

Stewart is the co-founder and Creative Partner at IPM member agency ZEAL Creative.  ZEAL has grown from 2 to 42 people in just 5 years with offices in Manchester and London. They have a track record of working over the long term with big fmcg clients like Nestlé, Kellogg’s, Pringles and McCain.

They currently hold the highest client recommendation score for Activation & Promotional Marketing in the UK as measured by the Drum Recommends (9.2 out of 10).  ZEAL’s mission is to be the ‘World’s most recommended agency’.

The post IPM confirms the full line-up of speakers at CONNECT 2019 event on 19th June appeared first on IPM Bitesize.