Features

Scrolling in the Deep

In his latest column, the Droga5 London strategist explores the growing resurgence of interest in the occult

The Future Of The Chief Strategy Officer

AI has made strategy faster and more expansive then ever - but judgement now looks different

Women’s Health: A Story of Two Halves

From Cannes to Davos, women’s health is seen as an economic imperative - yet it attracts just a fraction of investment and industry focus, argues the president of Health Weber Shandwick, EMEA

Brands Should Reframe Their Purpose Messaging To Beat Polarisation

In an increasingly divided society, brands are finding it tougher than ever to act with purpose. But according to Revolt's (part of Anthesis) latest Hugging the Bear research, it’s all about framing

Meet Omnicom Production's UK CEO

Joanna Cotton discusses uniting creativity and craft and shares some of her own career experiences

We Studied The highest performing loyalty brands - Here's What We Learned

Most marketers are missing a powerful multiplier effect. Here’s what VCCP's head of strategy for loyalty and CRM explains why a brand asset can rewrite the rules

Gen Z's search for meaning in a world of AI

A look at some of the lessons learned from this year's Ogilvy's Social Trends Report

Why Finance Is a Creative Function

From Big Four training to the front line of brand and broadcast creativity, Wonderhood Studio's FD Becky Smith explains why finance works best when it’s embedded, visible and unafraid of complexity

AI Could Shatter Trust in Advertising (What’s Left of it)

Industry experts discuss how, in the time of AI, trust is more important than ever

Hope in Britain Hasn’t Died. It’s Just Come Closer

What shorter hope horizons mean for how brands grow, by Leo UK's chief strategy officer

Tom Laranjo: At The Helm Of Serviceplan's Expanding UK Empire

The Group UK CEO discusses his new brief, launching the House of Communication, and putting clients first

How Mother's Claude campaign won the Super Bowl

The winner of this year's Super Bowl Super Clio looks set to be an awards-season favourite

Creatives' Best British TV Ads From The Past 50 Years

As the British Arrows celebrates half a century with a new London exhibition of TV campaign winners, some of the best creative minds in the industry choose their personal GOATs

Chris McKibbin on Finding Opportunity in the Chaos

The chief strategy officer of Dentsu Creative UK believes uncertainty is where strategy earns its keep

Give the people what they wouldn’t expect

Wonderhood Studio's executive strategy director shares the story behind Waitrose’s first ever ‘pure brand’ campaign as 'The home of food lovers'

Why Snoopy Means So Much To Yan Elliott

The VCCP creative outlines why and how a little figurine of the iconic Peanuts character keeps him creatively disciplined

'Brands Are Blind To the Opportunity Around Rituals' - Fergus Dyer-Smith

Discussing the powerful opportunity many marketers are missing by tapping into a key human behaviour and a forthcoming documentary on the subject is MSQ’s global chief product officer

'Marketers Need Space To Pressure Test Decisions' - DEPT's Jack Williams

The agency's SVP of growth for EMEA discusses why DEPT is launching Future Club - an invite-only networking initiative to support marketer's innovation quandaries

Brands in Britain: Competence Won’t Cut It

British brands are doing just enough which is making them increasingly invisible. T&P's strategy lead argues that in an age of attention scarcity, confidence, not capability, is what cuts through

What UK Advertisers Can Learn From The Super Bowl

The US audience for the Big Game always dwarves that of any in the UK, but that doesn't mean there aren't insights to be gleaned. Ad execs share their thoughts

How Maltesers Uses British Humour To Its Advantage

Revisiting the campaigns that made the brand's ads a masterclass in British humour, showing how staying 'light' has helped the brand stay relevant for nine decades

Accounting for Taste: Why It (Still) Matters

The former global head of communications for IPG explores what commercial artists — from Warhol to today — remind us about creativity and craft in the age of AI

Stories From The Streets: BBC's Chris Mawdsley

From Manchester buses to BBC junction airtime, the Corporation's head of media strategy explains why out-of-home is an essential medium

Why 2026 Belongs to Everywhere But the West

Iris's executive strategy director thinks the Western World is enduring a soft power inversion, which will make the world - and marketing - a more interesting place

Davos 2026 Debrief: Beyond the Trump Factor

The president of Weber Advisory, EMEA, Weber Shandwick shares some takeaways from this year's annual meeting of minds from the world of business and politics

From The Emerald Island To The World: Mark Shanley's Creative Touchstone

Adam&Eve\TBWA executive creative director Mark Shanley shares the item he keeps at his desk for continual inspiration

Post Purpose: Why Brand Purpose Got Personal

Once a revelation, brands that deploy purpose as a mission statement now prefer honesty to preachiness

Challenge, Curation and Switching On - Havas London's Strategy Chief

Clare Phayer outlines three things that keep her strategically sharp

Be Honest - The Best of Brand Beckham

A look at some of Sir David Beckham's finest ad campaigns

The Year We Stop the Doom Loop

Advertising has confused doom with insight. It’s time to stop sighing and start believing again, argues VML's head of strategy

The Lessons Learned From 'Everyday Tactician' to Promote Football Manager 26

Rob Cottingham, senior content and PR manager at Sports Interactive, discusses the development of the latest McCann London campaign for the game.

Happy New Year, Happy Old Year

Our columnist returns to set out his stall for the year ahead and he's had enough of people predicting the end of almost everything in adland

'We need to put positivity and confidence back into our industry'

The IPA president and CEO of BBH London Karen Martin outlines why the IPA's Creative Essentials certificate is essential for the development of the next generation of advertising

Media Didn’t Get Too Slow. It Got Too Complicated.

Advisory firm Avelin Partners' CEO argues the industry must stop automating complexity and instead redesign its systems to restore clarity in an AI-enabled age

Five Reasons Why... St Luke's has merged with BBD Perfect Storm

The acquisition of a majority stake in St Luke's by BBD Perfect Storm marks a new chapter for the two UK agencies

A Mind Filled With Paintings And A Touch Of Philosophy

Iris's global chief creative officer Menno Kluin shares what drives him creatively

Beyond Average: Building Brands That Can’t Be Ignored

This year is about picking your lane and sticking to it, argues Havas London's head of strategy

CES 2026: Why the Smartest Brands Are Focusing on What Doesn’t Change

Breaking down three major takeaways from this year's tech expo in Las Vegas around AI, content, and live sports is DEPT's global EVP of strategy

How Advertising Did What the Law Is Only Now Catching Up With

As drink-drive limits tighten, the UK’s long-running battle with alcohol and the car enters a new phase. We revisit the advertising that made drink driving socially unacceptable

Disney Animation’s CCO on AI, creative excellence, and the art of the sequel

With his latest feature, Zootropolis 2 making over $1bn at the box office, Jared Bush shares his insights on developing the film and why he wants his team to feel comfortable with failing

Let’s call Zipcar’s demise what it really is: A Marketing Failure

Its retreat from the UK doesn’t indicate the death of the sharing economy. It just needs someone to actually sell it, says, Iris' chief strategy officer

The Friction Opportunity

"Seamless CX" has resulted in everything becoming too easy and therefore losing its meaning, argues The Gate's CSO

Mammut Mountainwear: Addressing Anti-Gorpcore With Flair

The mountaineering brand's CMO and DEPT's creative director break-down its 'Mountainwear Rescue' campaign

Winning Jaguar Land Rover is a pivotal moment for WPP’s reinvention

The account win might just point to the future direction of the troubled holding company

What Changes Adland Leaders Want To See In 2026

Several of the UK’s top execs share their thoughts on what they'd like to see from the year to come

Retailers - Never Give Up On The In-store Magic Of Christmas

Major brand campaigns can help turn footfall woes into festive wins

The Christmas Apple Ad That Carried An Unexpected Gut Punch

Omnicom Production CEO, Sergio Lopez outlines why this festive offering from 2013 remains his go to when it comes to Christmas creativity

Here they come, the beautiful ones

Creative leader Nicky Bullard share the experience of launching her new business, Elevator

Championing Creative Tech - Iris' Innovation Director on Utilising AI and Technology

Charlotte Bruton talks about joining the micro-network with the aim of placing technology within the idea-making process and reveals the marketing innovations that excite her most

Tesco Finds The Joy of Mess

BBH’s deputy CSO Saskia Jones reveals the creative thinking behind Tesco’s Christmas campaign, and how the supermarket made chaos feel like magic

Like Moths To A Flame

Harman Kardon's campaign 'See/Hear' showcases how light and sound transform into art. Marketer John Livanos and the Havas London creative team discuss repositioning the premium brand

What A Victorian Bathhouse In My Backyard Reveals About the Future of Brand Building

TMW's group head of planning outlines why the Palace x Nike collaboration isn’t just a pop-up, but a glimpse of things to come

The Harvey Nichols Christmas Ad That Caused A Furore

Zoe Eagle, CEO of Iris London, celebrates the 'Walk of Shame'

Raising The Stakes For Design Across Droga5

Dan Roberts, the newly appointed creative director of design for Droga5 London, outlines his creative career, the challenges he faces, and the ambition he has to grow the discipline across the network

The Christmas Campaign From Argos That Was Literally Banging

T&P ECDs Matt Moreland and Chris Clarke share their favourite campaign for the festive season

Five Reasons Why... VCCP Has Launched Its Social Division

'VCCP Social Club' is another chapter in the agency's history of challenging the status quo

Beyond the Ledger: DEPT's Finance Chief On Agency Life

Forget the clichés about bean-counters. David Neal shows how modern agency finance leaders are driving creativity, collaboration and AI-powered transformation

Designers Should Think Like DJs When Developing New Brand Systems

Girl&Bear’s head of design discusses how he sees the need for a 'mixing desk approach' to developing brand assets

Five Reasons Why... Omnicom Is Backing TBWA

The Disruption network stands tall within the new Omnicom

The $25bn Machine: Headlines Belong to the Giants, But Talent Shapes the Future

Omnicom is now the world’s biggest holding company. Jobs will go, careers will shift. But talent adapts, reinvents, and new stories are already taking shape