Andrew Tindall’s Post

From cruise line ads for swimsuit shoppers to pajama content for TV customers, brands are breaking new ground with non-endemic retail media campaigns. These seemingly unconventional partnerships reveal promising new audiences — look no further than our featured case study in this recent article from the team at Insider Intelligence. See their top three non-endemic advertising tips and find out how we gave a consumer electronics outsider a major boost during the holiday season: https://lnkd.in/gEzkr4Qg. #RetailMedia #NonEndemic

“Overall Christmas ads this year have delivered a 67% improvement on effectiveness – based on “metrics including consumer enjoyment, entertainment and the incorporation of the brand”, Kantar says. That is a stark improvement when compared with 2021, when festive campaigns performed in the bottom 16% of all ads on average.” There’s an obvious reason for this. In the wake of businesses like Unilever and John Lewis ‘ditching purpose’ I posted earlier this week: “Goodbye brand purpose, you won’t be missed. Hello brand marketing”. So just as I am very happy about the above, I am very happy with this year’s crop of Christmas ads. And about their impact. Honestly I think that adland is getting some of its mojo back. According to System1, the best performing Christmas ads are Aldi’s ‘Kevin and the Christmas Factory’ followed by Coca Cola’s long-running ‘Holidays are coming’. Kantar’s panel ranks McDonald’s ‘Fancy a McDonald’s this Christmas’ campaign second, and Coca Cola’s first. The MacDonalds ad is probably my personal favourite. “However, it was McDonald’s which scored the highest in terms of delivering laughs. Its campaign ranks among the top 2% of the UK’s funniest ads according to Kantar’s research, whose face-tracking technology revealed it made over a quarter of Brits laugh out loud.” What is so encouraging about the ’23 Xmas crop of ads is the absence of achingly worthy moralising of which we have seen so much in the past, and the return of: ‘owned themes’ that reinforce memory structures (e.g. Coca Cola’s ‘Christmas is coming’, Duracell’s bunny) and humour. The MacDonalds ad manages to be engaging, funny, accurately reflect the diversity of today’s Britain and provide a feel good factor. Whilst also communicating a very clear brand message. What more could you want? The tide has turned. Advertisers have discovered that tried and tested formulas explained by brand experts like Byron Sharp work, and moralising ads promoting progressive causes made for their makers don't. #brand #brandpurpose

How do you get a shopper to pause and look at your ad? Flashing lights? Puppies? Babies? Giveaways? I ran across this ad for Topo Chico Seltzer (solid targeting as we approach pool season!) and the responsive ad simply spun the product as I scrolled. I not only paused, I scrolled back up to see how responsive it was. Meanwhile, I took in the simple message about the product and noted the different flavor options. Simple messaging, focused on the product, using the format to your advantage. #digitalmarketing #ecommerce #turningshoppersintobuyers

During tonight’s Super Bowl 58, poppi is airing a 60-second ad crafted by Virtue Worldwide. Titled "The Future of Soda Is Now," the commercial takes viewers on a journey through human history, highlighting major inventions and milestones. It all comes together in one powerful message: poppi is revolutionizing the soda industry by offering beverages made with clean ingredients and prebiotics, boasting just 5 grams of sugar and 25 calories per can. This innovative approach positions poppi as a frontrunner in reshaping the way consumers think about soda. 👀👋🏼 Here's how poppi’s marketing team got it right: poppi’s marketing win doesn’t just lie in its strategic alignment with the Super Bowl; the content of poppi’s ad is tailored to resonate with modern consumers' preferences and values. With increasing demand for healthier beverage options, poppi’s emphasis on clean ingredients and low sugar content resonates with health-conscious consumers. By addressing these evolving consumer preferences head-on, poppi demonstrates its keen understanding of market trends and consumer needs. Another key aspect of poppi’s marketing success is its storytelling prowess. poppi doesn't just showcase its product - it tells a compelling narrative that captures your attention and leaves a lasting impression. By weaving together elements of history, innovation, and aspiration, poppi is fostering brand loyalty by creating an emotional connection with their audience. But poppi’s marketing strategy extends beyond the Super Bowl ad itself. The brand leverages multiple channels, including social media, influencer partnerships, and experiential marketing, to amplify its message and engage consumers on a deeper level. By adopting a multi-faceted approach, poppi ensures that its marketing efforts are cohesive, consistent, and impactful, maximizing reach and effectiveness. You can catch the 60-second clip here before it airs live: https://lnkd.in/ew2nQrHb What are your thoughts on poppi’s Super Bowl advertising efforts? Drop a comment if you’ll be tuning in! 🏈⚡️ #superbowl #poppi #marketing #advertising #digitalmarketing #digitaladvertising#superbowlads

Interesting insights on attribution from Tom Goodwin. Our own data would reflect this thinking i.e. the impact on the business from advertising is a long term, sustainable outcome of habitually doing the right mix of brand building (awareness) and activation (action). The human brain is not linear, the individual thoughts, desires and motivations cannot be tracked back to an 'advert'. However, like training for a marathon you can't do a practice run and expect to be able to perform at a decent level. So if we can use data to help set the plan on the right road, be consistent with our execution (training) and monitor our progress over time (usually 24 months for any relevant insights) then we can start to get a relevant feedback loop. The interesting outcome of this discipline is that our AI has enough relevant data to make predictions of future business outcomes when advertising. Our insights would show little value (for long term sustainable growth) in short term attribution models but huge value in controlled, consistent experiments that have business KPI inputs matched against a media mix optimised for long term profitability rather than just short term sales bumps. The addition of new channels e.g. media retail is somewhat irrelevant to the overall picture (it's just another channel to consider when allocating a budget). It does make the planning more complex and that's why the data driven planning and long term monitoring and tweaking for aggregate improvements is even more important. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Tom.

As the festive ad season rolls around for another year and brands try to pull at our heartstrings, there is one brand that has been doing something remarkably different with its Christmas campaigns over the past few years. In 2016, Aldi decided to pivot away from the traditional, emotional Christmas ads and chose humour over tears. They brought a vegetable to life as the brand character Kevin the Carrot, employing the most everyday grocery item to showcase Aldi's Christmas products. But this pivot wasn't just for the laughs; it led to £618m in incremental sales, and selling a staggering £26.7m of Kevin the Carrot merchandise. The most impactful distinctive assets are the ones used the least by brands. An ISPOS study shows that mascots are underutilised and underappreciated in modern marketing, but effective. Distinctive assets unsurprisingly drive more attention, and in the world of media, when the aim of the game is to find underpriced attention, having the right creative in place certainly helps. We also know that humour in advertising has declined, yet is the most powerful enhancer of receptivity. Each year, Aldi’s creative idea builds on the previous ideas but also introduces new characters and plots to keep the story fresh. Distinctive assets, like mascots and jingles, have stood the test of time in advertising, but we rarely see them for modern brands. Mascots work because they bring a personality to a brand, which humanises it and generates an emotional connection. When done right, people connect with the brand and a lasting relationship is forged. Growing up I distinctly remember two advertisers who had either a cartoon mascot or a character, both of which, had advertising which stood out. Compare The Market and Go Compare. It shouldn't take a category as dull as insurance to make its advertising and messaging stand out. Seeing the success of Kevin The Carrot proves that being different, and not being afraid to work with humour, can drive effective advertising. I would love to hear your thoughts on any brands that have distinctive assets which stand out to you and any highlights/shocks across this year's Christmas adverts.