On Strategy Showcase

This award winning campaign is a terrific example of how what we produce as an industry can be more effective when it makes us check and discover our own biases without telling us we should. Adam&EveDDB's Creative Director Selma Ahmed and Planning Director David Mortimer talk us through the thinking that led to this Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award winner.  

When only 10% of young people would even consider the Army,  the challenge the brand faces in its quest to appeal to a far wider target is clear.  We hear about DDB's first two campaigns... and the new brand campaign currently in development.

Tasked with achieving an additional £100 million in profit from its marketing spend, Andrew's team put brand theory into practice, at scale, and more than doubled that goal by developing Catalyst, a portfolio-wide marketing modeling system that brought analytics and creativity into the center of the business. This is the story of how it came together.

Paula has worked on the Nike brand on three continents. We first discuss what inspired Nothing Beats a Londoner and then how Nike approached planning in a year without sports. 

We hear the stories behind the strategies and creative that fueled the success of Burger King and, more recently, the chicken sandwich wars that reenergized the Popeye's brand.

Andy is Campaign Magazine’s 2020 U.K. strategist of the year. We talk Alexa, his new book “Go Luck Yourself” and why he feels luck is where opportunity meets a prepared mind.

Paul worked for 15 years at the legendary planning agency BMP in London. In his new book "Why does the Pedlar Sing" he explores what he sees as the industry's creative short-comings and how we can turn things around.

The U.K. soda brand's search for purposeful humor that would reconnect it with youth culture after a long absence, and how focus groups fueled the insight. A 2020 IPA Effectiveness Award winner.

Planning is not a trade, it's a profession. It can't just be something you learn on the go. So says Julian Cole as he shares what the academy offers those who want to improve their skills.

Droga5 produced the latest brand campaign for its parent company, Accenture.  CMO Amy Fuller talks us through the brand's journey and its first ever purpose/promise statement.

Heidi Hackemer, ECD Oatly shares what defines the Oatly brand and what led to the trolling of the Super Bowl with a spot they knew others would hate. 

Another in our automotive series, Kathleen Kindle, Group Director Connections & Insights at Saatchi & Saatchi, Los Angeles. We talk Toyota and the challenges of being a house of brands.

Cindy shares the story of how Hyundai went from targeting used car buyers to becoming a mass market player. And we learn the single word that defines everything the brand does.

Colin shares the story behind how Headspace, a brand built on meditation, expanded its offering into mindfulness. And launched with a significant brand gesture.

Jennifer Healan, VP, U.S. Marketing, McDonald's, and Tass Tsitsopoulos, Planning Director, W+K, NYC tell the story of how Wieden won the McDonald's business, blew out the Super Bowl, and later broke McDonald's supply chain with Travis Scott.

Baileys was loved, but was not being consumed. This is the story of how the team expanded beyond cocktails into the high growth world of adult treats. A 2020 IPA Effectiveness Award winner, this is the  "part cake, part booze, pure pleasure" journey. See the creative on our site.

Thinx (period underwear) asks us to imagine a world in which men have periods too.

Learn the three key strategic phases of this multi-year rebuild of the iconic Tesco supermarket brand in the U.K.  This 2020 IPA Grand Prix Award winner for effectiveness includes the wonderful "Food Love Stories." 

To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, Uncommon launched the new "Build a Life" brand platform for B&Q in the U.K. This is the story behind that work. And the connection between home and owner.

Another episode in our thought-leader series, this international strategist, speaker, and author shares his perspective on a number of recent industry topics. 

Coca-Cola suspended its marketing efforts as the pandemic struck. It later returned with the optimistic and uplifting "Open like never before" campaign. This is the story behind the work.

The Samsung/Apple rivalry and the breakout moment that changed everything.

The Volvo brand has always been synonymous with safety. However, in the last few years, it has been transforming its notion of what safety means.

We learn how planning, during pre-pandemic times, turned around the nursing recruitment efforts for Britain's National Health Service.

The cultural opportunity that allowed OKCupid to return as "the antidote to superficiality."