The campaign, created by the Pharm, features a pair of special, X-ray-style glasses that unveil the secret Christmas glitz hiding behind everyday life This year, the pharmacy and beauty store has opted for a ruthlessly upbeat approach to the festive season, with a film starring It’s A Sin actor Lydia West. On an otherwise totally […]

It’s been an unseasonably challenging couple of years for Christmas ads, as brands were forced to grapple with how to address the festive season in the wake of the pandemic. This year has brought little respite either, thanks to the rapidly unravelling cost of living crisis. Unsurprisingly, some retailers, such as TK Maxx, have focused […]

Cover art: Rachel Fleminger Hudson It can be hard to find the right term to describe the people who are coming up in the creative industry without it seeming patronising and diminishing. For this issue of the magazine, we’ve settled on ‘new talent’ as the way of grouping the 14 creatives that we’ve profiled within. […]

Splashed across packaging or animated on social, food brands’ use of playful, abstract illustration makes a welcome change from glistening ‘food porn’ photography Traditionally, cheery characters like Tony the Tiger or the Jolly Green Giant have been the faces of the marriage of illustration and food branding – or at least the most recognisable ones. […]

Created by Havas London, the ad sees Buddy the Elf rock up at an Asda store to take part in a trial work shift in the run up to Christmas. Many a slapstick moment follows, as Buddy samples the Christmas food, distracts his colleagues and – of course – sings loudly over the store’s tannoy […]

When south London-based band Dry Cleaning’s Scratchcard Lanyard video emerged in 2020, it soon became one of the standout songs (and videos) of the whole year; combining deadpan vocal delivery, a teeny tiny disco ball (indeed, a whole teeny tiny disco), lyrics lifted wholesale from Tampax ad slogans, and a surreal-leaning aesthetic that dances beautifully […]

The homelessness charity’s new film sets out to expose the grim reality of the UK’s 119,500 children who’ll wake up on Christmas Day in bleak, temporary accommodation. However that’s not immediately made obvious to viewers. Brave Face opens on Jayden, practicing his best smile in the mirror, and deploying it in response to the day-to-day […]

Have you been using these two interchangeably? You’re doing your business a disservice. Copywriting and content writing are two very different skill sets, but both are essential for a successful marketing strategy. Copywriters are responsible for creating effective copy—the text on your website that converts browsers into buyers. These are the words you see in […]

The comedy duo have lent their voices to two characters in the retailer’s seasonal ad campaign, which will include new weekly instalments until the end of the year Last year, M&S brought its Percy Pig mascot to life in animated form for the first time, showcasing him alongside Dawn French who starred as a fairy […]

Forget pink dining rooms; digital is the creative frontier for restaurants and food businesses, and according to Hato’s Ken Kirton, there’s plenty of fun to be had At one point in time, London restaurant Sketch was home to one of the most-admired interiors in the world: its pink dining room. “When we first did the […]