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Which medium-sized sports agencies come recommended by UK clients?

With the 2022 World Cup under way, we take a look at which Recommended agencies offer specialist sports marketing services. Which medium-sized sports agencies come recommended by clients? / Unsplash The Drum Recommends is a free service designed by The Drum to help marketers find relevant, trusted agencies. Recommendations are based on reviews by the people best placed to judge their expertise – their clients. Every year, The Drum Recommends receives thousands of ratings from advertisers. Marketers complete a survey that scores their agency’s performance and the quality and range of their services, as well as price. In order to become recommended for a service, agencies must receive a minimum of three client ratings. Since the 2022 World Cup kicked off this week in Qatar, it’s a good moment to take a look at the Recommended agencies that have expertise in sports marketing. Below you’ll find each agency, plus its staff headcount and office locations. Would you recomme
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Women’s Aid subverts England’s ‘It’s Coming Home’ with domestic violence message

Ad by House 337 marks International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women​. Women’s Aid and House 337 have subverted England’s ’It’s Coming Home’ call to highlight increased cases of domestic violence around the World Cup. The chilling minute-long film is a single shot panning across an ordinary English street as people enjoying the game, but it then hits one home with a flag reading ‘He’s coming home.’ Advertisement Women’s Aid developed the campaign in response to the stat that domestic violence cases increase by 38% during the winter months and the fact more men are staying home to watch the games. Christopher Ringsell, who is creative director at House 337, said: “During this time, as the nation comes together, we want to subvert the usual football tropes and shine a light on the chilling fact that for many women it’s a time of fear, not celebration. They need your support too. The visual spectacle of the flag retains its power, but with a new, chilling twist.“
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Walkers talks mental health and sharing in Roman Kemp Christmas ad

According to brand, 52% of the UK public feel additional pressure to be happy and pretend everything is OK at Christmas. Radio presenter Roman Kemp has lent his voice to Walkers’ annual festive campaign, which hopes to encourage people to open up about their mental health. In ‘It Feels Good to Share,’ viewers see a young man called Larry turn up at a gathering where he is greeted by various family members. He’s followed by an emoji near his shoulder that conveys how he is truly feeling inside, even if he doesn’t let it be known on the outside. Advertisement During the final scene, Larry is in the kitchen with his friend who asks him how he’s getting on, to which he replies that he’s “fine“. Thankfully, his friend presses him further and questions him on how he really doing, which is when he begins to open up fully. A previous version of the ad aired digitally in 2021 but has since been re-edited and voiced over by Kemp, who said of the campaign: “Christmas is an amazing time o
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It’s time for brands to reassess how they define ‘safety’ and ‘suitability’

Concerns that challenging content will cast a negative shadow on brands cause many advertisers to take a hyper-conservative approach to brand safety. But fear of tarnishing a brand’s reputation may be unfounded – and may result in a missed opportunity to make a powerful brand statement, writes Ara Kurnit of New York Times Advertising. Brand safety is a topic that has long been hotly debated in the industry. There have been many attempts to decode brand safety to help brands navigate what is ‘safe’ to align with. In 2019, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) created a ‘brand safety floor’ and ‘brand suitability framework.’ The organization distinguishes between the concepts of brand safety – which it defines as content not appropriate for any advertising support – and the newly-introduced brand suitability: sensitive content appropriate for advertising supported by enhanced advertiser controls. GARM’s brand suitability framework assesses whether the risk is high, medium
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WTF are Fast channels (and should advertisers care)?

Worth $4bn in ad revenue in the US, free ad-supported streaming TV channels are only now gaining momentum in the UK. Here’s what you need to know… Free ad-supported streaming TV (Fast) channels are, as the name suggests, free and funded by ads, and they now populate internet-connected TVs in their thousands. To viewers, they’re almost indistinguishable from linear channels of old, but instead of being broadcast, all of their content is streamed. To broadcasters, they’re inexpensive, flexible and easy enough to stock with library content. Why should advertisers care? The US Fast market is several years ahead of the UK and Europe. The first thing to realize is just how vast the landscape is, with more than 1,400 channels across 22 networks. These are served through platforms such as Pluto TV, Xumo, Tubi, Roku, Samsung TV Plus and Amazon’s Freevee (formerly IMDbTV). S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates that US Fast ad revenues are worth $4bn in 2022, with this projected to h
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The Balenciaga blame game: why the buck stops with the brand after controversial campaign

Luxury fashion house has faced severe criticism after its Christmas campaign was found to include several references to child abuse. Can it really deny any blame? Balenciaga came under fire for two, now deleted, photoshoots that appear to have sinister undertones. The first was its Christmas campaign, shot by Gabriele Galimberti, which depicted young children holding the brand’s ‘plush bear bags’ that appear to be wearing S&M-style harnesses. This came alongside its Spring 23 ad, which Newsweek attributes to photographer Chris Maggio , in which a Supreme Court document on child pornography cases can be seen on a table. The backlash has resulted in a social media blame game, with brand and creatives each pointing the finger at each other. Advertisement A Balenciaga statement on Instagram said: “We take this matter very seriously and are taking legal action against the parties responsible for creating the set and including unapproved items for our spring 23 campaign photoshoo
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Ad of the Day: National Lottery follows Christmas TV spot with OOH special build

Billboard in Shepherd’s Bush comes complete with twinkling lights and an enormous lottery ticket. Would you give up a winning lottery ticket for love? / Adam&EveDDB In ‘Christmas Love Story’ , released last week, a young woman and man meet on a train and, after realizing they have a connection, frantically try to exchange phone numbers as she leaves the train. Sadly, the phone number that is written on the back of a lottery ticket gets smudged and viewers are left on the edge of their seats wondering if the pair will meet again. To coincide with the film, a special build out-of-home ad featuring the couple will run at The Pump Station at Westfield Shepherd’s Bush for the next two weeks. Advertisement Standing 2.6m high and 7.6m across, the billboard comes complete with twinkling Christmas lights and an enormous lottery ticket that waves in the wind. Anna McInally, head of marketing communications at The National Lottery, said: “We want to bring our Christmas l
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