August highlights

And just like that, the summer is drawing to a close and the big C (Christmas) is only a matter of weeks away- yikes.

But whilst it’s still August, lets take a moment to celebrate the best of the best- campaigns that happened in August.

Back to the old school.

Cereal is having a revival. (It’s everywhere- but more on that next week).

Rather than the high sugar, sickly sweet options of our youth, they are now high-protein, zero sugar, and plant-based.

But rather than conforming to the ‘good for you’ tropes- you know, brown and green collar cues, oat leaf, and yoga poses, SURREAL is making breakfast fun, for adults.

Playing into the power of nostalgia, there is something wonderfully reminiscent of early mornings battling with my sister over who would win the hidden toy, or be the first to fill in the puzzle.

I’ve loved their not-so-subtle references to the big cereal mascots of our childhoods and how they have gone fully ‘paint’ in their latest campaign.- i thought I was a total whizz.

On the catwalk.

London Zoo has a new exhibit.

But instead of where the nearly-extinct Siamese crocodile should be, sits a handbag.

A handbag that was made from the skin of one of the 500 Siamese crocodiles left in the world.

It hits hard right?

London Zoo is devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats, and have for a long time been a key voice exposing the illegal wildlife trade.

But, what makes this installation different is that instead of just talking about it, they are inviting people in, using the context of the situation to give viewers a real sense of the issue at hand.

Maybe they could have taken it one step further and added a limited edition sign on it to further illustrate the numbers- "one of only 500 left in the world".

Netflix- no chill

It’s no secret, I love OOH as a channel.

When done well it overs such an amazing canvas for creativity. Especially when it’s used contextually, and as a means for creating wider conversation.

So, when I saw an article called ‘the next frontiers in OOH advertising' I had to read it.

The best thing I’ve seen this week, comes from one of the examples discussed. Netflix resident evil billboard in Times Square. The link is in the comments but shows a frankly terrifying character smashing out of a glass box.

Whilst for people walking by this would have been cool to see, the real impact of the campaign comes from how the campaign was seeded out in the world digitally.

This was ultimately a PR stunt, that used OOH as a vehicle for delivering the message.

And this is what I mean about OOH being a canvas for creativity.

When you stop thinking about campaigns or channels in silos, in strict channels and start thinking about the end impact you want to create- which is ultimately get noticed, be remembered and bought time and time again, you can focus on campaigns that do just that.

Tune!

Just because you are a digital business doesn't mean you need to be exclusively digital in how you market it.

I would argue that you should definitely not be doing that.

As a brand, you need to create ways to build memorable experiences.

I loved Spotify activation 'The Greesy Tune', a pop up that brought fans closer to their favourite artists & podcasters, all housed in the best of the best British institutions- a greasy spoon cafe.

In all of these campaigns, the objective is not mass reach but talkability, creating something that consumers will share on behalf of the brand. When you are building out your campaigns, it is so important to constantly as yourself what you want people to think, act and do as a result of engaging with the campaign.