Best Super Bowl 2021 ads: Emotional tracking shows Huggies wins out

As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs battled it out to win the coveted Super Bowl trophy this month System1, the global experts in advertising effectiveness, were busy finding the winner of the most effective ad in the coveted half-time break.

IPA Bellwether: Small rise in marketers’ optimism on vaccine hope

Marketers have enjoyed a confidence boost with a net balance of 18.1% more confident about the financial prospects of their company than three months ago, according to the latest IPA Bellwether report.

The year in review: The digital trends that shaped 2020

From the economic effects and catastrophic loss of life brought on by the pandemic to the growing climate emergency, 2020 was year many would want to forget. But beyond the tragedy and uncertainly there were many positive stories of unity against adversity – and the digital marketing sector was no different. We take a month-by-month look back at how advertisers and tech giants alike adapted to a year like no other.

Virtual freshers week: Big brands Tinder, Nandos and Amazon connect with students on digital platform

The first ever virtual freshers’ week fair is being piloted at eight leading universities next week, letting big brands get themselves in front of the hard-to-reach student audience as their participation in ‘The Digital Welcome’.

Brand reputation post-COVID-19: Brits plan future shopping based on retailers’ response

Nearly half (45%) of UK adults plan to buy from certain brands and retailers less in the future specifically because of how those companies have responded to the current pandemic, with Sports Direct and Wetherspoons suffering as Tesco grows in favourability, according to new research.

Case study: Adidas uses WhatsApp to engage amateur football teams through ‘rent a player’ helpline as part of launch

Adidas found a smart way to get WhatsApp working in its marketing, by creating a hotline to help amateur football teams replace missing players at the last minute. And to build excitement, they added the chance of some global superstar talent. A brilliant social media stunt that hacked the model of WhatsApp.

Marketing budgets drop at fastest rate since last recession amid Covid-19 crisis

The coronavirus pandemic has led to cuts to all forms of marketing activity in the UK, dropping 6.1% overall, but marketers are being urged to think twice before pulling spend, according to the latest IPA Bellwether report.

Campaign of the week: Nike’s ‘Living Room Cup’ pits social media users against Cristiano Ronaldo in workout challenge

With lockdown policies in effect amid Covid-19, Nike has launched “Living Room Cup,” a digital workout series that offers those at home a new space to compete against Nike pro athletes through weekly fitness challenges.