Cognitiv’s Post

Check out our ad in #happeningsmagazine

Soooo, the new John Lewis Christmas ad has landed. Let's forget the whole adam&eveDDB vs Saatchi & Saatchi / Dougal vs Megaforce debate, or whether or not a Venus Fly Trap makes for a good Xmas present for a moment. I find myself distracted by the email I received from johnlewis this morning (being a long standing customer). The email invited me 'watch our new Christmas ad before everyone else', along with a screenshot with a 'Play' button icon within the email. Here's the issue though, click on that screenshot (with the Play icon, remember) within the email, and you get not a link to the film, but you're directed to a page on the JL website, inviting you to download their app, to then watch it on your phone. I immediately lost interest in going through those steps to watch what should be the most anticipated commercial of the year. Fortunately for me, I get plenty of industry emails that also had direct links to the film, so was able to watch it without having to download or log in to an app. I can't imagine the pressure, blood, sweat and tears that everyone at S&S has been thorough to deliver the Xmas film for this year, but equally I can't imagine why a client would insist that its own loyal customers (already signed up for emails remember) have to download an app to watch their brand new Christmas ad. That's crazy. So, whatever you think of the ad, let me save you the trouble of having to go through those needless extra steps. And John Lewis, if you don't get as many views as you'd hoped today, perhaps you should consider the hoops you're asking people to jump through to watch your shiny new film.

Here’s your new ad Krispy Kreme

🎄 🎄 🎄 And finally, the long awaited John Lewis & Partners Christmas ad is OUT. 🎄 🎄 🎄 You may recall me talking about emotionally loaded campaigns. How I love them. John Lewis Christmas ads sits right at the center of that phenomena. Why? I can summarize with 4 pillars: 🌟 The storyline - There is always an authentic story behind each ad copy, and a catchy tagline that touches the right notes of your heart to relate with, which at least water your eyes. 🌟 The music - I think it is always the key element of their ads (at least for me it is), after the ads are out, I always find myself murmuring their ad songs for a while. 🌟 The cuts - We can easily say they never lack too much from a short-movie. 🌟 The cast - This is also one of their strengths, mostly, the cast is very well selected (the child characters through the years always melted my heart), relatable, not too "acty", a lot more natural Coming to this year: https://lnkd.in/dxtZWEAp I watched it a couple of times, and here are my thoughts: ✨ The Storyline - There is definitely a surprise element with the flesh eating flower, that also disturbs you a bit, as I couldn't understand where it was going for a while. There is also the inclusiveness message, with no dad-figure in sight. It is different than other years for sure, but I might be more into the spirit of Christmas, and more emotions, less comedy. I loved the tagline, though - "Let your traditions grow"   ✨ The Music - another interesting choice, that makes the whole ad very upbeat, can be too Italian for a British taste though.   ✨ The cuts - As always, it is definitely a show for the eye. ✨ The cast - This felt like the weakest among all four pillars for me. The grown-ups are too "acting acting", the boy is better, but still... Well, I still love the fact that every year, there is this excitement building when you wait what'll come this year from John Lewis. ❤️ But, Monty the Penguin is still my favorite. What are your thought? And, which JL Christmas ad is your favorite? Let me know in comments! #JohnLewisChristmasAd

Usually, it's the John Lewis Christmas advert that captures my heart every year... But this time, a charming family-run pub in Enniskillen has claimed the spotlight. The emotional impact and poignant message make it a must-watch: "There are no strangers here, only friends you haven't met yet." If you haven't seen it, prepare your tissues and check out the clip below😭 https://lnkd.in/ebfWVcc3 #marketing #advertising #personalbranding

Learn one key creative tip from a billboard topping musician. It's me. He wants you to hire me. Montell Jordan was on the top of charts forts 7 consecutive weeks with his song "This is how we do it." And getting Montell to be my wing man is how I do it. #artdirection #creative #advertising

Open Doors, Open Minds! Explore the innumerable creative professional possibilities at the Open House hosted by Miami Ad School Save your spot for the event of the year!! Check out the registration link in the comment!! #MiamiAdSchool #OpenHouse #CreativityMeetsCommerce #AdvertisingSuccess #UnleashYourCreativity #ArtistryAndStrategy #ExploreEnlightenEngage #StorytellingMysteries #DynamicAdvertising #innovationjourney

Let's talk about advertising clichés: ✔️ Over-the-top costumes like it's a rerun of The Muppet Show. ✔️ Old comic tropes about celebrity culture and personalities - because why be subtle? ✔️ The use of slapstick comedy - like trying to fit through doors and falling off the couch laughing. ✔️ The classic move of squeezing the brand name into the slogan. ✔️ And the pièce de résistance – using that slogan at the end just in case we forgot the brand name. The latest holiday-themed ad by NOW - nailed every cliché in the book. Still, can't deny the fun of seeing Katherine Ryan dressed as a Christmas pudding. 🎄✨ #DigitalMarketing #Creativity #Advertising

🗣️ PR/MARKETING SOUND-OFF: Macy’s will celebrate 100 years of privately-funding the NYC Thanksgiving Day parade next year. But, some are saying its golden age is over and it’s well past the time to discontinue it. The cost of producing it is astronomical. 2017 ARTICLE: “This year’s spectacle as between $10.4 million and $12.3 million. For sponsors, a new balloon costs $190,000, which is reduced to $90,000 for each returning year. And with 16 giant character balloons, along with 40 smaller (but still extremely large) balloons, the helium alone is estimated to cost at least $510,000.” 😳 That makes this extravagant display more costly than the Capitol Fourth’s Independence Day fireworks ($7 million), and Times Square’s New Year’s Eve ball drop ($2.4 million). ~The Street Other numbers to consider: 3.5 in-person spectators 50 million watch it on TV TV broadcast rights💰 Social media posts from those 3.5 million in attendance have also got to be worth something. At the end of the day, it’s about exposure, brand and well—TRADITION. But when does it become too expensive an undertaking for the ROI?

Pitch palooza or not - ( and crossing fingers so not to jinx ) Things are looking good – and my god, it feels good to say that after a few years I’ll charitably describe as ‘erratic’. What’s been interesting is the variety of new opportunities. Rather than specific (and often cyclical) upticks in, say, advertising or media or CX pitches, all disciplines feel lively in 2024. Excitingly, that incentivises pitches involving multiple capabilities – at Havas, our bread and butter – with content production and performance-led solutions specifically popping up on more and more briefs. ‘Integrated’ used to be the slightly woolly (and slightly pejorative) catchphrase used to describe these briefs; I prefer ‘collaborative’. More and more businesses are looking not simply for a one-stop shop, but for deep partnerships spanning multiple areas of expertise. The agencies that genuinely deliver that and pitch wisely will be the big winners of 2024.