From the return of Wimbledon, the Euro finals, to giant water filled Billboards. It sure was an interesting month! Here's our monthly round up of bits and bobs from July.
What we're reading
Demands of modern client better suited to nimble indies than weighty networks
Good news has been hard to come by in the agency sector this year, and it’s not hard to see why. Client budgets have been under pressure, big consultancies have brought increased competition and then there’s the growing trend of tech companies and clients taking their business in-house. But are the demands of modern clients better suited to the natural nimbleness of independent agencies more than the big weighty footprints of global networks?
Follow the National Lottery’s example: Don’t rebrand, revitalise
When brands struggle, marketers’ first thought is a rebrand or repositioning. Repositioning is one of those business topics that everyone loves, until it comes to finding successful examples of brands that have changed. If you understand the time it takes to actually build brand image then repositioning is almost immediately dismissed. So, what does an organisation dissatisfied with its current brand do instead? Suck it up? No. There is a third option. Less glamorous. More sensitive. The right path is brand revitalisation.
What’s next for travel? 3 actions to meet changing consumer demand
There’s no doubt that the pandemic has been hard for the U.K. travel industry. With a forecasted cumulative drop of $3 trillion in global tourism, there’s still a way to go to return to 2019 levels — but marketers can now plan for clearer skies ahead.
Here, we share the latest search insights from Google and the actions travel marketers can take to plan for recovery and growth.
What we're loving
New Frontier in Advertising
The world of Out of Home advertising clearly knows no bounds, and its plain to see the german brand Adidas are making new waves… literally! To promote and launch its new inclusive, full-cover swimwear collection, adidas revealed the world’s first-ever liquid billboard in Dubai. A YouGov survey conducted it the United Arab Emirates found only 12 per cent of women are entirely at ease wearing a swimsuit in public. This first-of-its-kind stunt was created to encourage confidence in women and build on its commitment to making the future of sport as inclusive as possible. In an amplification of the event, footage surrounding the digital screen was projected onto a digital screen above the Dubai Mall Ice Rink, allowing shoppers and residents to take in the liberating dives and jumps.
This ground breaking move from Adidas will pave the way for other brands to ensure that their audiences not only take in their campaign but become part of them.
Save our Cookies
We all know the feeling: reaching for a secret stash of sweets after a particularly stressful day, only to find that it’s been discovered, the treats demolished, thanks to some thieving sibling, roommate, kid or work colleague. Well, Oreo has got this covered. The ultimate cookie brand have released limited edition packaging that disguises the Oreos as everyday items, such as cook books, frozen vegetables, vehicle owner’s manuals.
This is all part of the Oreo Thins Protection Program and with only 3,000 of packages created they will be giving them away on a first come first served basis to any person posting about their Oreo Thins hiding spots.
Of course we couldn’t possibly reveal where we hide ours, that would be telling, but we take our hats off to Oreo for understanding our plight! Protect our Cookies!
What we're watching
Wimbledon Championships 2021
We were definitely spoilt for choice with Sports viewing this month, and whilst some of our team were die hard football fans, other team members preferred to embrace the welcome return of our beloved Wimbledon a visit to Murray Mount and enjoy all the action SW19 had to offer . After waiting for 2 years for it to return we were definitely not left disappointed. There has been drama, tears, injuries and controversy throughout the tournament. For us though, there were two stand out moments. Djokovic claiming his 20th major trophy to go level with record-holders, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and of course our British breakthrough player Emma Raducanu who shot to fame on one of the biggest stages as she became the youngest British woman to reach the second week. With Andy Murray on his way out or at least unlikely to return to top form, we are crying out for a new British tennis star. Not only did her sporting achievements excite the nation, she also managed to raise awareness of the pressure stars face. It also brings home the fact that there is still huge disparity when it comes to mental health in women. It’s almost as if, when it comes to “mental toughness” women remain silent in case they seem like wooses compared to their male counterparts.
Its clear we should approach mental health in the same way we approach Physical health. Im sure that Serena Williams strength and ability wasn’t questioned when she had to retire from the first round due to an ankle injury. The public rarely see the reality of the build up and stress of these events and its important that these stigmas and walls are broken down to ensure the next generation are raised with ncreased awareness around wellbeing and the permission to feel the same.
What we're looking back on
Here at SEMA4 HQ we made a decision in January 2019 that we wanted to start making each and every year count and to give a little something back. We wanted to catapult ourselves out of our comfort zone, to smash boundaries and to help causes that were (and still are) dear to our hearts. What better way to do this than to throw ourselves out of a plane 10,000ft up for everyone’s entertainment. We were blow away by everyone’s generous donations, and by the courage of our brave crew mates, Liv and Ella. I’m sure it’s a day they will never forget, and we certainly won’t forget the look on Ella’s face!