From Christmas adverts to crazy charity stunts, find out what we have been talking about in our November Round Up!
What we're reading
The challenges of the past year – the pandemic, social justice protests, remote learning and so on and so on – have all had a profound effect on students, a group that values authenticity from the brands they favour. Find our more about how 2020 has disrupted Gen z spending by download this free report.
The industry has launched Ad Net Zero, which calls for brands and agencies to commit to a five-point plan to reduce CO2 emissions. This action plan sets out very clearly how we can all make a difference through the way we work and take responsibility for the carbon impact of our advertising.
We loved how Brewdog showed their punked up future facing vision in their latest Advertising Campaign but sadly the irreverent beer brand has landed itself in hot water again thanks to a series of nationwide ads spelling out ‘F**k You’ to carbon emissions.
What we're talking about
Christmas Ad Season.
It’s that time of year again when the big names are launch their Xmas TV Ads. But was this festive season going to be different? Would brands have to reign it in in order to strike a delicate balance between spreading joy and respecting these financially tough and emotionally fragile times. Well, we are pleased to say that brands are out in full force for Xmas 2020, with the usual suspects giving their take on the festive tradition. Its definitely been a breath of fresh air to have something trivial to talk about for a change. In our opinion Tesco is winning hands down providing much needed LOLs and warm fuzzy feels.
The US Election
Unless you have been hiding under a rock you wont have failed to follow the US Election and its dramatic climax. We all watched in disbelief as the notion that the 2016 election was an accident was completely squashed, as Donald Trump came dangerously close to winning yet another term in the White House. Despite what initially looked like a scarily close defeat, there is a very bright outcome – the first Woman Vice President. The tide may finally be changing in America and we sure are looking forward to seeing how this develops.
What we're watching
The Crown
The fourth instalment of Peter Morgan’s royal epic, The Crown, is back and we could not be happier. In this particularly juicy season we will get to watch the drama with Charles and Diana unfold and see Gillian Anderson Debut as our Iron Lady Margarat Thatcher. Finally TV seems to be picking up the pace after the most diabolical last few months of reruns and naff game shows clogging up our airwaves.
What we're working on
BD Medical Computer Based Training Tool
This month we are celebrating the successful launch of a series of clinical computer based training programmes to help train Nurses in the fight against COVID. The infusion therapy training tools have now been released in Spanish and continue to support clinicians and nurses in a variety of settings from general wards, to critical care units.
We feel very proud to be able to play our small part during this crisis.
What we're thinking
Estrella Damm – Act 1
Many of us have come across Estrella Damm’s TV ad, Soul Act 1, on our screens this month but the consensus here at Sema4 HQ is that we’re not entirely sure what to make of it. The advert is captivating and certainly got us talking but we’re not sure it’s for the right reason.
The Wednesday mornings Teams conversation started something like ‘has anyone seen that advert? I think it’s for a beer company but i’m pretty sure it’s of a woman drowning in the sea.’ which was followed by a few nods and conversation around trying to remember which brand had delivered the ad.
We appreciate the commitment of Estrella Damm to raising awareness of environmental issues and their commitment to the planet but our focus was somewhat torn away from the message and the brand by the surprise of the content. Perhaps this is exactly what they were going for, however. Perhaps the best way to get people to listen is to shock them a little…
We’d love to know what other people think about this one! Get in touch here if you’ve got an opinion to share.
What we're looking back on
2019 Charity Challenge Sky Dive
What a difference a year makes. In these strange COVID times we can’t help but look back on 2019 with fondness. This month we have been reminiscing about our Big SEMA4 Challenge that Liv and Ella took on with gusto, check out our little video to see exactly what they got up to.
Looking forward to helping those in need again this year with our annual Christmas Charity Donation, watch this space…
We hope you enjoyed this edition we will be back next month for an issue full of festivities and a whole lot of Christmas cheer as we say goodbye to the funny ole’year!