A survey of 500 CMOs by Dentsu Creative will make salutary reading for agencies, but also reveals how central creativity and design are to business, says Patricia McDonald, chief strategy director at Dentsu Creative...
Lidl’s festive ad stars a shrunken Christmas jumper and a deadpan teddy bear
The Christmas ad season is no stranger to cute characters, as brands attempt to tap into consumers’ sentimental sides. John Lewis has put a festive spin on everything from baby dragons to oversized monsters over the years, while M&S’ animated version of Percy Pig proved to be one of last year’s biggest hits. This year, Lidl has entered the cute-off...
Aliens are among us in Fridays for Future’s new campaign
For decades, the prospect of alien contact has been fertile ground for books, films, and TV shows, not to mention the driving force behind many a conspiracy theory. Some like to think aliens would come in peace, offering help or even salvation to the human race; but many believe aliens would be more likely to invade Earth, taking its resources...
Rachel Fleminger Hudson on defying labels
This month at Creative Review, we are talking to some of the best new talent in the industry. We begin with photographer and filmmaker Rachel Fleminger Hudson, who discusses her process, and the pressures and challenges facing young creatives...
Will Ferrell’s Elf is the star of Asda’s Christmas ad
Created by Havas London, the ad sees Buddy the Elf rock up at an Asda store to take part in a trial work shift in the run up to Christmas. Many a slapstick moment follows, as Buddy samples the Christmas food, distracts his colleagues and – of course – sings loudly over the store’s tannoy system. Creating the ad was...
How illustration could be food branding’s tastiest ingredient
Splashed across packaging or animated on social, food brands’ use of playful, abstract illustration makes a welcome change from glistening ‘food porn’ photography...
The New Talent Issue of Creative Review is out now!
It can be hard to find the right term to describe the people who are coming up in the creative industry without it seeming patronising and diminishing. For this issue of the magazine, we’ve settled on ‘new talent’ as the way of grouping the 14 creatives that we’ve profiled within. But this isn’t ideal either, as many of those featured...
Sainsbury’s festive fairytale ad is all about the Christmas pudding
It’s been an unseasonably challenging couple of years for Christmas ads, as brands were forced to grapple with how to address the festive season in the wake of the pandemic. This year has brought little respite either, thanks to the rapidly unravelling cost of living crisis. Unsurprisingly, some retailers, such as TK Maxx, have focused on cost-saving in their Christmas...
Boots puts on its magic specs for this year’s Christmas ad
This year, the pharmacy and beauty store has opted for a ruthlessly upbeat approach to the festive season, with a film starring It’s A Sin actor Lydia West. On an otherwise totally normal bus journey, she discovers a pair of gold-rimmed specs that hide a big secret: they bring out the Christmas spirit in everything and everyone. Once the glasses...
Why food brands need to get playful with digital
Forget pink dining rooms; digital is the creative frontier for restaurants and food businesses, and according to Hato’s Ken Kirton, there’s plenty of fun to be had...
French & Saunders reunite for M&S Christmas spot
Last year, M&S brought its Percy Pig mascot to life in animated form for the first time, showcasing him alongside Dawn French who starred as a fairy ornament in the retailer’s Christmas ad campaign. Percy Pig, which was voiced by actor Tom Holland, is nowhere to be seen this time around, however. Fairy is back though, and she’s joined by...
Shelter’s new film has a heart-wrenching twist
The homelessness charity’s new film sets out to expose the grim reality of the UK’s 119,500 children who’ll wake up on Christmas Day in bleak, temporary accommodation. However that’s not immediately made obvious to viewers. Brave Face opens on Jayden, practicing his best smile in the mirror, and deploying it in response to the day-to-day hardships of school, including no...