Experience design company Imagination is backing a new content production studio, which aims to offer solutions for brands seeking impactful social media engagement, specialising in fast turnaround briefs with a strategic focus on brand awareness and community building. Founded by ex-Sliced Studio co-founder Alex Graham, Aggy Media’s mission is to produce content that’s “made for people who hate ads” – a reflection of the importance of social-first for brands. The agency has already worked on Nike Teens campaign (pictured), featuring the work of director Emu Haynes in the production of “A Day ..read more

Two financial services marketing specialists have joined forces for Belfast-based start-up Yada Yada Finance, an agency designed to help lenders and brokers reach new borrowers in a rapidly evolving market. The move unites former Amex, Avios and Ortus Secured Finance executive Nicola McCoosh with content and SEO specialist and former finance journalist Philip Hoey to support clients by helping them connect with borrowers, prioritising SEO, website development and niche branding. In a statement on the agency’s website, the duo explain: “At our core, we believe in the power of connection – conn ..read more

Britain’s 5.5 million-strong army of small businesses – widely viewed as the engine of the economy – are being targeted with the launch of a new self-service digital advertising solution, designed to unlock growth through its AI-powered ad platform. OSSA is the brainchild of Guy Murphy, former BBH deputy chair and Wunderman Thompson chief strategy officer and Netizency founder Fadi Khater. The platform is targeting small businesses that need to attract new customers but currently do not have the time, skills, or resources to do digital advertising. And, it is claimed, OSSA allo ..read more

Rapp global chief executive Marco Scognamiglio is understood to be standing down from his role over 25 years after he first joined the agency as a client director. Scognamiglio was appointed to the top global role of the Omnicom agency in December 2016, six months after he was handed the post on an interim basis to calm the stormy waters which had been lashing the business over controversial boss Alexei Orlov. The row had first erupted in May 2016, when the former US president of Rapp, Greg Andersen, unleashed a scathing attack on the then global CEO in a lawsuit against the agency, which acc ..read more

The European Data Protection Board – which is made up of all of the EU’s data privacy chiefs – is this week set to issue its ruling on the legality of so-called “consent or pay” schemes, which forces consumers to cough up cash if they want to avoid being tracked for advertising purposes. Concerns over ad-free subscription services were first aired back in November, when the Max Schrems fronted privacy organisation NOYB filed a complaint with the Austrian data protection authority over Meta’s scheme for Facebook and Instagram. At the time, Schrems said: “Fundamental rights are usually availabl ..read more

Morrisons Media Group is launching a raft of new media tools as it ramps up its advertising opportunities for brands with greater personalisation and instore TV screens. The first screens are being introduced at Morrisons Market Street food counters, allowing advertisers to promote products that complement the counter range on offer as well as an additional moment to interact with customers in a part of the store where their products are not stocked. The screens are on Morrisons butcher, fishmonger, deli, pizza and oven fresh counters in over 300 Morrisons stores and the first campaigns are n ..read more

Aquafresh is aiming to counter the obsession with perfect “glinty teeth” – sported by celebrities the world over – to empower all kinds of gnashers; from bucky gaps to snaggletooths to tinsel-teeth, and everything in between in a new ad campaign by Grey London. Highlighting the transitory phase children go through between their baby teeth and adult ones, the “Perfect Teeth Are Just Healthy Teeth” campaign champions unique dental configurations. It follows research from Aquafresh parent company Haleon which revealed that nearly half of all UK kids feel low self-confidence because of their teet ..read more

The fight to attract the best artificial intelligence talent continues to rage across the UK, with data scientists the most in demand roles last month, followed by senior data scientists and machine learning engineers. That is according to the latest data from recruitment specialist WilsonHCG, which reports that, despite an overall 2.5% fall in job postings in March – the fifth consecutive month of decline – demand for AI specialists remains robust, with 2,971 AI-specific job openings reported in March 2024. However, the number of job postings for remote roles is down, as more organisations c ..read more

Heinz is aiming to capitalise on Barbiemania – just weeks after last summer’s blockbuster was released on Prime Video, iTunes, Microsoft Store and DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD – by joining forces with Mattel to launch a pink vegan mayo named Barbiecue sauce. While the movie only secured one Oscar, losing out to Oppenheimer, the sauce has been released to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the Barbie brand. The idea began last summer, with both brands explaining they “worked quickly” to bring the prospect of the product to life. The studio behind the box office hit previously announced it h ..read more

The UK’s competition watchdog has waded into the row over the dominance of US tech giants in the artificial intelligence market, insisting the “harmful” situation is “to the detriment of fair, open and effective competition”. The move follows concerns that UK hopes of being a world leader in generative AI have all but evaporated already, with Microsoft-backed Open AI and Meta AI solidifying their tech dominance by capturing 56% of the market. And, in January, the House of Lords Communications & Digital Committee warned that the Government’s obsession with the “AI apocalypse” cou ..read more