May 2021 News Roundup

‘The Broadcast, a digital magazine that covers culture, music and science, has launched with an identity inspired by print media from the 1970s.

It has been set up by a creative team led by Daniel Kent at Pioneer Works (PW), an interdisciplinary non-profit in Brooklyn, New York, in collaboration with designer Andrew LeClair, also based in Brooklyn.’

Read the full article in Design Week.

KFC resurrects ‘finger lickin’ good’ tagline

‘The line was temporarily withdrawn as the brand decided it was “inappropriate” to encourage finger licking in the middle of a pandemic as it breached hygiene advice.

However, with restaurants in England due to reopen next week the line is now being resurrected and will feature in the brand’s latest advertising campaign, “Your Chicken Could Never”.’

Read more in Marketing Week.

Airbnb hails early results from shift to brand building over performance marketing

‘Airbnb claims to have seen promising early results from its new marketing strategy, which has involved a substantial cut to performance marketing spend and increased focus on brand building and PR.

Over the first quarter of 2021, Airbnb cut its sales and marketing spend by 28% year on year to $229m (£163m). The business says this “primarily” reflected a decrease in performance marketing expenses.’

Find out more in Marketing Week.

Designers and artists unite to remember weird and wonderful Euros moments

‘David Shrigley and Chris Simpson are among the artists and designers who have worked on the  Weird Euros beer mat collection ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 football tournament, which takes place in June.

The brainchild of Middle Boop founder Gordon Reid and graphic designer Callum Stephenson, Weird Euros follows the designers’ Weird World Cup collection from 2018.

Like last time, the duo have asked creatives to illustrate the “weird, funny and esoteric” moments from Euros history. These will then be sold to raise money for football-related charities.’

Read the full article in Design Week.

Innovate UK to launch £2.5 million competition for creative industries

The Creative Industries Fund will provide “a package of targeted support” for UK-registered micro and small businesses with innovative ideas.

Non-departmental public body Innovate UK will invest up to £2.5 million in innovation projects from UK businesses in the creative sector.

The Creative Industries Fund will look to support micro and small businesses with a “package of targeted support for growth”, competition details explain.

Find out more in Design Week.

Industry leaders outline the skills marketers will need to thrive post-Covid

‘The Festival of Marketing’s ‘Fast Forward’ event will take place across four days this June, offering insight into what marketers need to help grow their brands and bolster their careers in the years ahead. The event features CMOs from Unilever, Amazon and Just Eat, as well as thought leaders such as Rory Sutherland and Mark Ritson.

In anticipation, Marketing Week asked six speakers for their opinions on the future skills marketers will need, the trends that will define their roles in the coming months and how marketers can ensure their brands continue to thrive in the future.’

Marketing Week has the full article.

Marketers urged to ignore ‘false boundaries’ of brand and performance

The majority of marketing campaigns are looked through via one of two lenses: brand or performance. The former is thought of as a long-term investment in driving brand health, while the latter is looked at as a short-term tool to drive customer acquisition.

But marketers have been urged to look past these “false boundaries” when creating marketing campaigns and to bring brand and performance together as one.

Read more in Marketing Week.