Ogilvy UK

When brilliant minds collide. Two titans of marketing were in Sea Containers today - Samsung's CMO Benjamin Braun and Ogilvy UK's VC Rory Sutherland. Podcast coming soon...

Our quintessential CSO and legendary brand seer Jo Arden takes the reigns of the Eurobest jury, Europe’s biggest awards celebrating groundbreaking creativity. This year, Jo's jury will decide the recipients of the 24 specialist awards that will honour work that exemplifies creative impact and effectiveness. "Europe has it all - smart strategies, incredible creativity and irresistible craft. But is it work that works? That’s what my jury and I are here to find out. An incredible opportunity to see the best of the best all in one place, good luck everyone!" Jo Arden, CSO, Ogilvy UK

Result! Valeo Foods UK, owner of legacy brands including Kettle Chips and Rowse Honey, appoints Ogilvy UK as lead creative agency following a competitive pitch. Michael Inpong, chief marketer at Valeo Foods UK: “Following a rigorous and innovative process, we are delighted to have chosen the Ogilvy UK team to help us on our next phase of growth. Throughout the process the team showed passion and energy, married with strategic excellence and distinctive creative ideas. We’re looking forward to this exciting new partnership and the opportunity it will bring for our brands.” Matthew Waksman, Ogilvy UK’s head of strategy, advertising: “We’re delighted to be bringing the best of Ogilvy together and partnering with the team at Valeo Foods UK to support the growth of such iconic household names.” "Ogilvy UK won the account partly due to its behavioural science specialism. The agency plans on integrating this into the brand’s advertising and social remits." Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter, Campaign UK Link in the comments.

Calling all CMO's. Want to understand the beneficial business applications of behavioural science?   Our be-sci guru Dan Bennett debuts his new monthly column in Marketing Week, sharing three steps for thinking like a behavioural scientist.   Full article in the link below.   “Heart surgeons need to know about the heart. Mechanics need to know about cars. Marketers need to know about humanity, or at least they should, because those marketing departments that have a professional understanding about how humans really work can be more influential and more impactful.” Dan Bennett, Partner & UK Lead, Behavioural Science, Ogilvy Consulting #behaviouralscience #borderlesscreativity

All aboard! The new Flake 99 bus takes children that have never seen the sea to experience the joys of a British beach. Thank you to Creative Salon Worldwide for selecting the campaign as their Work of the Week. See links in the comments. In some regions of the UK 1 in 10 children have never been to the seaside. In some cities it's 1 in 5 children.  Last weekend the Cadbury Flake 99 bus started the first of a series of free trips from cities across the UK to take lucky families to experience the magic of the British beach. From building sandcastles and netting for crabs to paddling in the cold sea and enjoying the ultimate holiday icon that is a Flake 99 ice cream (every passenger gets one free on arrival), the Cadbury Flake 99 bus is dedicated to introducing children, young and old, to the joys of the seaside.    The campaign by Ogilvy PR was launched by Cadbury UK and First Bus last weekend, the bus took families from inner city London to Southend-on Sea, and will head up to Bridlington from Leeds and Bradford this coming weekend. Ogilvy PR secured more than 211 pieces of earned media coverage, including ITV News and drove 4,000 signs ups for tickets. But the real impact of the campaign was the incredible joy and excitement of the families on board the bus. “As Cadbury celebrates its 200th year anniversary this year, we are thrilled to partner with First Bus to help more families experience the simple joy of a beach trip this summer. While 95% of Brits cherish time at the coast, some children are not setting foot on the sand, so we’ve created the 99 bus to give more families the chance to create memories that we all cherish – building sandcastles, paddling in the sea, and of course, enjoying an iconic Cadbury Flake 99!” Olena Solodka (Shchegol), Brand Manager at Mondelēz International “I remember the first time I went to the beach and was given a Mr. Whippy, topped with a Cadbury Flake - it’s as British as Wimbledon or BBQing under an umbrella. Sadly, many people have never been to the beach, and we thought this was a problem Cadbury and First Bus could definitely fix. After all, Cadbury is an iconic British brand with generosity at its core – and we’re hoping this Summer we can create many more happy family memories.” Charlie Coney, Creative & Strategy Officer (UK and EMEA), Ogilvy Image credit: Jack Hall/ PA Media Assignments #borderlesscreativity

What a fortnight! The Paris 2024 Olympics promised to be memorable from the get-go, and they delivered. As a proud partner of WPP Open X, Ogilvy in London, Paris and New York (among others) worked with Coca-Cola to create numerous campaigns across every conceivable medium, including the Olympic Torch Relay, iconic OOH, social, influence, PR, real-time content, a Food Fest and many more. See links in the comments. The TV ad: ‘It’s Magic When the World Comes Together’ showcased the collective power of sport, a campaign bringing people together to celebrate their differences. Iconic moments of connection between competitors at past Olympic Games were beautifully depicted in the launch TV ad. The can: ‘The Embrace Can' featured an illustration of one side of a hug, so when placed side by side the cans embraced – a simple effective embodiment of the Olympic spirit. The limited-edition can also unlocked countless prizes. Read Ogilvy UK's ECD Angus George's interview in Creative Review, talking the pressures and pleasures of designing the can. Social & Influence: The Real-Time team on the ground in Paris kept the hugs coming as athletes, fans and viewers saw their hugs wrapped in the Coca-Cola motif across social platforms. Powerade: WPP Open X, led by Ogilvy and Powerade partnered U.S. gymnast Simone Biles and created a campaign to challenge conventional sports wisdom, beautifully crafted creativity that transcended the usual athlete spotlight. The white paper: Can you speak sport? Ogilvy also published 'Sport: Our Common Language in a World Lost for Words', a report which examines the power of sport as a unifying force in a fractured world. #ogilvysport And that was just the tip of the javelin. Ogilvy UK and the entire Ogilvy network worked hard with our clients to make impact throughout the Paris 2024 Olympics. #BorderlessCreativity See links in the comments.

Ogilvy PR is shortlisted 17 times for the Creative Moment awards! Celebrating creators and the makers of exceptional creative work across the PR, advertising, marketing and communications sector the Creative Moment awards champion the best of the best. Ogilvy PR's Charlie Coney, Creative & Strategy Officer, UK & EMEA says: "I love the Creative Moment awards, as they're judged by creatives, and we can be a pretty picky bunch. Getting 17 shortlists for the work we've done for Dove, Mayor of London, MyLifeMySay and Melanoma UK is a real highlight. Thanks to all our clients for trusting us to deliver big, earned-first work that makes a real impact. Shout out to everyone who made it possible... Nicola Dodd, Matt Buchanan, Imogen Coles, Rahul Titus, Nicola Wood, Andy Forrest, ian brassett, David Anderson, Kirsty Roxburgh, Ally Heath, Tommy Curran Jones, Taylor Orford, Claire Spinola, Rachel Porter, Jennifer Adetoro, Gemma Ginsberg, Benita Goder-Dent and Leandra Carneiro - to name just a few."

Influence maestro Alessandro (Ale) Fragiacomo joins the judging panel for the Global Drum Awards celebrating ground-breaking creativity and strategic genius. “I am honoured to join the judging panel for the Global Drum Awards to spotlight the most innovative social marketing work. These awards are a milestone for our industry, and I’m looking forward to bringing the Ogilvy influencer marketing magic and experience to the table as we evaluate some of the best social campaigns of the world. I am looking forward to be inspired.” Alessandro Fragiacomo, Influence Client Partner, Ogilvy The Drum Awards The Drum #borderlesscreativity

Our powerhouse ECD Nicola Wood is confirmed as a judge for Campaign's BIG Awards, one of the industry's cornerstone awards celebrating the very best in British advertising and creativity. Maisie McCabe, UK editor, Campaign UK: "In a world where brands have more avenues to reach consumers than ever before, the unrivalled power of original creative ideas endures. Brands, their agencies, and partners have innovated and evolved their approach to creative work in recent years amid a challenging economic and political backdrop. One thing is clear: the need for true commercial creativity has never been greater." Nicola Wood, ECD, Ogilvy UK: “Getting work made isn't easy. Getting great work made is even harder. Most great creative has an element of bravery about it and we should always applaud and champion the work that is fearlessly innovative or has boldly permeated culture. I  always look for truths told in unexpected ways and earned first thinking. However ideas show up, whether it’s through  gaming or influence or more trad media like OOH (which I’m happy to see is having a renaissance) the work has to surprise me and make me feel something. I’m looking for the kind of craft that makes me jealous. Great work should have us all saying 'I wish I'd done that'." 

Shelina Janmohamed our VP Islamic Marketing and Director of Consumer Equality talks to Richard Draycott at The Drum: "I've been championing Muslim audiences at Ogilvy for over a decade, and more recently minority ethnic groups through our work on consumer equality. So for me, current events are both extremely personal and very much about the workplace: thinking about our people, the industry and our consumers. Along with senior leaders and respected colleagues at Ogilvy UK, we are continuously working to ensure people feel safe, know there are resources at hand and have the flexibility to work in locations that they feel are safest for them. Communications have been both agency wide as well as focused on our community networks for people most affected. I'll also be facilitating a safe space for members of Media For All [MEFA]. For me, it's an important reminder of the commitment we've made to create a culture of belonging and equality for all, within our organisations and in our society. Prejudice can't stand unity - so let's stand together." Shelina Janmohamed, VP Islamic Marketing, Director of Consumer Equality, Ogilvy Consulting Link in the comments.