Immersed in Paris
This month, we’re mostly wishing we were in Paris so we could visit the Team Lab, https://www.teamlab.art/ 2,000 square metre immersive exhibition ‘Beyond the Limits’. Visitors walk around an environment of 360° images and use their bodies to interact with a digital world that includes a virtual waterfall and virtual grass that moves under your feet.
There’s life outside the London bubble
New research from media agency UM has found that 56% of non-Londoners feel that the way they’re portrayed in ads just isn’t authentic.
57% said that the media and advertising industries were too focused on London. A further 48% believed people working in the sector didn’t understand them. UM interviewed 2,000 people and, in line with the demographic of the UK, canvassed the opinion of 86% of people living outside the Capital. 32% said they thought Northerners weren’t shown as often in ads because the people developing the campaigns were catering to their own ‘regional bias’.
Our Senior Planner, Cynthia Bell agrees, “Brands that don’t reflect the diversity in the UK do so at their peril. People expect authenticity, not only in how a brand behaves, but also in how it portrays its audiences. And once customers – and prospective customers – feel a brand has misrepresented them, it is hard for them to be re-engaged. There is a huge opportunity for brands to celebrate and bring to life the vibrancy of the whole of the UK, rather than just one city. And it’s also important for clients to recognise that there’s a wealth of creative and strategic talent outside London.”
Love Island Boosts Missguided sales by 40%
You can’t have failed to hear the words “Love Island” mentioned over the past few months. In June, the fashion retailer Missguided partnered with the popular dating series to dress all contestants over the eight week run of the show. Viewers were able to keep up to date with the outfits on the retailer’s microsite, and could buy each piece via its app.
According to the retailer, the nightly exposure achieved on Love Island boosted sales by 40%, compared with the eight weeks prior. Some items worn by popular contestants saw an instant 500% sales increase. During the full run of the show, 18% of Missguided’s sales came from products associated with Love Island.
Facebook finally begins to monetise WhatsApp.
Facebook have announced a Business API for WhatsApp, plus integration of Messenger adverts with the platform, giving the option for businesses to respond via WhatsApp instead of Messenger. Replies sent within the 24 hour period of the user initiating the conversation are free, whereas anything after 24 hours will incur a small charge.