Advertisers Watching Ads is a regular video series where brands watch other brands’ ads and discuss their merits. The purpose of the show is to give the industry insight into how brands think about other brands - and what inspiration they take from their peers. We are proud to have Contagious as our partner, choosing ads each week.

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Episode 72 - Samsung x Dr Denim Ad Reviewed by Virgin Media O2, Adidas, Betfair and AB InBev

The flip phone is back on this week’s Advertisers Watching Ads, thanks to Samsung’s latest ad, a collaboration with Dr Denim.

Check out the ad and see what our guests thought about it. We’re joined by Laura Lesser (Culture & Innovation in Brand & Marketing, Virgin Media O2), Roy Gardner (VP Marketing - Europe, Adidas), Alex Taborda (Senior Media & Planning Manager, Betfair) and Michael Codd (Marketing & Innovation Lead, Solutions, Europe, AB InBev).

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Episode 71 - KFC Copy/Paste Campaign Reviewed by 20something and Beiersdorf

How does a KFC campaign offering free chicken sound? This Copy/Paste campaign went big in Spain and it’s certainly entertaining, but does it deliver much added value for the brand?

Tune in to this week’s episode to see what our guests Frances Docx (Strategy Director, 20something) and Joe Comiskey (Head of eCommerce - Europe, Beiersdorf) had to say about it.

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Episode 69 - Vienna Tourist Board Ad Reviewed by Reckitt and Tesco

Vienna Tourist Board is now on OnlyFans… is this a smart move to attract a new audience or a risqué approach to drumming up PR for its art museums?

Our latest episode features guests Cicero Hennemann (Marketing Technology Lead - Western Europe at Reckitt) and Richard Hall (Head of Value, Membership & Loyalty at Tesco) evaluating an interesting new campaign. Have a look.

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Episode 68 - Chevrolet Ad Reviewed by The Diversity Standards Collective, Social Chain Agency and Beiersdorf UK

What’s more American than hot dogs, baseball and apple pie? Maybe all of them together, in a Chevrolet?

This is what our latest ad is trying to get us on board with. Does it work or is it just too confusing? See the ad and hear what our guests Lucy McKillop (Client Experience Director at The Diversity Standards Collective), Pollyanna Ward (Head of Paid Social at Social Chain Agency) and Sophie Rock (PR and Sustainability Manager at Beiersdorf UK) had to say about it.

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Episode 67 - Durex Ad Reviewed by Billion Dollar Boy, Strat House and GSK

This fun PR stunt from Durex Australia looks like it was made for advertising. But does it fall flat when you scratch the surface? How did it impact the audience and how does it compare to the NHS #getyourshot campaign?

Join our guests Thomas Walters (Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer UK at Billion Dollar Boy), Melanie Welsh (Founding Partner at Strat House) and Jerry Daykin (EMEA Senior Media Director at GSK) and see what they thought about it.

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Episode 65 - Degree Ad Reviewed by Reckitt, Merrick Pet Care and PepsiCo

How does movement feel in different bodies? And does it matter what you look like, as long as you move? Those questions are being asked by this week’s ad from Unilever and Rexona.

See what our guests Olga Rubanovskaya (Marketing Director for Reckitt - Hygiene in Israel), Barbara Liss (Vice President of Marketing, Merrick Pet Care), Arnaud Fronty (Global Marketing Brand Manager, PepsiCo) thought about it in the full video.

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Episode 64 - IKEA Spain Ad Reviewed by Get Norts and NCS

What happens when you take a few people born in the 2000s and stick them in a house with no IKEA products? The Big Brother style ad series from IKEA Spain aims to answer the question, as well as advertise the brand. Is it successful or is the concept too mad? Joining us are guests Julie Pender (former Marketing Consultant at Edrington-Beam Suntory UK), Richard Norton (Co-founder of Tiny Giant and Founder of Get Norts), and Claire Round (Head of Brand at NCS).

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Episode 63 - Distance Ad Reviewed by Searchmetrics, Johnson&Johnson, Coca-Cola and GSK

What would happen if your city’s speed limit was lowered to 30 km/h? Would you try to break it… on foot? This is what the “Outlaw Runners” in Distance’s ad are trying to do in Paris. Join us for this latest episode of Advertisers Watching Ads, featuring guests Lisiane Ndong (Senior Customer Success Manager at Searchmetrics), Adam Cowlishaw (Head of Marketing and Connected Commerce for the Vision Care Business at Johnson & Johnson Singapore), Justin Carbonella (Director of Human Insights at Coca-Cola North America) and Jerry Daykin (EMEA Senior Media Director at GSK Consumer Healthcare).

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Episode 62 - Budweiser Ad Reviewed by Johnson&Johnson Innovation, Honeywell and D3*

Shining a light on the gender pay gap in soccer, the latest ad on our Advertisers Watching Ads series comes from Budweiser and shows their efforts in increasing sponsorship for the female league. Join us to see what our guests Janelle Hunt (Brand Marketing, Communications and Innovation Activation at Johnson&Johnson Innovation), Blake Mascali (Global Director of Content at Honeywell) and Michel Rothschild (Creative Contractor at D3*, the Frito Lay In-House Agency) had to say about it.

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Episode 59 - Emirates Airlines Ad Reviewed by the7stars and Groupe Renault

On this week’s episode we’re joined by Sabrina Francis (Strategy Director at the7stars), Ruth Maliwat (formerly Insights Lead at DOVE Masterbrand, and future Insights Director for New and Emerging Categories at Coke) and Adam Nickson (Head of Marketing Communications at Groupe Renault) to discuss the latest ad by Emirates Airlines. Check it out and see what they thought!

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Episode 57 - LIVE! Just Eat Euros Ad Reviewed by Aunt Bessie's and MADE.com

Who do you get your takeaways from and would a few random footballers’ cameos in an ad convince you to switch to that brand? What do Just Eat get right and where do they fall short with their latest ad?

We filmed this episode of Advertisers Watching Ads at MAD//Fest in London, with guests Lauren Spearman (Head of Social + Advocacy at MADE.com) and Sam Dolan (Head of Marketing at Aunt Bessie’s). See what they liked, and what they didn’t.

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Episode 56 - Volkswagen Ad Reviewed by JCDecaux, Reckitt and GSK

Would you play a game during an ad break? And would it be to test drive a car?

This week’s Advertisers Watching Ads is about the new Volkswagen Golf ad. Joining us to discuss it are guests Kelly Richards (Lead Business Growth Manager, JCDecaux), Sumati Nagrath (Content Strategist and Consumer Experience Manager, Reckitt) and Jerry Daykin (EMEA Senior Media Director, GSK).

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Episode 55 - Adidas Beyond the Surface Ad Reviewed by Matterkind, Beiersdorf and Reckitt

Our latest ad review is about Adidas’ Beyond the Surface campaign. Does it succeed in showcasing inclusivity or does it feel a bit dated?

Joining Amy Wright on the panel are Seun Odeneye (Managing Director, Matterkind UK & Ireland), Rhian Mainwaring (Senior Digital Manager, Beiersdorf) and Varun Agarwal (Head of Data & Analytics, South East Asia & Japan, Reckitt).

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Episode 54 - IKEA Trash Collection Ad Reviewed by LinkedIn, GSK, Anheuser-Busch and MullenLowe

This week’s Advertisers Watching Ads episode looks at IKEA’s Trash Collection 2021 ad and asks whether the message is clear enough, or just greenwashing, or both?

Our guests are Bian Salins (Head of Content and Creative Solutions, LinkedIn), Rida Alvi (Marketing Manager for South East Asia and Taiwan, GSK), Gillian Beerman (Associate Producer, Anheuser-Busch) and Erica Johnson (Brand Strategist, MullenLowe).

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