Advertisers Watching Ads is a weekly 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 151 - Marmite Baby Scan Ad Reviewed by Mars Wrigley, Paramount+ and TwentyFirstCenturyBrand

Babies also have strong views about Marmite… even from the womb, according to the brand’s latest ad. Based on recent research on genetic expression, this ad amused our guests Adam Conley (Regional Insights Director, North America, at Mars Wrigley), Saira Rahman (Senior Manager, Brand & Title Marketing, at Paramount+), and Colin Chow (Global Managing Partner at TwentyFirstCenturyBrand). Watch to see what you think.

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Episode 146 - McDonald’s A Second of Happiness Reviewed by Performance Marketing World and Minor Figures

McDonald’s always claims to deliver happiness. Now their McDelivery ad is showing us how it looks in “One Second of Happiness,” created by DDB Colombia. Watch the latest episode to see what Lucy Shelley (Multimedia Editor and Podcast Host at Performance Marketing World) and JJ Foan (Head of Digital at Minor Figures) thought of it.

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Episode 145 - Fiat “Operation No Grey” Reviewed by Pernod Ricard, Reckitt and GWI

Fiat is a fun Italian car manufacturer, so what better way to lean into this image than by announcing they’re no longer making grey cars? Is this a gimmick or an effective marketing campaign? And what do our guests Julie Pender (Drink Strategist and Brand Builder at Pernod Ricard), Mari Saona (Senior Brand Manager at Reckitt), and Vic Miller (VP PR & Communications at GWI) think about it?

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Episode 144 - Stella Artois “The Artois Probability” Ad Reviewed by VISA, Mediahub and Unilever

Stella Artois combines science and art in its Artois Probability ad this week, but our panel of marketing experts have mixed opinions. Tatyana Kahl (Marketing Director, Activation and Usage, at VISA Europe), Catherine Chappell (Head of Biddable Performance at Mediahub UK), and Adrian O’Brien (Global Dove Masterbrand Equity Marketing Manager at Unilever) appreciate the cultural aspect but think many marketing effectiveness questions remain unanswered. What do you think?

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Episode 143 - Relate The Hornicultural Society Ad Reviewed by Sky

How can you run a successful sex ed campaign for the over 65s? By blending humour, gardening, and cheeky messages, as in the Relate “Hornicultural Society” clip. Watch this funny and effective case study and hear from marketing experts Adina Smith (former Director, Marketing Strategy, at Kroll) and Amy McKiernan (Campaign Manager at Sky) to see why they appreciated it.

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Episode 142 - Lululemon Dupe Swap Reviewed by Equifax Marketing Services and Breville | Sage

Swapping dupe leggings for the real deal for free might sound incredible… but it’s what Lululemon did in real life at one of their LA stores. This brand activation will have certainly scored some points with their fans. Could they have done more to convey it better on TikTok? Is it scalable? What do our guests Ian Wright (Chief Insights Officer at Equifax Marketing Services) and Dan Murace (Global Digital Communications Manager at Breville | Sage) think of it? Find out in the latest episode!

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Episode 141 - McDonald's Drive-Thru School Ad Reviewed by Amplifon, ProofPoint and Haleon

How many times have your driving lessons seemed to not actually prepare you for real world scenarios? In the UAE, McDonald’s tackled this issue with their Drive-Thru School activation for learner drivers. Brand love went up, as did drive-thru sales… but what did our guests Chiara Fracassi (Senior Marketing Director Italy at Amplifon), Helen Gillbe (EMEA Demand Generation Director at ProofPoint), and Phil Jackson (Global Digital Marketing Effectiveness Innovation Director at Haleon) think of this week’s ad?

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Episode 140 - Amazon Prime FR Dubbing Factory Ad Reviewed by Standard Chartered, Purplebricks and Sharrock Media Group

Amazon are trying something new for French audiences - tapping into the country’s love of dubbed foreign films. Is this #DubbingFactory campaign useful for the brand? Or are they falling behind the times? See what our guests Duarte Garrido (Global Head of Social Omnichannel Activation at Standard Chartered), Philip Lloyd (Chief Marketing Officer at Purplebricks), and Lequita Sharrock (CEO of Sharrock Media Group) thought about it and watch the ad!

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Episode 139 - Regal Springs Heaven Fish Ad Reviewed by Gymbox, Wealthify, and Automated Creative

Fish falls from heaven in Yoro, Honduras, and Regal Springs have made it a product and a case study in sustainable production and marketing. How’s the creative effectiveness of this ad and what did our guests Danielle Sims (Senior Client Lead at Automated Creative), Rory McEntee (Brand and Marketing Director at Gymbox), and David Byrne (Brand Lead at Wealthify) have to say about it? Tune in to find out!

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Episode 138 - Doritos Triangle Tracker Ad Reviewed by EY and The Next Wave

Doritos are targeting the “anti ad” generation with a Triangle Tracker using a Snapchat filter… but is anyone still using Snapchat and is this approach innovative and engaging enough? Tune in to this week’s Advertisers Watching Ads to see what Diksha Idnani (Marketing Leader), Kate Mackie (Global Integrated GTM Director at EY), and David Esrati (Chief Creative Officer at The Next Wave) thought.

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Episode 137 - Duolingo & Peacock Love Language Ad Reviewed by the LEGO Group, Disney+ Hotstar and Nude

This week we’re watching a tongue-in-cheek campaign by Duolingo and Peacock, launched for April Fools’. See if our guests Nikita Longdon (Senior Creative Project Manager at the LEGO Group), Abhijit Sah (Head - Consumer Insights at Disney+ Hotstar), and Yoann Pavy (Chief Marketing Officer at Nude) found it good enough to fall in love, in the latest episode of Advertisers Watching Ads.

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Episode 136 - Miller Lite Bad $#!T to Good $#!T Ad Reviewed by Hub Strategy and Communication

Miller Lite decided to be critical of traditional beer ads in their campaign for Women’s History Month, but is their approach constructive or does it risk damaging the brand’s relationship with its core audience? Our guests Lucas Bergmans (former Group Marketing Director at Cazoo) and DJ O’Neil (CEO at Hub Strategy and Communication) this week did not rate it… did you?

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Episode 134 - K-Lynn Self-Check Out Ad Reviewed by SAP and Cisco

This week we’re looking at K-Lynn’s “fashion with a purpose” photo shoots for their underwear website. The goal of the Self-Check Out campaign is certainly noble, but does this as make sense? Tune in to see what our guests Allison Gapter (VP Global Partner Marketing at SAP) and Tom Webster (EMEA Paid Social Media Manager at Cisco & Co-Owner and Communications Manager for DMC Brewery) had to say.

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Episode 133 - Honest Eggs Co. FitChix Ad Reviewed by the LEGO Group and Apple

Do you love chicken welfare? Enough to follow how many steps hens take? Honest Eggs Co.’s new ad, “FitChix”, capitalises on animal love and clucking good humour. Is it too gimmicky or does it do enough for our guests Nikita Longdon (Senior Creative Project Manager at the LEGO Group), Diane Perlman (former CMO at Blis), and Avi Sudaley (Director of Performance Marketing at Apple & future Director of Marketing et E.On) to sign off on it?

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Episode 132 - Guinness Holding Out for a ZERO Ad Reviewed by CVS Health and Microsoft

Feeling left out of the St. Patrick’s Day party because you can’t have a Guinness? There’s now a non-alcoholic version of everyone’s favourite Irish pint. But is this new ad messing with the “antique of beer” and does it convince our guests Karin Davenport (Lead Director, Lifecycle + Segment Marketing at CVS Health) and Andrea Katsivelis (Global GTM Leader at Microsoft)? Watch the latest AWA episode to see what they said!

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