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 113 - Liquid Death Ad Reviewed By Microsoft and TPA Digital

Canned water company Liquid Death thinks it’s time to put the spotlight on the NFL’s “unsung heroes” - hydration assistants. Watch their latest “Hydration Assistant Scouting Combine” ad to see a new and unusual campaign, then hear expert opinions about it from Andrea Katsivelis (Director Global GTM Lead - Nuance Business Unit at Microsoft), Wayne Blodwell (Founder and CEO of TPA Digital) and Robert Beckman (Head of Growth at Automated Creative).

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Episode 112 - Heinz AI Ketchup Ad Reviewed By Al Ain Water and Unilever

What happens when Heinz ask an AI to draw ketchup? This episode of Advertisers Watching Ads looks at the brand’s Canadian campaign “AI Ketchup”, reviewing their efforts to show how iconic Heinz still is in today’s pop culture.

Watch the ad and hear from our guests Falak Jalil (Marketing Manager for Al Ain Water & Innovations at Agthia Group PJSC), Seb Bardin (Head of E-commerce Marketing at Unilever) and Adrian O’Brien (Senior Manager in the Global Skincare Team at Unilever).

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Episode 111 - Fnac Unrecommended by the Algorithm Ad Reviewed by Virgin Media O2 and MediaCom

In France, FNAC are trying to help people break out of the algorithm bubble by recommending things unlike what they’ve just bought. But does this attempt to “free culture” work as an ad for the brand?

See the latest Advertisers Watching Ads episode and hear from Johnny Winn (Head of Advertising at O2, Virgin Mobile & Virgin Media O2) and Liam Dawson (Partner at MediaCom) on their view of this campaign.

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Episode 104 - Burger King Burger Glitch Ad Reviewed By Mast-Jägermeister, GE Healthcare and NewDigitalAge

There are glitches everywhere in the latest Burger King ad we’re reviewing this week - Burger Glitch.

Our guests Nanki Singh (Senior Brand Manager at Mast-Jägermeister SE), Mary Beth Sisti (Director, Web Strategy & Digital Experience at GE Healthcare) and Justin Pearse (Editor of NewDigitalAge and Co-Founder of Bluestripe Group) loved this campaign initially aimed at the gaming community, but which was a hit with all sorts of audiences. Watch the episode and see what you think!

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Episode 103 - Walmart Ad Reviewed By Oppo, Amplifon and Your Marketing Chief

How do Walmart and ConTextos aim to fill the void left by incarcerated dads in Chicago? And what does this have to do with Walmart’s marketing strategy?

See the latest episode of Advertisers Watching Ads, where Lee Ping (Marketing Director, KSA, at Oppo), Chiara Fracassi (Senior Marketing Director at Amplifon), and Mido Chishty (CEO & CMO at Your Marketing Chief Ltd) debate the merits and the execution of this case study.

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Episode 102 - IKEA Window Shopping Ad Reviewed By Universal Music Group and IAB UK

IKEA are trying to break into urban downtown markets and they’ve picked other people’s houses as their showrooms in Toronto. Does this work for our guests Victor Reznik (Vice President of Marketing at Universal Music Group) and James Chandler (CMO at IAB UK)? Is this ad creepy or smart? Watch the latest episode of Advertisers Watching Ads to see more!

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Episode 99 - KitKat Giving Gamers a Break Ad Reviewed By Reckitt

KitKat decided to help reduce stress among the Malaysian players of FIFA by infiltrating the game and ultimately offering them a free chocolate bar to take a break with. How did the use of the brand’s signature line work in this updated context and did it have a real advertising impact?

Our guests Ayeza Sumsam Mohiuddin (Category Lead at Reckitt), Cicero Hennemann (Head of Digital Hub - Western Europe at Reckitt) and Pollyanna Ward (Social Media Account Director) review it in the latest episode of Advertisers Watching Ads!

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Episode 98 - Heineken Cheers To All Fans Ad Reviewed By L'Oréal, P&G, FIS and Boots

Women are more prominent as football fans than ever before, yet only 7% of sports coverage is of women’s sports. Heineken is turning the gender stereotypes on their head in its latest ad, Cheers To All Fans… Even Men. But how well did they do?

See the ad and hear from our expert guests Theresa Van Rooyen (Marketing Director at L’Oréal), Henrik Gaida (Director of Digital Media and Data Strategy at P&G), Matt Gosselin (Director of Global Product Marketing at FIS) and Pete Markey (Chief Marketing Officer at Boots)!

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Episode 97 - Dove Detox Your Feed Ad Reviewed By Mars and We Are Social

Dove are trying to help teenage girls and their mums understand the power of toxic social media in this latest ad created by Ogilvy. Does the “Detox Your Feed” send the right message and is it actually as shocking as it seems to want to be?

Watch the latest episode and hear from our guests Feranmi Ogundipe (ex Content Strategist at L’Oréal), Roman Vorobiev (Global Design Director for Petcare at Mars) and Jim Coleman (UK CEO of We Are Social).

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Episode 96 - Vaseline See My Skin Ad Reviewed By Al Ain Water, The PIE and Aviva

What can a brand like Vaseline do about healthcare inequality and promoting the visibility of people of colour in online skin databases? They’ve created the See My Skin database specifically to feature all skin colours when doing medical research, and this is what this week’s Advertisers Watching Ads is about.

Watch the episode to hear from our guests Falak Jalil (Marketing Manager for Al Ain Water), Melissa Palleschi (Sales and Marketing Director at The PIE) and David Byrne (Brand Marketing Lead at Aviva).

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Episode 95 - L'Oréal Transformation Ad Reviewed By McCann WorldGroup, BP and Johnson&Johnson

L’Oréal Professional Services have partnered up with the True Self Foundation in Puerto Rico to create a network of beauty salons specialised in assisting the trans community. It’s all part of an even broader initiative to train stylists that are sensitive to the needs of transgender people and who can support them in feeling great in their own skin.

What did our guests Ritu Lakhanpal (Managing Partner at McCann Worldgroup), Mark Rose (Head of Brand & Paid Media at BP) and Adam Cowlishaw (Head of Marketing and Connected Commerce at Johnson & Johnson) think of this ad? Watch the latest Advertisers Watching Ads to find out!

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Episode 94 - Back Market Hack Market Ad Reviewed by KFC

For Earth Day 2022, Back Market hacked into the phones of buyers in Apple stores to try to keep them from getting new iPhones… all in the name of saving the planet! Did it work as a PR stunt? What about the brand building or conversion from this ad?

See it and hear what Carmen Bryant (formerly the Head of US Marketing at Indeed) and Tori Carter (Senior Manager of Brand Marketing and Creative at KFC) thought of it!

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