Industry Story of the Week

The Advertising Association has launched a platform to help Ukranian advertising professionals find jobs in Europe. Estimates suggests that the war in Ukraine has seen up to 2.5 million people already displaced in what the UN is calling the fastest-growing refugee crisis since WW2. UK companies have been taking matters into their own hands, with major brands including M&S, ASOS, ALDI and CO-OP all currently in discussions around how to open up job opportunities. Across the advertising and marketing industries various schemes are being adopted to support and place Ukranian advertising professionals.

 

TV Story of the Week

With the return of Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, final episode of Screw and the second season of A Discovery of Witches, ThinkBox have released their TV viewing report for the month of February. According to the report linear TV set viewing of commercial TV averaged 2 hours and 5 minutes a day, with weekly reach of linear TV remaining high at 84.9%. February also saw first ever TV advert from online tutoring service GoStudent.

 

Social Media Story of the Week

According to research from creative agency Impero, more than 65% of Gen Z consumers feel more confident online when using community focused social apps like Discord or Twitch over feed apps like Instagram and Twitter. Additionally, some 41% of the data revealed they view closed community platforms as private spaces. The report also shows that brands that stand out are those inclusive to Gen Z, allowing them to join in rather than simply purchasing products.

 

Digital Story of the Week

Russia has blocked Google News, accusing it of promoting ‘inauthentic information about the invasion of Ukraine.’ The ban reportedly came hours after Google announced it would not allow users worldwide to monetise content that ‘exploits, dismisses, or condones’ the war. The company had already taken action against Russian state-funded media in late February, pausing all adverts for Russian users earlier this month.

 

Experiential Story of the Week

Cadbury’s have opened a pop-up store based in Soho, challenging sceptics to try their plant-based chocolate bar. Named, ‘Mean Tweetshop’, all bars featured are wrapped in limited edition packaging featuring a negative post about plant-based products that had been shared online. The store opened on the 22nd of March and will run until the end of the week, encouraging sceptics to ‘eat their words’ with samples served on a first-come basis.