The Envato Advantage: Unlimited Creative Content at Your Fingertips

At the heart of this acquisition lies Envato’s flagship product, Elements – a creative subscription service that offers unlimited downloads of a diverse array of assets, templates, and more. Elements has gained a reputation as an intelligent creative companion, empowering creatives to bring their visions to life and leave a lasting mark on a global scale.

With Envato Elements under its wing, Shutterstock will complement its existing offering with a leading unlimited multi-asset subscription, catering to the ever-growing demand for a comprehensive creative solution. This acquisition expands Shutterstock’s reach into faster-growing audiences, including freelancers, hobbyists, small businesses, and agencies.

A Fusion of Creative Forces

The combination of Shutterstock and Envato promises to be a powerful force in the creative content industry. By joining forces, the companies will:

• Bolster Shutterstock’s subscriber base to a staggering 1.15 million, more than doubling its current reach.
• Enhance Shutterstock’s content library with an impressive 10 million images, 6 million videos, 1 million audio clips, 0.5 million templates, and 0.2 million graphics and fonts.
• Diversify Shutterstock’s offerings into new content types, including code and web themes, product mock-ups, fonts, and templates for slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, WordPress, video, social media designs, gaming, podcasts, and print-on-demand.

A Shared Vision for Creativity and Innovation

“We’re thrilled about this transaction and looking forward to welcoming the Envato team to Shutterstock,” said Shutterstock CEO Paul Hennessy. “Envato is perfectly positioned to serve a growing customer need for an unlimited multi-asset subscription to a library of creative content, with an emphasis on videos, audio, graphics, fonts and templates. By extending our reach to faster growing audiences and into additional content types, this acquisition will help Shutterstock fulfill its mission of connecting customers to the content they need, wherever they are so they can create, build and share their next big idea.”

Envato CEO Hichame Assi shared his excitement, stating, “Since its humble beginnings in a Sydney garage, Envato has generated more than $1.3 billion in earnings for its author community and scaled to 650k subscribers. I feel an immense sense of pride in the team for achieving this global scale as an independent business. As we enter this next chapter, we remain laser focused on empowering the creative community to thrive and excited to achieve this shared goal with Shutterstock.”

A Promising Future for Creatives and Customers

With this acquisition, Shutterstock and Envato are poised to redefine the creative content industry, delivering unparalleled value and empowering creatives and businesses alike to bring their boldest ideas to life. As the companies embark on this exciting journey, their shared commitment to innovation, creativity, and customer satisfaction will undoubtedly shape a future where limitless possibilities await.

Stay tuned for further updates as this groundbreaking merger unfolds, promising to unlock new horizons in the world of creative content.

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The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has recently kicked out a Paddy Power ad after it was found to be “encouraging harmful gambling behavior.” 

Just so you know, Paddy Power (https://www.paddypower.com)/ is an online betting (or gambling) platform.

A scene from the video commercial shows a young man in a living room gambling on Paddy Power’s ‘Wonder Wheel’ game via his smartphone while his family is present. He takes a brief break from his phone to thank his partner’s mother for bringing him a drink before returning to gambling on his phone. 

A voice-over says: “With Paddy Wonder Wheel, you receive a free spin with a chance to win cash rewards every single day.” The man’s partner asks him: ” Do you think I will end up looking like my mum?” He replies while looking at his phone, “I hope so,”  before appearing to realize what he said was inappropriate. The voice-over then concludes; “So no matter how badly you stuff it up, you’ll always get another chance with Paddy Power games.”

There were complaints that the advertisement depicted someone so preoccupied with gambling that they made an inappropriate remark in the conversation, and that it portrayed gambling as taking precedence in life and thus was irresponsible. 

Paddy Power refuted the claims, saying the ad implied dedication to family life by portraying the scene of a traditional family setting in which a young man had dutifully gone to his girlfriend’s parent’s house for Sunday lunch. 

The image also showed that the family had finished their lunch and were now free to do their own thing after everyone has retired to the living room. They said this was indicated by the mother serving coffee, the father doing a crossword, and the young man playing a game on his phone while he sat next to his girlfriend on the sofa. It was noted that the man had not left the room to play the game alone or tried to hide it from his girlfriend. 

Paddy Power stated that they did not believe the sentence “So no matter how badly you stuff it up, you’ll always get another chance with Paddy Power games” encouraged repeated gambling in the face of loss. 

It said that the statement should be viewed in the context of the entire ad, which is referred to the fact that the young man had “stuffed it up” by making a comment to his girlfriend about her mother, and that line explicitly referenced a real-life example of stuffing up and did not refer to losing a bet. 

In its verdict, The ASA acknowledged the family members were enjoying activities after lunch, and while the young man’s focus throughout the ad was generally directed toward the screen of his phone,  he did not look up to thank his girlfriend’s mother for making him coffee before returning to his game. 

However, it considered the young man then became so engrossed in his gambling game that he made an unintentional and humiliating remark out loud, which was clearly not his intent and was clearly caused by his distraction and investment in the gambling game. It was reported that the young man instantly realized he had made a mistake and apologized to his girlfriend, but that moment was brief and he quickly returned to his phone to continue the gambling game and celebrate a win, while his girlfriend remained angry and embarrassed. 

Although the ASA acknowledged that it was a brief moment, it found that the commercial depicted gambling as taking priority in life over the family since most viewers would understand that distraction caused by gambling had caused an embarrassing error at a family gathering. 

According to the CAP and BCAP Codes, gambling marketing communications or advertisements must not depict, condone, or encouraged gambling conduct that is socially irresponsible or could result in financial, social, or emotional harm.

The CAP and BCAP’s Advertising Codes on Gambling Advertising: Responsibility and Problem Gambling also states that marketers should take care to avoid trivializing gambling and avoid the impression that the decision to gamble should be taken lightly, for example by not encouraging repetitive participation. 

As a result, the ad will not be repeated in its current form. 

It’s not the first time the ASA has slammed a Paddy Power commercial. In March, a radio commercial was found to be deceptive due to a muddled portrayal of significant circumstances. 

The post Paddy Power Ad Banned For Prioritizing Gambling Above Family appeared first on Branditechture.

Just so you know, the Salvation Army is a non-profit organisation that works around the world to collect and distribute second-hand clothing.

The organization “takes on” the luxury fashion house Balenciaga which recently launched its Paris Sneaker line that includes 100 pairs of limited-edition ‘destroyed’ sneakers priced at $1,850 each. 

Truly Destroyed Shoe. 📷 Carli Hermes/The Salvation Army

Shot by photographer Carli Hermes, the shoe contains a unique description like John’s Truly Destroyed all-purpose shoe, and product details like freezing winter has worn out effect, not waterproof, detached sole, various holes for warm weather, and painful fit.

Cloudfactory, an Amsterndam-based creative agency, directed and created the campaign, and all the funds raised will go directly to The Dutch Salvation Army’s mission to help people in need rebuild their lives. 

“Of course, the fashion world is all about how clothes and shoes appear,” Thamar Keuning, marketing and communications head of Salvation Army ReShare, (Leger des Hells ReShare in the Netherlands), stated. High fashion, or, for that matter, Balenciaga, can be wonderful in terms of innovation and variety.

It is, however, occasionally at odds with what clothing signifies to the vast majority of the individuals we work with, which is purely functional. The destroyed shoes of a homeless person opposite the high-fashion products of this fashion industry represent the world’s inequality both literally and symbolically. 

“It’s a good thing that the conversation is changed from a fashion gimmick and fuss to real social concern, such as the enormous number of homeless people in the Netherlands – there are currently 32,000! For years, we have advocated for the housing of homeless people as well as the problem is now receiving the international attention it deserves as a result of initiatives like these.”

“I’m not against Balenciaga’s destroyed sneakers at all. They were successful in capturing everyone’s attention. 

“However, I’m in where I can help the homeless – the number of whom appears to be one on the rise again, with such a fantastic idea. The backstory appeals to me. This isn’t only about photography for me – it’s also about art direction. Because the concept is solid, I believe I could develop it further in photography.”

Cloudfactory’s creative director Julio Alvarez, added: “We have a lot of respect for Demna Gvasaline’s vision, the creative director of Balenciaga, and what he is doing with the Balenciaga brand – they often tap brilliantly into the (pop) culture,” We recognize that the fashion industry has its codes, and we are not here to pass judgment. 

“It gives us a good starting point for bringing a tougher reality to the news.”

The post Ad of the Day: Salvation Army Throws Shade at Balenciaga’s ‘Destroyed Shoes’ Collection appeared first on Branditechture.

SUMMARY 

• The Hard Mtn Dew ad campaign, which is a six-video series, directed by David Laden of Hungry Man, shows the extreme to which enthusiasts will travel to get their hands on a can.
• Missouri has joined the list of states that can legally distribute the beverage.
• Mtn Dew has never been packaged with alcohol since its creation in 1940.
• The core consumer demographic is largely made up of young males between their mid-30s and under.
• Each serving contains no caffeine or added sugar and is 5% alcohol.
• Their commercial will air on streaming, digital, and social media in states where the drink is currently sold.

Hard Mtn Dew is here, and its commercial launch is guaranteed to be a hit! The six-video series, directed by David Laden of Hungry Man, shows the extreme to which enthusiasts will travel to get their hands on a can.

At the 0:06 seconds mark of the video, an employee was shown unloading a shipment of Hard Mountain Dew to a liquor store when a man dressed in a formal attire appears out of nowhere and grabs one. He took a big risk as he dashes through a piece of glass held by two other workers, shattering it. 

Another feature is the same guy triumphantly holding his Hard Mtn Dew, which he earned through hard labor, and then a woman dressed in yoga attire leaps down from the top of the liquor store to steal it. 

Hard Mtn Dew is celebrating the launch of its seventh state, Missouri, with the promotion. Missouri has joined the list of states that can legally distribute the beverage, which includes Tennessee, Florida, lowa, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Minnesota. By the end of the summer, the drink will be accessible in nine states, according to Beverage Digest. 

Hard Mtn Dew is now available in four familiar flavors: Original, Baja Blast, Blast Cherry, and Watermelon, all of which contain 5% alcohol. The beverage’s 4 variants all contain no caffeine or added sugar, and each serving has 100 calories. 

The highly-anticipated drink first arrived on the scene in February, causing cases to fly off the shelves wherever they were sold. The PepsiCo-owned brand has NEVER been packaged with alcohol since its creation in 1940, despite being developed as a mixer, according to Beverage Digest editor, Duane Stanford.

This new ‘hard’ version was developed in collaboration with Boston Beer, the same company that manufacturers Truly Hard Seltzer. 

Hard Mtn Dew’s core consumer demographic, Stanford says, is largely made up of young males between their mid-30s and under, who hunt, fish, and play video games. From Mtn Dew Game Fuel to camouflage soda cans, the business has already nailed these groups by developing select affinity products. 

“it’s almost as Mtn Dew is going to its roots with this release, they have a built-in audience who will, at the very least, be willing to try it out, in addition to well-established brand identification,” Stanford said. “Only the passage of time will tell.”

Despite its historic release, Hard Mtn Dew’s official release will come later than what fans anticipated. According to Stanford, these delays are mostly due to the laws surrounding alcohol distribution, which vary state by state and each requires alcohol distributors to obtain certain federal permits and commercial licenses. 

He added, ‘They’re also learning the business as they go.”Because alcohol is new territory for them, so they should take a slower, measured approach with its launch. Hard Mtn Dew’s commercial will air on streaming, digital, and social media in states where the drink is currently sold, with the ad campaign likely to grow as more states is revealed. 

The post Alcoholic Beverage, Hard Mtn Dew Releases its First Commercial Ad appeared first on Branditechture.

Brands are increasingly looking for high-quality audience intelligence to help them drive forward their international campaign planning. However, there is a rising dissatisfaction alongside this demand, which is that reliable, rich, and cost-effective customer data isn’t available in one location to achieve this.

Mastercard’s chief marketing officer and president of the World Federation of Advertisers, Raja Rajamannar, says in a recent interview with The Drum, “if you go out and spray advertisement and pray that people will respond, or that they will connect, that’s very inefficient for the marketers and annoying and irrelevant to the customers.

Yougov Logo

YouGov has launched the Global Profiles  to address this advertiser demand need. The new dataset aids businesses and their agency partners understand their global audiences. The Global Profiles Tool includes over 1,000 questions asked of respondents in 43 global markets, and provides a consistent picture of people’s views, sentiments, behaviors, and habits, allowing targeted campaigns and partnerships to have a greater impact across all media channels.

In a tough world where media consumption is shifting and people’s perspectives are becoming more complex, Julian Newby, global sector head of agencies and media at YouGov, discusses how businesses can acquire a deeper, broader understanding of their audiences across global markets.

With the debut of the Global Profiles Tool, how are you satisfying the needs of brands?

The feedback we’ve been getting is that there’s a lot of frustration in the marketplace due to the thinness of the global dataset available. Now we are offering something that will help to alleviate a lot of that frustration.

According to our agency partners, they love Profiles, our local market product, but found multi-market analysis more difficult. So we took a thousand questions, made them globally uniform where possible, and has everyone answer them to create a fully-squared dataset.

What does the product add to the market that isn’t already there?

We took those thousand questions and turned them into a single product that is updated quarterly, has its own dashboard and interface, and is available in 43 countries. It’s large in comparison to previous offerings – three to four times the number of questions as the next rival using a completely global dataset.

People used to have a lot of options, but they didn’t have a lot of depth. We have a lot to give here. With what came previously, it was tough to obtain any insight, but this is big enough – you’ve got all the attitudinal questions, together with more than 150 pretty robust media questions.

Could you elaborate on the scope of these audience questions?

It is particularly strong in two areas. The first is attitudinal statements, which you’ll need to create sophisticated segmentations. Global Profiles has over 700 of them, covering everything from electric automobiles to the latest technology, travel, entertainment, and the environment.

Then there’s the question of media consumption, which we’ve fully overhauled. We collaborated closely with some of the major outlets to cover all of the major channels, as well as newer ones like music streaming and podcasts, and to raise tough questions about social media. We looked at key indicators including frequency, recency, and time spent across all channels, as well as device and format usage.

Will this have an impact on local markets as well?

Absolutely, one of the most intriguing aspects is that the respondents are also the backbone of our local markets. So if I’m a global marketer or an agency person generating an audience and audience and writing a beautiful multi-market strategy, which this tool is ideal for, I can then provide that exact audience to my local markets and they can copy it exactly since the dataset is the same.

Local markets may then combine it with the massive volumes of data in local profiled to give it texture and strength, feeding into the granularity of the publication, TV shows, and social media that people consume. That’s a very strong aspect.

The quality of customer data provided is a hot topic in the industry. What steps have you made to improve the quality of your work?

Any survey that takes more than 16 minutes to complete has a significant decline in respondent number and quality. So, in a YouGov-style manner, we’ve divided the questions into a total of 11, 15-minutes surveys. To be included in the dataset, people must answer all 11 questions, however, our method ensures that we obtain as many as possible completed with high quality as a metric.

Furthermore, having and maintaining a research panel of over 17 million people gives us a significant edge because we can devote a significant amount of time and effort to producing a high-quality product. In my opinion, no one else could have done this as well as YouGov has in terms of quality and care we’ve taken.

Global Profiles was also created in collaboration with our large agency partners, who have really helped to construct it in such a way that it might be highly valuable to them.

Finally, how are you making the Global Profiles Tool available to agencies and advertisers? Have you innovated in any way?

We normally sell to our local markets on an enterprise level. If you purchase Profiles as a client, you will only have to pay once, and everyone in your organization will be able to use it. However, with Global Profiles, we’re selling by the seat, if you buy a minimum of five, you can put them anywhere in the world. That’s a departure from our usual model which is more flexible and cost-effective, and it suits the need of global planning units within agencies and brands, which often operate out of two or three global hubs.

The post YouGov’s Global Profiles Can Help You Gain Deeper Understanding Of Your Global Audience appeared first on Branditechture.

SUMMARY:

Liverpool FC players Joe Gomez, Caoimhn Kelleher and Adrián have all revealed their mental health stories. The trio were featured in Nivea Men’s recent Strength in Numbers commercial campaign in collaboration with Talk Club, a mental health organization. This follows the previously released ‘Strength in Numbers’ ad which was shot in freestyle fashion inside of Anfield’s changing rooms.

As part of a Nivea Men’s Strength in Numbers commercial campaign, Liverpool FC players Joe Gomez, Caoimhn Kelleher, and Adrián have revealed their mental health stories to inspire others.

It follows the previously released ‘Strength in Numbers’ ad, which was shot fully unscripted in Anfield’s changing room. It shows how the question helps men quantify and communicate their sentiments by having them utilize a scale of 1-10 to describe the extent of their depression.

Kelleher discusses his troubles relocating from Ireland at the age of 16 and missing home while Adrián recounts being out injured and how it affected his mental health.

In support of the initiative, the players exchange their customary squad numbers for jerseys bearing a number according to how they felt on the scale.

Digitas UK is the digital agency behind the campaign, and the goal is to open dialogues and challenge the narrative that perceives men talking up about their mental and emotional health as a sign of weakness.

The ad was created in collaboration with the mental health organisation, Talk Club, to encourage men to take care of their mental health by talking about how they are feeling more frequently. It will be distributed through digital and social media, as well as match day programs and emails to Liverpool FC fans.

Emma de la Fosse, CEO of Digitas UK, said: “‘How are you, out of 10?’ is a simple but powerful way to help men talk about their mental health. This film is a reminder that everyone, even the most mentally strong football players, can struggle at times – but anyone can use this question to start a healthy conversation and check-in.”

Senior brand manager for Nivea Men, Emily Marcham said: “This campaign started with a message for men to show they don’t have to walk a solitary path when dealing with mental health. With the help of Talk Club and Liverpool FC players, we’re pleased to be able to offer a practical solution and tools to help them have those conversations and take care of their mental health.”

The post Liverpool FC Stars Deliver Vital Mental Health Advice in Emotional Nivea Ad appeared first on Branditechture.

• Netflix is considering buying streaming device company Roku, according to reports.
• Roku’s video advertising marketplace garnered some $647m in revenue during the first quarter alone.
• Experts argue that such a deal would create the kind of vertical integration needed for both companies to win.
• Netflix’s market value tanks in light of declining subscription rates.
• Analysts see a Netflix-Roku deal as an ideal solution as the tide rises on advertising video on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported TV.

As Netflix’s market value plummets due to declining subscription rates, the streaming company is turning to advertising to boost revenue. Now, there is growing speculation within Roku that Netflix may acquire the streaming device manufacturer to aid in its mission to build out an ad-supported business. Industry leaders make their predictions for the future of Netflix.

According to reports from multple sources, Netflix is considering acquiring the streaming device company Roku.

Rumors have circulated in recent weeks following Roku’s unexpected closure of its trading window — the period during which employees are permitted to trade vested company stock. Companies usually make this move ahead of major news to prevent insider trading.

Following the reports of its potential acquisition by Netflix, Roku’s stock increased by 13%.

As Netflix considers an ad-based business model in the face of declining subscriber numbers, experts believe that the streaming giant would benefit from acquiring Roku, arguing that such a deal would create the kind of vertical integration required for both companies to win in the increasingly competitive media streaming industry. Within the first quarter of this year, Roku’s video advertising marketplace had generated $647 million in revenue.

According to Ashwin Navin, CEO and founder at television performance marketing platform Samba TV, bringing the two prodducts together “could be a strong force multiplier for both,” especially given their intertwined history and “cultural synergies.”

Other experts see a Netflix-Roku partnership as an ideal solution as the tide rises on ad-supported video on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported television (FAST) models. “Netflix buying Roku makes sense because it will give Netflix another revenue stream in a growing area of streaming,” says Nicole Sangari, Kantar’s vice-president of entertainment on demand, Worldpanel Division. “We know that [ad-supported TV] is now driving the majority of the growth in streaming.”

Meanwhile, she also recognises Streaming Video On-Demand (or SVOD) models — particularly Netflix subscriptions — are declining. “[These trends indicate that] ad-supported initiatives make sense for them as they expand.” They’ve covered all of their bases by introducing an AVOD tier within Netflix and owning Roku as a separate platform.”

Sangari is intrigued by the prospect of Netflix-Roku integration. She, for one, believes that if the deal goes through, the organisations will not be completely merged and will continue to operate as separate entities under unified leadership — “otherwise, that would be defeat the purpose of strategically investing in an existing free ad-supported TV product.”

Other industry leaders, on the other hand, are sceptical that the news is more than a rumour — or that such a deal would truly benefit Netflix and Roku. “The deal could happen, but it’s not necessarily a perfect fit,” says Tal Chalozin, chief technology officer and cofounder of adtech firm Innovid. “Netflix built its success on being device agnostic; acquiring a device-based business appears to contradict that [mission].”

Nonetheless, Chalozin acknowledges that Roku possesses “the infrastructure Netflix will require for its ad-supported business.”

Sara Adler, the head of TV at performance branding agency Within, also points out that a Netflix-Roku agreement might harm the media industry by consolidating Netflix’s streaming dominance. “The industry doesn’t need another walled garden representing both sides of the equation,” she claims. “Netflix would be a publisher who also represented the buy side if this merger went through. It would be difficult for them not to prioritize their catalog over those of their other streaming partners, such as Disney, HBO Max, and others. I don’t think that would pique the industry’s interest.”

It remains to be seen whether a settlement will be reached.

The post Media Experts React To Emerging Rumors of A Netflix-Roku Merger appeared first on Branditechture.

Liquid Death™ is a canned-water beverage founded by Mike Cessario. The product is manufactured by a company called Supplying Demand, Inc. Liquid Death’s tagline is “murder your thirst”.

The drink is sold in a 16.9 US fl oz (500 ml) can otherwise known as “tallboy” (Refer to the video above). The water used to make Liquid Death is sourced from the Austrian Alps. The drink first sold in January 2019.

In a new video featuring the popular blind test game, Liquid Death pits its new flavored sparkling waters against some of the most expensive liquids in this world.

Liquid Death has made yet another pun out of marketing in the blind test game which was published yesterday. Back in April, it starred adult film star Cherie Deville in an ad campaign titled ‘Don’t f*** the planet.’  The company is remarkably known for making fun of traditional marketing.

“People like entertainment, but hate ads”.

That’s a comment made by Mike Cessario, co-founder and chief executive of Liquid Death Mountain Water.

The brand blindfolded 17 real people and asked them to compare its new flavored sparkling waters with some of the most expensive liquids on the planet.

The new sparkling water flavors – Berry It Alive, Mango Chainsaw and Severed Lime – are all naturally sweetened with agave, with a recommended retail price of $1.99.

In a video which launched yesterday, the majority of the tasters appear to love the new flavors. A tallboy of Lobster Béarnaise Sauce ($50), on the other hand, is met with a clearly different reaction. Same with the liquified Beluga caviar ($580). Apparently, a person holding a bucket is on standby should in case a taster needs to puke.“You need the bucket?” asks the person offering the samples.

“We thought, ‘how do we talk about taste in a way that’s funny?’” says Mike Cessario, Liquid Death chief executive and co-founder. “Any time we make fun of the marketing tropes, that people are just so tired of, it tends to work pretty well. So we said let’s test Liquid Death against the most expensive stuff we can possibly think of … We’re trying to raise the bar in terms of making people laugh.”

The taste test launched yesterday, along with a message encouraging people to blindfold their closest friends and conduct their own taste tests. The goal is to get Liquid Death fans to post videos on their various social media platforms.

“It could be something that people on TikTok, or social, would want to do to f*** with their friends,” says Cessario. “But you can’t force it or push too hard. It just has to become one of those things. But you always have to put stuff out there that feels like it has potential.”

The Liquid Death’s taste test is the first to involve imported squid ink ($58).

You should expect more activity from Liquid Death’s celebrity ambassadors, which include Travis Barker, Metallica, Steve O from Jackass, Wiz Khalifa, and comedian Bert Kreischer.

Steve O is a big fan of Liquid Death and you can see that from the brand tattoo on his neck, meanwhile, Tony Hawk, a professional skateboarder gave 100 vials of blood to be used for limited-edition skateboard decks in a partnership with Liquid Death Mountain Water.

“We’ll continue to find fun ways to work with our ambassadors,” says Cessario. “We’re always going to push this brand in a PG-13 way. We’re always thinking about being more like Saturday Night Live and less like a commercial.”

What’s your take after watching this ad? Did you find the blind taste test funny or disgusting? Let’s know in the comment section below! 😀

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The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority  (ASA) has banned a particular ad titled “Make The Connection” by Vegan Friendly UK for being too gruesome. The ad campaign which was intended to urge people to stop eating meat didn’t quite sit well with the UK advertising regulators.

Vegan Friendly logo

Vegan Friendly is a UK-based organization that certifies businesses and products as ‘Vegan-Friendly’, provide them with a range of benefits and connects them with an exclusive community of vegans.

The TV commercial, which first aired in March 2022, included two women and a man eating at a table as they passionately discussed the cruelty in this world while eating beef. Apparently, some viewers were disturbed by the gruesome video featuring sights of sad-looking animals interjected with imagery of blood splatters.

Clearcast, a UK-based ad monitoring and clearing agency had earlier approved the commercial on the condition that it should NOT be shown in or near shows aimed at minors under the age of 16. It triggered 63 complaints, each of which included at least one of the following themes:

1. The advertisement contains gruesome visuals and gratuitous cruelty toward animals, thereby causing viewers unnecessary discomfort.
2. The advertisement was incorrectly timed because it aired at a time when children could be watching.
3. The advertisement was offensive since it demonised meat-eaters.

The first two themes stood, but the third did not.

The organization (Vegan Friendly UK ) insisted that they used carefully picked stock photos that would normally be seen at home, in a cooking show or in a nature documentary. The defendant claimed that the films did not depict violent or harmful conduct and that such imagery could be found in butchers’ or fishmongers’ windows on any UK high street.

The pro-vegan organization went on to say that in the UK, the commonly acknowledged moral standard was to respect and care for animals, but people who ate meat deviated from that moral standard.

Vegan Friendly UK only intended to persuade meat eaters who were opposed to animal suffering to reconsider their activities, for that reason, their justification that they did not demonise meat-eaters was upheld.

Vegan Friendly argued that the advertisement did not cause distress, but that if it did, it was justified because the meat industry murdered billions of animals. It further claimed that the advertisement was not targeted at or scheduled around children’s shows, food programs, or wildlife documentaries.

Clearcast, on the other hand, didn’t think the ad’s visuals were too graphic. Despite the presence of blood in the advertisement, the agency claimed that the style of imagery was similar to those seen in markets, butchers, and fishmongers. It didn’t depict any kind of cruelty or violence.

The BCAP Code, which is strictly enforced by the ASA, states that ads must not distress the audience without any justifiable reason.

The Advertising Standards Authority maintained that some of the imagery used in the ad was too graphic in nature and given the context in which it was used, it could likely cause distress. The ASA, therefore, stood on its decision to ban the TV commercial, pointing out the footage of a cow ‘crying’ and a fish ‘struggling to breathe’

As quoted by a representative of ASA, “The way in which the ad was shot had an impact upon the distress likely to have been felt by the audience.”

“We also considered that the camera angle was used to focus on the distress of the animals … we considered that the splash of blood that jumped from one clip and landed on the takeaway box in the following clip deviated from what would be expected in normal food preparation, and as such we considered its inclusion to be gratuitous. We, therefore, considered that the way that the ad had been shot and edited contributed to the visceral nature of the ad.”

With the complaints and additional context, it added: “We considered that several of the clips were shown, such as the clips that depicted animals in distress or the skinned cow’s head, would likely not be seen in … a butcher or watching a cookery program. [That] was an active choice that came with different expectations to those of TV ads.”

For the above-stated reasons, the ASA insisted that the ad was most likely to cause distress to both teenage and younger adult audiences and therefore was deemed not fit for broadcast on TV, regardless of scheduling restrictions.

On those points, the ad breached BCAP Code rules 1.2 (Social Responsibility), 4.1 and 4.10 (Harm and Offence), and 32.1 and 32.3 (Scheduling).

To reiterate, the ad must NEVER appear on TV again.

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Apple revealed a creative new twist to its famous ‘Silhouettes’ campaign today. The new iteration, which stars pop’s golden child Harry Styles, highlights AirPods with Spatial Audio.

The advertisements, which are an ode to the original 2003 campaign designed and directed by a media agency called TBWA\Chiat\Day, debuted just weeks after Apple announced that it is discontinuing all iPods and will no longer sell the once-coveted devices.

The original ad featured black silhouettes of people dancing against vividly coloured backdrops while wearing the instantly recognised white outline of an iPod connected to wired earbuds.

The campaign began with billboards in Los Angeles and was followed by placements in print and television across the country. The TV commercials were made memorable by energetic melodies by artists such as the Black Eyed Peas and N.E.R.D.

‘Silhouettes’ was published at a time when Apple — notably the iPod — was at the centre of our cultural consciousness.

Apple’s stock price soared to a 52-week high of $53.20 a share when Bono, leader of the Dublin-based rock band U2, endorsed the iPhone, calling it “the most beautiful thing art in music culture since the electric guitar.”

The famous color-block imagery has now evolved – with the silhouettes in the new spot getting as brightly toned as their backdrops. Instead of iPods, dancers are adorned with the very vivid image of Apple AirPods.

Harry Styles is seen dancing and singing in trippy multiples of his own image to illustrate the product’s Spatial Audio function, which promises surround-sound, theater-like audio experiences, giving the listener the impression that the sound is emanating from all around them.

The soundtrack is ‘Music for a Sushi Restaurant,’ a tune from Styles’ recently released third studio album ‘Harry’s House.’

Harry Styles in New Apple Spatial Audio Ad

The new campaign which was created by TBWAMedia Arts Lab in collaboration with Iconoclast and Versatile, continues Apple’s legacy of partnering with big-names in the music industry.

In the past, the tech brand has collaborated on ads and activations with celebrities such as Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, U2, and Coldplay.

The commercials will air on television, YouTube, and in out-of-home and retail locations across the United States.

Acting on a special request from Harry Styles, Apple will donate the artist’s appearance and performance fee to the charitable group International Rescue Committee, which works to alleviate humanitarian crises across the world.

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