Olivia Wedderburn

Featured in: Favicon

thedrum.com Favicon

campaignlive.co.uk Favicon

campaignlive.com Favicon

campaignasia.com

Articles

Talkin’ ‘bout my generation(s)

Nov 7, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Eaon Pritchard |Josh McLoughlin |Josh Mcloughlin |Olivia Wedderburn |Giles Lury

I occasionally jest with non-advertising friends who complain about ‘surveillance’ marketing and suchlike; that if they want to avoid being targeted online, forget about adblockers, anti-tracking or VPNs. The one weird trick for invisibility is to set the birth year on your profiles to somewhere between 1965 and 1975, and no advertiser will pay any attention to you.
In with the kids but out of touch: brands using humour in 2024

Oct 16, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Paddy Gilmore |Mark Byrne |Emily Fairhead-Keen |Olivia Wedderburn

The long-running embrace of brand purpose increasingly seen as an example of marketers living on another planet. Buying a packet of Rana pasta, for instance, we are told to Live Life Generously, but nothing at all about, y’know, pasta. The epitome of this trend is perhaps The Drum magazine’s slogan Marketing can change the world, which sounds both hilarious and bland at the same time.
Purpose is dull, let’s all have a laugh

May 13, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Matt Bennett |Olivia Wedderburn |Giles Lury |Sam Collenette

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A brand has a message wrapped in its big ad. It’s about hope or being together. It’s powerful and strives to bring a tear to the eye. It makes you think. It’s worthy and has purpose. And it’s dull. F*cking dull. An example? Gillette’s latest effort is the bland leading the bland. It looks like a collection of boring stock videos to a pretty meh soundtrack.
It’s no laughing matter if product marketing drives you insane

Mar 14, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Olaf van Gerwen |Olivia Wedderburn |Emma Saddleton |Aoife Nicholas

People often say, ‘The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.’ In the case of mid-funnel food and drink advertising, we’re certainly seeing this played out by marketers.
Why brands can’t be funny on social media

Mar 12, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Becks Collins |Emily Fairhead-Keen |Olivia Wedderburn |Grace Gollasch

When trying to come up with modern ‘funny’ brand examples across social media, the same few companies come up, time and again. Duolingo’s angry aggressive TikTok mascot, Ryanair’s self-deprecating videos, Greggs’ tongue-in-cheek limited editions that often go viral (like their 2022 Primark clothing range). Social media is often key to engaging with an audience. Why then, are so few brands using humour effectively?
Laughing at the edge of creation

Mar 12, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Adah Parris |Olaf van Gerwen |Emily Fairhead-Keen |Olivia Wedderburn

This curious idea is on the cutting edge of AI’s next great frontier, understanding and generating nuanced human humour. As machine learning capabilities explode, researchers are tackling one of humanity’s most intricate cognitive skills: understanding the complexities behind what makes us human. At its core, humour is deeply rooted in our distinctly human experiences, shaped by the rich tapestry of cultures, personal histories, and nuanced social dynamics we navigate every day.
The importance of not being earnest

Mar 7, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Olivia Wedderburn |Jenni Romaniuk |Faris Yakob |Richard Shotton

Not only has Cannes launched a new humour category, but there’s a spate of new ads that are actually making me laugh. Given the world around us appears to be falling apart, it might feel a bit strange that brands are suddenly trying to get us to giggle. Whether it’s Apple and their belly up gecko, or Magnum’s mantra on deception in relationships, everywhere you look ads are angling for a laugh. On reflection though, maybe it’s not that surprising that we’ve entered our light-relief era.
Keep your wits about you: the return of mirth - MediaCat

Feb 29, 2024 | mediacatmagazine.co.uk | Richard Shotton |Ben Kay |Emily Fairhead-Keen |Olivia Wedderburn

In 1963, David Ogilvy said: ‘You should try to charm the consumer into buying your product. This doesn’t mean that your advertisements should be cute or comic. People don’t buy from clowns.‘ Was he right? Data from Kantar would suggest that a growing number of marketers have come to agree with him over the years. According to their analysis of over 200,000 ads from around the world, 53% of ads in 2004 were funny or light-hearted. By 2020 this proportion had dropped to just 34%. Why such earnestness?