Most Top UK Websites Still Breaching Cookie Regulations
A new ALT Agency "UK Website Health Check 2026" audit of 200 high‑profile UK sites found that 120 (60%) deploy analytics or marketing cookies before a visitor has given consent, contradicting the ICO’s claim of widespread compliance. The study identified 1,731 cookies, with 670 (39%) lacking a legitimate consent basis, and highlighted sector‑specific breach rates of 100% in telecoms and 90% in news publishing. The ICO has responded by raising fines sevenfold and intensifying website reviews. The report warns that a simple configuration change could bring most sites back into compliance.
McDonald’s Rolls Back the Years with Cards Collection
McDonald’s UK, together with Leo UK, has launched a nationwide “McDonald’s Cards” promotion that reimagines iconic brand characters, menu items and rituals as a collectible card set. The collection features 24 hand‑illustrated designs across four categories—Characters, Fans, Retro and Legendary—and...
Ineos Grenadier Shuns the Glossy Shots for the Boozer
Ineos Automotive has launched a new ad campaign, “Born in a Pub,” that tells the Grenadier 4×4’s origin story inside a recreated London pub. The 80‑second film shows the vehicle being assembled on the bar while patrons mingle, rejecting the...
Court Shoots Down €746m ‘Flawed’ Amazon GDPR Fine
A Luxembourg court overturned the €746 million GDPR fine against Amazon, ruling that the data‑protection regulator’s decision was procedurally flawed and ordering a fresh assessment. The penalty, the second‑largest ever under the GDPR, stemmed from a 2018 complaint by 10,000 users...
Is Your Boss Speaking the Workplace ‘Language of Love’?
Moonpig for Business surveyed 2,000 UK employees and found that 51% would be less likely to job‑hunt if their employer recognized them in their preferred ‘workplace love language.’ The study identified four primary recognition styles—words of affirmation (40%), gifts (24%),...
9-Year-Old Shows Joy of the New in AMV Ad for Decathlon
Decathlon has launched a new global advertising campaign created by AMV BBDO, co‑written and voiced by 9‑year‑old Frida. The film celebrates the thrill of first‑time sporting experiences, featuring families, beginners and seasoned athletes across a range of activities. By showcasing...
Samsung Appoints Agency for CRM Transformation Task
Samsung Electronics Europe has signed a three‑year contract with Dentsu’s Merkle to revamp its customer‑relationship‑management (CRM) across 16 European markets. The initiative will deploy AI‑driven automation and advanced tools to streamline activation, improve scalability and future‑proof Samsung’s marketing operations. A...
‘Last Man Standing’ Millner to Leave Iris After 26 Years
After 26 years at the helm, Iris Worldwide co‑founder Ian Millner is stepping down as chair to serve as a global advisor and take on other non‑executive roles. Millner helped grow the agency from a challenger start‑up to a $100 million‑plus...
Outra Targets Agency Sector with First Dedicated Team
Data analytics consultancy Outra announced the creation of its first dedicated agency team, headed by Kimberley Joyce, to help advertisers harness household‑level, privacy‑first data for performance‑driven campaigns. The unit will build strategic partnerships and guide clients in adopting Outra's AI‑powered...
Richmond Sausages Cooks up Masterbrand Campaign
Pilgrim’s Europe has commissioned agency Joint to launch a masterbrand campaign for Richmond sausages, rolling out across out‑of‑home (OOH) and social platforms. The initiative, titled "The Big Richmond Sit Down," showcases real families and friends enjoying the product in everyday...
Gartner Warns CMOs Against Using Agency AI Platforms
Gartner warns that up to half of agency‑built AI platforms could become obsolete within three years as open‑source solutions gain dominance. The firm predicts open‑source AI will support more than 75% of business deployments by 2028, offering greater customization and...
Tinder Jumps Straight Into Bed with VCCP Social Club
Tinder has appointed VCCP Social Club as its UK social and influencer agency of record, following a competitive pitch run by Ingenuity+. The newly launched division, comprising more than 80 specialists, will handle social strategy, creator content, influencer selection and...
British Bosses Now Ask AI Whether They Should Use AI
Confluent’s Quick Thinking 2026 survey of 200 UK CEOs reveals that 62% now rely on AI for the majority of their decisions, and 70% admit to second‑guessing their own judgment when AI recommendations differ. The report shows a shift toward...
Give Peas a Chance, Says Birds Eye, in Fresh OOH Push
Birds Eye, the frozen‑food brand owned by Nomad Foods, has launched a new out‑of‑home (OOH) campaign that puts peas at the centre of its messaging. The “Give peas a chance” creative, devised by Havas London, decorates London Underground escalator ribbons...
VCCP New Biz Machine Crushes All to Top $1bn in Billings
VCCP announced it ended 2025 with over $1.027 billion in new client media billings, topping the global creative‑agency rankings. The growth was driven by a landmark US win with telecoms giant Spectrum and major UK contracts for British Gas, Direct Line,...
Bupa UK Picks Start-Up for Customer Centricity Drive
Bupa UK awarded its marketing and advertising account to start‑up agency Ace of Hearts after a competitive pitch. The insurer reported a 16% revenue increase to £16.9 bn and a 59% jump in underlying profit to £914 m, driven by strong private‑health...
ASA Pulls Plug on British Gas and Hive Green Energy Ads
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned British Gas and Centrica Hive ads that promoted green‑energy savings, finding the claims misleading and insufficiently substantiated. British Gas advertised up to £546 savings from a heat‑pump tariff, yet ASA’s model showed...
Loveholidays Taps Creators for ‘the Weird and Wonderful’
Loveholidays has unveiled an “always‑on” influencer platform called Book What You Love, created with SocialChain’s The Fifth. The initiative pairs creators’ niche passions with specific destinations, positioning travel as a form of self‑expression. It launches with four creators from Germany,...
EssenceMediacom Extends 10-Year Tesco Relationship
EssenceMediacom, WPP Media’s merged agency, has been reappointed as Tesco’s media agency partner across the UK and Central‑Eastern European markets for another ten years. The renewal follows a formal review by Tuffon Hall Consultancy and expands the scope to include...
Prost8 Gets Arse in Gear for Bum-Controlled DOOH Blitz
Prostate cancer charity Prost8 has launched “Dodge The Finger,” the world’s first bum‑controlled digital out‑of‑home (DOOH) campaign. Developed by TBWA\MCR, the activation won gold at Ocean Outdoor UK’s Digital Creative Competition and the European Grand Prix, showcasing a retro arcade...
TMW Raids TBWA\Media Arts Lab for New Strategy Chief
TMW, now part of Accenture Song, has appointed Jasmin Kocur as group strategy director to co‑lead its earned‑first team. Kocur arrives from TBWA\Media Arts Lab after a decade at Digitas, bringing deep social, creator and campaign expertise. The move expands...
Sofology Scoops up the Positivity of Being a Bit Fussy
British sofa retailer Sofology is extending its “So fussy” creative platform with a new multi‑channel campaign that celebrates picky consumers as discerning shoppers. The ad, produced by TBWA\\MCR, uses an ice‑cream‑making metaphor to showcase attention to detail and premium quality....
How to Restore Trust in Your Marketing Measurement
Platform bias and recent privacy changes have crippled traditional attribution, with Safari stripping click IDs and Apple’s ATT limiting app‑to‑web tracking. This erosion of reliable user‑journey data fuels distrust among marketers, finance leaders, and the C‑suite, who see rising unattributed...
Top Brands Face Boycott over Aggressive Email Practices
Clean Email’s 2025‑2026 report reveals that aggressive email campaigns from major brands such as LinkedIn, Uber One and McDonald’s are now the leading cause of spam complaints, eclipsing traditional scammers. While global email users are projected to reach 4.73 billion in...
Heineken Recruits New Chief to Build ‘Digital Backbone’
Heineken has named Romain Apert, former Mars Petcare CIO, as its new chief data and technology officer, effective May. Apert succeeds Ronald den Elzen, who is stepping down after a 31‑year tenure that saw the launch of a “best‑connected brewer”...
Complaints Soar but ICO Insists ‘We Won’t React to Noise’
Information Commissioner John Edwards warned that ICO complaints could hit 75,000 by the end of FY 2025/26, nearly double the 40,000 logged in 2023/24. He defended the regulator’s selective enforcement approach, saying it will not chase every report to avoid...
Marketers Complain of ‘Chaos, Burn-Out and Fatigue’
A new report from global B2B agency Tmp, based on surveys of 1,000 marketers and tech buyers in the UK and US, reveals that more than half of marketers describe their environment as chaotic, with 34% experiencing burnout and fatigue...
Foster’s Ad Calls on All ‘T*ssers, B*llends and D**kheads
Heineken UK’s Foster’s brand launched the "Love You Cans" campaign, letting men personalize cans with cheeky nicknames like "t*ssers" and "b*llends" to spark reconnection with friends. The initiative is grounded in research showing 61% of British men find reaching out...
Dentsu Woos Back Robinson as First Chief Growth Officer
Dentsu UK&I has appointed Amy Robinson as its first Chief Growth and Marketing Officer, tasked with uncovering new market opportunities for the agency and its clients, including prospects such as Tapestry, Vodafone, BMW and Comic Relief. Robinson returns from Publicis,...
GWR’s Famous Five Jump Aboard for Myths and Legends
Great Western Railway has launched a new multi‑channel campaign that revives its 1920s myth‑based advertising, featuring the “Five and the Dragon Quest” film directed by Oscar‑winner Peter Baynton. The 60‑second spot stars voice talent such as Richard E. Grant and...
Nest Hits Road with Coach Trip Star to Drive Awareness
Nest Pensions has launched the "Everyday Investors" social campaign, starring Coach Trip host Brendan Sheerin, to show members that their pension pots fund local projects across Yorkshire. The initiative, created by Atomic Supernova, is built on research revealing only 23%...
Incubeta Hires Ex-Wunderman Chief to ‘Join the Dots’
Incubeta has appointed Adam Woods, former CTO of Wunderman Thompson Data, as its first global chief product officer. Woods will consolidate Incubeta’s fragmented product suite into a unified, AI‑driven platform that delivers integrated media, data and creative intelligence. The hire...
Havas Helia Appoints Andy O’Carroll in Major Shake-Up
Havas Helia has appointed Andy O’Carroll as its first chief creative officer, replacing two regional executive creative directors as part of a broader agency overhaul. O’Carroll brings a track record of Cannes Lions Grand Prix and D&AD awards from stints...
Booze Giants ‘Exaggerated Threats to Overturn Ad Ban’
A new Institute of Alcohol Studies report reveals that UK alcohol producers and pub operators exaggerated economic threats to block proposed advertising restrictions, leading to the removal of the measures from the Government's 10‑Year Health Plan. The report, based on...
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Tunes up New Online Platform
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame unveiled rockhall.com, a new digital hub built with agency Grow, to bring its museum’s archives, performances, and stories online. The site features more than 400 curated inductee pages, a nonstop RRTV stream of...
‘Menacing’ Call of Duty TV Ad Gunned Down by Watchdog
The UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned the TV spot for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, deeming its aggressive tone and imagery as trivialising sexual violence. The ad, featuring comedian Nikki Glaser and actor Peter Stormare as “Replacer” security officers, showed...
Did Somebody Say VCCP? Agency Takes Away Just Eat
Just Eat Takeaway.com has appointed VCCP to run its global creative account after a four‑way internal pitch, ending McCann’s tenure since 2018. VCCP won by showcasing an integrated model that blends creative, media, production and AI to translate audience insight...
Unilever Turns to AI for ‘New Era of Shopping for Brands’
Unilever has signed a five‑year partnership with Google Cloud to embed advanced AI, data and platform capabilities across its global operations. Leveraging Google’s Vertex AI and Gemini models, the consumer‑goods giant will build an AI‑first digital backbone that powers faster...
Betway Appoints M&C Sports Agency for Global Strategy
British gambling operator Betway has selected M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment as its global agency partner after a competitive pitch. The agency will craft a worldwide “Feel the Action” campaign covering advertising, sponsorship activation, content and fan engagement across Betway’s...
Morrisons Fights Germans with Greater Personalisation
UK supermarket Morrisons has teamed up with digital‑marketing specialist Ecrebo to roll out real‑time, personalized coupons both in‑store and via its app. The new capability expands physical coupon usage, targeting its older customer base that prefers tangible rewards, and may...
Asda Raids B&Q for New Vice President of Marketing
Asda has appointed Tom Hampson, former B&Q marketing director, as vice‑president of marketing for both the supermarket and its George clothing brand. He succeeds Adam Zavalis and will report to chief customer officer Rachel Eyre, starting in June. Hampson brings...
Specsavers ‘Relationship Aid’: Sorry, What Did You Say?
Specsavers launched a Valentine‑themed campaign called “The Relationship Aid,” which humorously presents its Advance 65 hearing aid as a high‑tech intimacy device. Developed by Golin London, the ads run across digital, radio, print and influencer channels, culminating in a reveal...
Call to Protect Freelancers, ‘the Lifeblood of the Industry’
Perfect Storm’s “Freelance Landscape” report highlights growing strain between agencies and freelancers amid AI-driven industry upheaval. While 42% of freelancers report reduced agency work and 82% see day rates stagnating or falling, 33% note agencies are increasingly turning to freelancers...
DVLA Brings in ‘Clampy’ in AMV Car Tax Evasion Debut
The DVLA has launched a new anti‑tax‑evasion campaign created by AMV BBDO, featuring a mascot called “Clampy” that personifies the agency’s wheel‑clamp enforcement tool. Two 20‑second films show Clampy confronting motorists who forget to tax their vehicles, ending with the clamp’s...
Shelter Homes in on Media Shop Beyond After Review
Shelter has reappointed independent agency Beyond to manage its media account after a statutory pitch, extending a partnership that began in 2019. The two organisations have delivered high‑impact campaigns such as the 2021 “Fight For Home” brand relaunch, which lifted...
LNER Plays on the Jam to Highlight Ease of Train Travel
LNER has launched a new "freedom all the way" campaign that pits the frustration of motorway jams against the ease of long‑distance train travel. Developed by McCann London, the second‑year effort gives the brand’s red‑haired character Eleanor a distinct Newcastle‑inspired...
Publicis London Hires Duo as Global Creative Directors
Publicis London has appointed Bronwyn Sweeney and Loren Cook as joint global creative directors, expanding chief creative officer Noël Bunting’s leadership team after a strong 2025 client acquisition year. The duo, long‑time creative partners, arrive from a decade at MullenLowe...
Why It’s Not Google’s Fault when Your Campaign Flops
Marketers often blame Google, Meta or TikTok when campaigns underperform, but the real issue lies in shifting audience behavior and fragmented creative planning. Consumers now drift across search, social and niche platforms without a linear path, exposing weak, broadcast‑style ideas....
Guidance ‘Black Hole’ Sparks Charity Soft Opt-In Warning
The new Data (Use & Access) Act introduces a “soft opt‑in” rule for charities, allowing them to send marketing emails and texts to supporters who have shown interest without prior consent. The amendment could unlock up to £290 million in additional...
Still Looking to WFH? You’ll Be Lucky as Roles Dry Up
Vestd’s Remote-friendly Industries Study finds only 5.3% of new marketing positions in the UK are fully remote, marginally above the 4.75% national average. Across 29 sectors, just 5% of 113,874 new listings offer full‑time work‑from‑home options, with financial services topping...