This newsletter is powered by Tracksuit. Always-on brand tracking built for teams who need to know if their work is actually working. Providing proof to back your strategy.
In this week’s round up….
With the Cannes festival of creativity around the corner, we asked a handful of agency luminaries to share their Cannes Lions predictions, personal shortlists and favourite creative campaigns from the last 12 months they believe deserve Lion-recognition.
Five lagers and a substitute. Heinz and Heineken have called it “the match we’ve all been waiting for”: a six-pack of Heineken with the sixth bottle quietly swapped for a Heinz. It went live as a collab post on both brands’ Instagram accounts, the same image landing on Heinz and Heineken’s grids at once.
A choir of 34 working farmers, first put together for a beer ad that was made to be banned, become the first choir ever to win Britain’s Got Talent. We spoke to agency T&P about how it actually happened > here
Norway’s national team has marked its first World Cup appearance since 1998 with a Viking-themed squad portrait by David Yarrow, while supporters have unveiled a rowing routine to bring the same spirit to the stands.
Norway's Viking makeover got my applause. The attention to detail in this squad shirt line-up composition earns an encore.
Nike has launched “Rip the Script”, built around a film set inside a Hollywood mega-studio, the campaign film brings together Nike’s football past and present, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappé, Erling Haaland and Vini Jr. joined by icons including Eric Cantona, Ronaldinho, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Didier Drogba and Jorge Campos.
Apple has released Clingers, a new global privacy campaign film from TBWA\Media Arts Lab that turns invisible online tracking into a stalky fever dream.
Partner post
Eighteen months on from Jaguar’s November 2024 rebrand, Tracksuit has looked again — and finds remarkably little has moved.
UK awareness and consideration are static. The problem flagged at the time persists: a top-of-funnel conversion rate of 15%, against a category average of 30%. Preference has actually slipped, 3% to 1% (December 2024 to April 2026). Jaguar also sits dead last on “is for people like me” — the single biggest driver of that conversion.
The one bright spot: it still wins on “is a heritage brand”, so the rebrand hasn’t dislodged its past in consumers’ minds. The flat numbers likely reflect the deliberate production pause — the fully electric Type 00, once promised for 2025, now arrives this September. Until then, neither vindication nor disaster.
Tracksuit data, UK, December 2024–April 2026.
Charity The MENstruation Foundation turned three South African newspapers into a striking reminder of period poverty.
The Camelbak range covers insulated 16oz bottles plus lightweight, non-insulated 14oz and 25oz options, each finished in fan-favourite Crayola shades.
🤓 Brand lore: The Michelin Guide exists to sell tyres. In 1900 there were fewer than 3,000 cars in France, so brothers André and Édouard Michelin printed a free red booklet telling motorists where to find petrol, mechanics and a decent meal — the logic being that more driving meant more worn-out tyres. They gave it away until André found a stack of copies propping up a workbench and decided people only respect what they pay for. It went on sale in 1920; the first restaurant star followed in 1926. The most coveted award in cooking started as a content-marketing play for rubber.
💡 Idea of the week: Australia has the perfect punishment for residents who poison or cut down native trees for a better view: the council plants a giant sign where the tree used to be, blocking the view until it grows back. The crime pays for itself in reverse.
partner post
Empower your teams with AdForum’s Creative Library and access award winners at Cannes Lions, ANDY’s, Clios, D&AD, LIA, One Show, FAB Awards, Eurobest, EPICA, +++. Take a test drive here or contact us for more info.
The integrated campaign frames the tournament as the point where English-garden serenity collides with the ferocity of elite tennis.
For one day only, a Toronto outlet looked as though it had been caught in a giant burger press, with distorted signage, compressed furniture, bent trays and twisted decor.
Cornetto has launched Cornetto Max with a Susan Boyle-fronted remix of its classic Just One Cornetto jingle, turning a nostalgic brand asset into an unexpected summer pop moment.
🗞️ Industry News:
Instagram - has finally let users reorder their profile grid. Rolling out worldwide this week, the long-requested “Reorder your grid” feature lets you drag posts into any position on your main grid, regardless of when they were published — no more deleting and reposting to get the layout right. Long-press a post, select “Reorder grid,” then drag it where you want; changes save instantly and are visible to all visitors. Pinned posts stay put. For brands and creators treating their profile as a portfolio, it means putting your best work front and centre without touching the original posting dates.
Netflix - has doubled down on its streaming-first film strategy, despite making a rare exception for Greta Gerwig’s Narnia. Chairman Dan Lin said the company remains committed to making films primarily for Netflix, rather than chasing wide theatrical releases — and admitted that means there are some directors the streamer may simply never work with.
Gary Lineker’s - Goalhanger named UK’s fastest-growing business. Producer of The Rest is … podcasts reports sales of £37.9m, boosted by rise in subscriptions and live events
Grindr - was the lead media partner for Madonna’s latest album launch — and it’s a smart fit. To promote Confessions II, Madonna teamed up with the platform for a Pride-month push built around audience, context and cultural timing. The campaign included a Grindr-sponsored concert in Times Square, followed by a “Confessions” film on Grindr’s YouTube channel. Madonna knows her audience. Grindr knows its cultural role. Pride gives the collaboration a natural moment. This is what a sharp media partnership looks like: the right platform, the right performer and the right community, all pointing in the same direction.
Pepsi - has a fix for football fans who bristle at the word “soccer.” A free Chrome and Firefox extension, automatically swaps every “soccer” on the page for “football” — news sites, social feeds, search results, the lot. The extension will run locally in the U.S and, Pepsi says, collects no data. A modest intervention in one of football’s most enduring arguments.
Spotify U.S - release their annual Culture Next report exploring Gen Z through a different lens. Not as a single generation, but across a variety of life stages. The result is nuanced picture of how fandom, streaming habits, and cultural influence evolve over time.
UK PM Keir Starmer - has told Apple and Google to block under-18s from taking, sharing or viewing nude images on their phones by September, or face legislation. Speaking at London Tech Week, he said the device-level controls — covering cameras and private messaging, and switchable off by verified adults — would make Britain the first country to make it impossible for children to access such content. Non-compliant firms could face fines.
Jeremy Clarkson - has launched ‘Only Farmers’, a new platform helping UK farms sell bookable countryside experiences direct to the public, from tastings and pick-your-own days to farm stays and workshops. Tapping into the agritourism boom, the venture turns Clarkson’s farming fame into a practical shop window for rural businesses looking to diversify beyond traditional farm income.
👀 AI in PR: The Age of Algorithms, Predictive Analytics & AI Risk is not a day of lectures. PR professionals are tired of high-level theory. It promises hard, actionable blueprints for agency and PR teams. There will be no pitches. No software demos. Speakers will look at how AI is impacting P&Ls, margins and the billable hour. You’ll see how PR teams are restructuring and using AI to change their workflows. Tickets here
Antique shop owner defends prices with this droll notice.
via @markhillantiques
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.