Friday 28 August
10.45am: Green Flag partners with聽Luna Drive In Cinema
Green聽Flag, the roadside assistance provider, has partnered with The Luna Drive In Cinema to activate at drive-in screenings at four venues around England in September.
Green聽Flag聽will give away branded windscreen wipes and hampers at the drive-in screenings taking place at Gunnersbury Park, Hylands House, Ascot Racecourse and Lincoln Castle. The hampers will include a voucher for a free聽Green聽Flag聽vehicle health check and a selection of snacks and beverages.
The deal was brokered between Pearl & Dean and Mediacom Sport & Entertainment, and the campaign will run until 27 September.
Kirsty Hoad, head of marketing at聽Green聽Flag, said: "We are always thinking about creative ways to engage customers and get people talking about our brand. The Luna Drive-In Cinema is the perfect opportunity for us to do this with an audience of film fans and motorists.鈥
10.15am: Creature changes staff contracts to support charity
Creature has partnered the charity XLP to support its work in schools, London communities, mentoring and a "ready to work" scheme. The agency is changing its employment contracts whereby all staff will agree to spend at least one hour a week dedicated to the charity, either as a mentor or volunteering in another capacity. XLP is a charity launched 24 years ago in response to a stabbing in Peckham, and it works with more than 4,500 young people each year across nine London boroughs.
9.30am: Walmart joins forces with Microsoft in planned TikTok deal
Walmart's share price jumped 4% after the US retail giant announced a plan to join Microsoft in a bid to buy TikTok's American operations.
The owner of Asda said buying TikTok would be a boon for its ecommerce and advertising business Walmart Media Group, which sells ad space for brands on Walmart's website and social media.
Walmart, the world's biggest bricks and mortar retailer, has seen revenue soar during the coronavirus pandemic and reported that ecommerce sales nearly doubled (97%) in its recent quarterly earnings.
Buying TikTok from Chinese owner Bytedance would enable Walmart to increase its customer base among younger people and collect valuable consumer data. TikTok has proven wildly popular with young teenagers and Gen Z as a novel short-form video platform where users will typically create humorous skits set against popular music.
The company said in a statement: 鈥淭he way TikTok has integrated ecommerce and advertising capabilities in other markets is a clear benefit to creators and users in those markets.鈥
Thursday 27 August
11.30am: Deliveroo rolls out own discount scheme
Food-delivery service Deliveroo has announced it will be offering consumers a discount every Monday to Wednesday in September to support small restaurants.
The initiative, which follows on from the government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme, will see Deliveroo pick up part of the bill when customers enter a code while ordering.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who launched the government's initiative, said: "Our Eat Out to Help Out scheme was designed to help restaurants reopen and protect the two million jobs in this sector, giving it the boost it needed. I hope that people will continue to show their support for this vitally important part of our economy and Deliveroo's new Eat In to Help Out scheme is another way for them to do so."
There is a different code for customers to enter for each of the five weeks in September and 100,000 customers will be able to get a 拢5 discount each week. More than 16,000 local restaurants are involved and national chains are being given the option to participate if they fund the discount themselves.
10.45am: M&S bets on boozy autumn with surge in alcohol options on Ocado
Products from Marks & Spencer will be available to buy on Ocado from 1 September, when the long-standing relationship between the online supermarket and Waitrose comes to an end.
Perhaps anticipating further closures of pubs and restaurants in areas of the UK 鈥 a possibility if coronavirus cases begin to significantly increase 鈥 M&S has made a noticeable change to the product range offered by Waitrose: a huge increase in the number of alcohol lines available.
According to digital shelf analysis from Edge by Ascential, M&S is listing almost 10 times as many wines as the John Lewis Partnership brand 鈥 including 102 reds, 82 whites and 26 roses, compared with seven, 13 and none respectively from Waitrose. M&S is also offering four to five times as many beer, cider and spirits options.
In contrast, M&S is offering far fewer homecare, health and beauty items than Waitrose has.
Chris Elliott, digital shelf analyst at Edge by Ascential, said: "It appears that M&S is focussing on the convenience and grocery products that we are used to seeing in its M&S food halls, such as alcohol, chilled foods and shelf-stable products, and we can expect this will be a strong aspect of M&S's offering.
"However, there are certain categories where it seems that M&S will need to work harder on if it wants to measure up to Waitrose's previous offering. This includes investing more in the homecare category 鈥 something that is an everyday essential and part of many consumers' shopping baskets."
9.15am: S4 Capital adds another brain to the Hive
S4 Capital has acquired Brightblue Consulting, a London-based data analytics and measurement consultancy 鈥 and, in line with its other acquisitions over the past 18 months, will merge it with its data and digital media operation MightyHive.
Brightblue was founded in 2012 by Michael Cross, who worked at Mindshare during 2005-2008, making him an employee of then-WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell, now executive chairman of S4. Brightblue's clients have included Cancer Research UK, the NHS and Pernod Ricard.
Sorrell said: "Data, particularly first-party data, is at the heart of S4 Capital's 'holy trinity' business model. Brightblue's skills in making sense of it and using it to drive profitable growth are a timely addition to our client-focused service offering. We believe the measurement and modeling systems in our industry are in dire need of innovation. They are either too slow and traditional and no longer fit for purpose, or too narrowly confined to digital channels. We look forward to disrupting this multibillion-dollar industry with a modern new-era approach which is faster, better and cheaper."
Wednesday 26 August
4.45pm: Consumers would rather see ads than pay to watch TV, Unruly study finds
Lockdowns around the world since the start of the year have led to a surge in subscriptions for the likes of Netflix and Disney+. But research from Unruly suggests that in the UK, TV viewers are looking to spend less and find free alternatives.
The survey, which polled 2,562 UK and US consumers in July this year, found that three quarters (77%) of UK consumers would prefer to watch their favourite TV programmes for free with ads than pay for an ad-free experience.
More than half of UK participants (54%) said they were actively seeking ways to watch TV programmes and films free of charge.
Twenty-one per cent of UK survey respondents said they had tried a new ad-supported streaming service since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic and, of these, 74% planned to continue to watch it.
More than half (57%), meanwhile, plan to reduce the amount they pay for TV services, with a quarter (27%) planning to reduce the number of paid streaming services they use, and a fifth (21%) planning to cancel cable or satellite TV subscriptions.
11am: PepsiCo sponsors Uefa women's football
PepsiCo has announced a five-year partnership with Uefa women's football, ahead of the Uefa Women's Champions League final on 30 August.
The partnership will run until summer 2025. PepsiCo 鈥 which owns brands including Pepsi, Walkers and Gatorade 鈥 will be the main partner of the women's Champions League, European Championship, under-19 and under-17 tournaments and the European Futsal Championship.
The brand owner has previously sponsored the women's Champions League final.
PepsiCo will also sponsor Uefa's Together #WePlayStrong programme, which encourages more girls and women to play football.
The company also sponsors the men's Champions League 鈥 a deal that began in 2015.
"PepsiCo is proud to unify and strengthen our global partnership with Uefa to now include Uefa women's football," Ram Krishan, global chief commercial officer at PepsiCo, said.
"This is an energising moment in the evolution of the sport 鈥 and for our business around the world. We look forward to helping accelerate the vibrant women's game and are committed to the future of women's football."
PepsiCo recently launched a series of ads to support its partnership with the men's Champions League.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director at Uefa Events SA, said: "Over the last five years, PepsiCo has been an innovative and influential partner of the Uefa Champions League and we are looking to draw on this energy and experience in order to take the women's game to new heights."
9am: Bauer enlists celebs for LGBT+ station launch
Bauer Media has enlisted celebrities including Years & Years singer Olly Alexander, Mel C, MNEK, Anne-Marie and Gok Wan to launch its LGBT+ radio station, Hits Radio Pride, in partnership with The Co-operative Bank.
Hits Radio Pride launches on Friday (28 August) and is set to be the first dedicated LGBT+ pop-up station in the UK by a major broadcaster.
As well as featuring interviews from the above stars and music from artists adored by the LGBT+ community 鈥 including Lady Gaga, Harry Styles and Ariana Grande 鈥 the station hopes to raise awareness for LGBT+ issues through its helpline, which allows listeners to access support and advice.
Abby Carvosso, group managing director at Bauer Advertising, said: "We cannot wait for audiences to listen in; the station offers something completely unique that addresses their needs for entertainment, education, companionship and unity."
Hits Radio Pride will also be airing a series called Tough Talks, where LGBT+ people discuss their struggles in society.
Deb Darlington, brand director at The Co-operative Bank, said: "The incredible line-up of presenters and guests for Hits Radio Pride shows what a great opportunity the launch of this station is to not just celebrate these important values but also raise awareness of LGBT+ issues."
Tuesday 25 August
3.30pm: ParalympicsGB partners Papa John's
ParalympicsGB has partnered pizza chain Papa John's ahead of next year's Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
With the deal running until the end of next year, Papa John's plans to raise 拢250,000 for ParalympicsGB alongside its three brand ambassadors 鈥 athlete David Weir, tennis player Alfie Hewett and swimmer Alice Tai.
The partnership was announced alongside a digital campaign, "We are limitless", which outlines Papa John's mission statement in "breaking barriers and creating positive change together" with ParalympicsGB.
Mike Sharrock, chief executive of ParalympicsGB, said: "We are delighted to launch this exciting new fundraising partnership on the day the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was originally scheduled to begin.
"The delay has presented us with challenges and opportunities, and we are confident with the support of the British public our talented ParalympicsGB athletes can inspire and unite the nation once again with their performances in Tokyo."
The International Paralympic Committee has also launched a campaign, by Adam & Eve/DDB, that shows a first-person glance of what it is like to run a 100-metres race as a vision-impaired sprinter.
Giles Codd, marketing director at Papa John's UK, said: "The inspirational work that ParalympicsGB does to support their athletes is so important and we're delighted that we're able to help by raising money and awareness."
Weir added: "As Paralympians, we are always looking to smash records and overcome adversity, and it's great that Papa John's is urging its customers to do the same and raise vital funds for Paralympic sport."
3pm: Men's wellness brand creates Cards Against Humanity parody
Men's wellness platform Manual has reimagined controversial game Cards Against Humanity in a drive to encourage men to talk more openly about their well-being.
Created in-house, the Cards Against Masculinity interactive game aims to normalise topics such as erectile dysfunction, prostate exams and hair loss in a tongue-in-cheek manner to show the lighter side of typically taboo issues.
Each round is followed by a pop-up screen that informs men about different health-related subjects.
A survey from Cleveland Clinic found that 65% of male participants avoid going to the doctor for as long as possible, with 20% claiming that they aren't always open about their health to loved ones or doctors.
"Since launching, it has always been our mission to create a safe space that encourages men to open up and confront health issues," George Pallis, co-founder of Manual, said.
"With our new Cards Against Masculinity game, we hope to initiate the conversation around men's health and get men to get talking about their most intimate issues, in order to properly educate and drive them to seek help where necessary."
8.30am: Innocent goes nostalgic with outdoor campaign
Innocent Drinks has launched an out-of-home campaign reminding the public of life before lockdown.
The work, created in-house, points out aspects of everyday life that have changed in light of the pandemic, such as handshakes, real-life conversations and wearing formal clothes.
It will run for two weeks across 10 UK cities and won the top prize in Ocean Outdoor's Crucial Creative Competition, landing 拢500,000 worth of ad space.
"When we spotted the competition, we saw our chance to put something a bit weird and silly on massive billboards all over the country. Mission accomplished," Anna Clare, head of digital at Innocent, said.
Phil Hall, joint managing director at Ocean, added that the campaign "will bring a smile to people's faces at a time when we are all looking for some light relief".
Monday 24 August
10.30am: NHS Test and Trace outlines 'new rules' of football
NHS Test and Trace has enlisted former England international Jermaine Jenas and Premier League referee Simon Hooper for a campaign to encourage testing for Covid-19.
Directed by Ben Anderson through Atomized Studios, "Let's get back" follows Jenas and Hooper as they surprise a group of young players at the Powerleague site in Shoreditch.
Hooper outlines the "new rules" of football, from keeping the ball below head height to 鈥 more importantly 鈥 getting tested if they experience any symptoms related to the coronavirus.
Viewers are also reminded to wash their hands thoroughly, practise social distancing and wear a mask on public transport.
The ad is part of NHS Test and Trace's campaign, which launched last month and outlines ways for the public to protect themselves while enjoying the things they did before the pandemic.
Jenas said: "We all want to get back to enjoying the sport we love as quickly as we can, but we need to do so in the right way to control the spread of coronavirus by getting tested if you have symptoms.
"This video is all about making sure football fans out there know the right behaviours so they can enjoy the sport they love safely."
Hooper added: "Testing has become part and parcel of the new normal for referees, players and staff over the past few months and, on a personal level, my wife works for the NHS, so I know how important it is for everyone to get tested. As until a vaccine is found, this is the best way we can all help contain the virus and keep enjoying football."