You would have had to have had no access to the internet for the past 6 months to have avoided seeing at least one attempt at the mannequin challenge. But for those who are ignorant to this cultural phenomenon (and basically the world around them), here's a little explanation I found on wiki:

 "The Mannequin Challenge is a viral Internet video trend where people remain frozen in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them, usually with the song "Black Beatles" by Rae Sremmurd playing in the background."

Now everyone is up to speed,  let's examine Unicef's version of the challenge. Unicef claims it's "the most powerful #MannequinChallenge yet" and they are not wrong.  The video was created to highlight the issue of female genital mutilation and ends with the evil act about to be performed on an innocent young girl.

Unicef's attempt to raise awareness about the female genital mutilation, was well received on social media. Many shared the video and said that it had a powerful message. While I think that this praise is more than justified, my only criticism is its distribution strategy.

Instead of relying on "owned" social channels, Unicef needed to involve the influencers that made this challenge infamous. They also needed to identify the platform that would be used as their main distribution vehicle. Instagram is where this challenge rose to fame and where most people engaged with it, therefore this should have been their main vehicle to push the video.  I am sure someone like "King Bach" would have no has problem with sharing the video - I mean, it would only benefit his public image.

But, that being said all in all this campaign is brilliant. It serves as an excellent example of a brand using culture in an authentic, organic way to share a poignant message. 

I think other brands would do well to take a leaf out of Unicef's book!

With Amazon expected to surpass Macy's to become the biggest apparel seller in the US next year, many people are wondering what this means for the world of fashion?

In recent years, the consumer's increasing desire to shop online has certainly forced brands to invest in their digital ecosystems. However, brick and mortar has managed to co-exist, if not tentatively, with online platforms. But is this indicative of a future without shopping malls? 

Indeed, the shift would represent a huge shake-up for the apparel industry, which has long been dominated by department stores like Macy's, JCPenney, and Walmart. 

There are also signs that Amazon want to enter the world of high fashion. The company has started to shift its fashion strategy toward offering more high-end designer names such as Zac Posen and Stuart Weitzman. To help with this new strategy, they have even hired executives from luxury fashion companies such as the Vogue editor Caroline Palmer.

Given the close ties and similarities between the UK and US, there is some speculation over whether we could see this happen in the UK. But I don't think it is all doom and gloom for the highstreet - well, in the UK at least!

Brands in the UK simply need to play to their strengths, instead of trying to compete in the digital space where Amazon is a founding father.

This is not to say they should abandon their digital stores - a good online UX experience can be just as effective as a good marketing campaign  - but they should focus on offering what online retail can not - the human touch.

Simple enough idea - but there are not enough brands doing it.

Validation of one’s fashion choses is still important. More than 65% of 16-34s “don’t make a fashion decision until they have discussed it with people they trust,” and 70% are “more excited about a decision they’ve made when their friends agree with them.” (Forbes, 2015)

Their desire for affirmation is so great that we have even seen the rise of "chelifies."  Shoppers are now asking friends from the changing room for their opinions on new outfits via social media. A survey of 2,000 young people found they can wait up to 2 hours to acquire 'likes' before buying an outfit. (Daily Mail, 2015)

But there’s a tension - they’d prefer it if their mates were really there. Females aged between 16-34 want shopping to be a group activity and shop twice as often with their spouses, friends or family members compared with non-millennial women. Indeed, 59% of 16-34s say they prefer shopping in-store for clothing, fashion, and accessories. (YouGov Reports, 2016, Innovations in Retailing)

"Whilst online shopping is becoming ever-more convenient with the advent of within the hour and same day deliveries, it is clear that the desire to touch, feel, try on, compare, and above all see and judge, clothes/accessories when worn remains strong.”
(YouGov Reports, 2016, Innovations in Retailing).

These young women also want a better "experience". When shopping, they prefer an ‘experiential’ retail environment, where shopping is more than a transaction and the pleasure of being in the store isn’t limited to the goods that customers take home.” (Forbes, 2015)

Based on these insights, brands on the high street need to recognise their customers desire for great in-store retail experiences. They need to transform retail spaces into social spaces. The ultimate goal is to give their consumers such a brilliant in-store experience, that they will feel they are not getting the full product if they just shop online.

This new advert from Beats by Dre is fun. Imbued with a healthy dosage of nostalgia in the form of a classic disney song, and filled with all our favourite celebs dancing and miming the lyrics perfectly, it certainly leaves you with a big smile on your face. But I can't help but feel there is missing something.

Now, not every advert needs a call to action or wants to "sell" you something. Living in an age when an ad-blocker comes as standard on every iPhone, and consumers are becoming increasingly immune to traditional forms of advertising, an old school "let me sell you something" ad just doesn't work. Content is king and the impetus is now on brands to provide us with interesting, innovative, shareable pieces of content or contribute meaningfully in the passion areas of lives.

However, ultimately brands need to sell their products or get us to do something and all the above is basically a new way to do just that . Therefore, every advert or piece of content needs to contribute to the customer journey. 

So what does this advert do? Well, it introduces the consumer to the audio brand's new range of wireless headphones and induces positive feelings towards the brand i.e. brand love. That I suppose is enough, but I think there is room for more.

This is big shift for the brand. They are no longer selling the headphones with wires. They should be celebrating this, right? In my opinion they need to communicate the product benefits e.g. "Why should I buy beats wireless headphones over sony ones? or as an aspiring lifestyle brand tell the consumers what purchasing these headphones say about them. Heck, even just explaining why wireless headphones are better than wired ones would be nice. Indeed, the products are implicitly conveyed via the lyrics "I got no strings". These words imply that you are not impeded or constrained by the wireless from traditional headphones, something that is amplified with the celebs dancing freely throughout the spot. But I still think there is room for improvement.

The clever use of celebrities and brilliant art direction overshadows the significance of this product's innovation. Hopefully the next iteration will let us know a little bit more about the product itself. 

I am not ashamed to say it, I am probably one of TWBA Media Arts biggest fans when it comes to their Apple adverts. They just have a knack of making all Apple products feel such a natural and essential part of our lives. The way they convey technology and product updates makes you feel that if you don't have that gadget that you are not truly living - okay, maybe thats just me but you have to admit they are emotive.

But I think I may have my have misplaced my rose tinted glasses when I caught my first glimpse of the Apple Watch Series 2 advert. If case you are unaware the main improvements between the first apple watch and this latest iteration are the GPS and that it is fully waterproof. Nothing to write home about. And surprisingly this is so clearly evident in the advert - nothing has really changed.

As to be expected the art direction is brilliant and the various of sports is interesting but i don't feel compelled to run down to my nearest apple. I don't know, maybe as an"experience hunter" - well, that's what they call us millennials anyway - I have lost my desire to have the latest "thing" valuing experiences over products. But I still like my gadgets so maybe it is just this one advert didn't strike a cord with me.

Match.com early this year launch of the second phase of its #LoveYourImperfections campaign, following the success of its roll out in 2015. Continuing in its mission to give singles the confidence to express their true selves, the brand has built upon last year’s campaign by strengthening elements of authenticity and intimacy. The new adverts bravely reveal imperfections and quirks Brits normally hide, including messiness, wearing your socks in bed, being obsessively organised, glued to your phone and clumsy. All these are based on the insight that people truly connect with others when they are being themselves.

I know this advert has been out for over 10 months now but with recent outburst against their use of a lesbian couple in their new adverts, they must be praised for standing up to the bigots and reflecting the open-minded and free world in which we live today!

Released back in January, the new "a better you" by Karmarama, has met mixed reviews upon release. Imploring people to join the Army to be a 'better you' has not gone down all that well on Twitter.

Join the army be a better you. A better type of ptsd sufferer a better homeless person a better angry brutal cop. Don’t join the army. @NECcollectables

"To find out how to be a better you search army jobs." Nah, you’re alright mate; my "best me" involves neither murder nor colonialism. @triceratops1892

Without delving in the debate surrounding whether anyone should even be joining the British Army, the advert itself it adopts a very interesting approach to attracting new recruits.

The ads continue the "don’t join the army, don’t become a better you" strapline, which first appeared in poster ads earlier this month. Karmarama created the TV ads (as well as the posters), each of which shows young men and women talking round parents and friends about their decision to join the army with an impassioned speech about the benefits and experiences they'll miss out on if they don't sign up.

The new TV campaign is aimed at 16 to 24 year olds but the advert also targets the Career Gatekeepers - parents, friends, carers, teachers and career advisers. This group has an important role in career choices made by school/university leavers. If this career option is dismissed this can have a major impact on the final decision as the individual often highly values their opinion. The older members of this group (parents,carers) often value their own opinion over that of the young individual they are trying to advise, adopting the all too familiar "I know best" mentality. But when they see these impassioned speeches from these young people it might challenge their belief that these young people are too naive to make such a big life choices.

It is not often that a mirror is held up to us so we can see what we are like or how we behaviour,  but when it is it can have a powerful effect on us. Here the career gatekeeper can see the scenario that they may or may not experienced first hand played out in front of them. The only difference this time is that they have the chance to hear what these young people have to say. After hearing these compelling arguments, it invites the viewer to question their own opinion and may encourage them to have more of an open mind when listening to the opinion of potential recruits. 

It is always hard to challenge an authoritative figure's "I know best" mentality,  especially because their opinion is often based on life experiences which are hard to refute. But this TV campaign is certainly has a interesting approach to tackling it.

As an aspiring strategist, normally I would focus on the brilliance of this ad's consumer insight or its use of behaviour economics. But the primary reason that I like this ad is that it makes me smile and reminisce about the pains of being the youngest sibling.

However, what I can say is that Mercedes uses our negative perceptions of used items to make us want to buy a second hand car from them. 

By enlarge we look at used items negatively. We assume they are lower quality, undesirable and outdated. But instead of immediately trying to challenge that perception makes this ad embraces it. 

The majority of the 30 second spot is used to demonstrate how bad second hand items can be. It is only at the end of the ad that our perception of used items is challenged. However, this is done in a very light hearted manner with the tagline "Not What Your Used To."

Just like TBWA's Lidl #Surprises campaign, the ad turns a negative perception into a positive one. Lidl’s ads use a tongue-in-cheek tone that uses people’s negative image of the brand to highlight the quality of its products. Mercedes do the same thing. They want to first highlight how bad second hand items usually are so they can emphasis the "abnormal" quality of their used cars.

See for yourselves below.