The Sauce – 20/08/2024

Welcome to ‘The Sauce’ – your weekly dollop of marketing news.

By Ashleigh Morris, our Content and Comms Lead.

Welcome to ‘The Sauce’ – your dollop of marketing news from the past week.

This week we shine a spotlight on a new campaign from SheSays which aims to encourage the advertising industry to create a more inclusive working environment for women, we take a deep dive into the recent controversies around X (Twitter) and how brands and consumers are responding, and on a lighter note we take a look at Jammie Dodgers’ first TV ad in over a decade!

Check out the Awesomesauce Marketing LinkedIn page to get The Sauce straight to your inbox every week.

 

Smash That Glass Ceiling!

How can we create a more inclusive working environment for women? Non-profit organisation SheSays aims to do just that and has launched a new out-of-home (OOH) campaign with a focus on the advertising industry.

The ‘Rework the Future’ campaign will run for a month and incorporates 250 OOH screens from OOH media firm JC Decaux. And it’s clearly needed… research from PwC’s Women in Work 2024 report found that the gender pay gap in the UK is a shocking 14.5%.

The creative is designed to resemble post-it notes and features the strapline ‘The future is what you make it’. Its bold design features incomplete sentences with lines such as ‘Flexible work will be ….. for women’ and ‘If we ….., we can smash the glass ceiling’.

The ads encourage those working in advertising to use their voice and have their say by visiting the campaign website and completing a questionnaire which aims to ‘define what we all need from the future of work, and rework it to be a reality that supports everyone’.

SheSays UK president Amy Dick said, “Our campaign is urging people to have their say to build a better future of work. We want people to feel empowered and see that the future is yet to be decided. There is a massive opportunity to shape it in a way that better reflects our needs.”

Do you work in advertising and want to have your say? Visit reworkthefuture.com to complete the questionnaire and support the campaign.

We want people to feel empowered and see that the future is yet to be decided.

Does Anyone Still Use X?

Are you still using X? For work? For personal use? Research from data & market research company Savanta has found that 3 out of 10 users are considering leaving the site. The findings are based on online interviews of 2,237 UK adults.

The interviews took place after the recent riots, fuelled in part by social media, particularly on X and by its controversial owner Elon Musk. The research also found that 29% believe that the changes since Musk took over have made the platform worse.

But what about brands? Well, it doesn’t look like good news for Musk in that respect either. One key example is the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA) which has recently closed all its accounts on X.

The BMA said in a statement: “We have been dismayed to see X used to ferment violence and hatred in the United Kingdom, including the active spread of disinformation… Our decision to leave X is straightforward. We are prioritising other, safer, and more meaningful communication channels to stay in touch with our members and stakeholders.”

And BMA chief executive Tom Reynolds reiterated the company’s stance in a LinkedIn post, saying, “BMA is a tiny organisation, so we understand our action is unlikely to trouble Mr Musk. Nevertheless, we believe this is the right course of action.”

Reynolds’ position perhaps sums up that of many SMEs, who are willing to take the risk and leave X in order to be seen to be doing the right thing.

And the BMA definitely isn’t the only brand leaving X. Kantar’s latest Media Reactions report revealed that 77% of marketers are planning to increase their ad spend on TikTok while advertising spend on X continues to decline.

Underlining this point is research from Mediaocean which found that 66% of marketers are planning to increase social media spend in the second half of the year. The research surveyed over 1,200 marketing professionals and found social media to be one of the fastest growing channels. Again, this contrasts with the advertising trends seen on X.

So, while the best approach for your brand depends on your reach and ROI on X, if you are planning to leave the platform, what’s the best approach?

We’d recommend pressing pause rather than deleting your account. If you give up your handle you risk it being taken over by another business or an impersonator account which has the potential to do huge damage to your brand.

We’d suggest posting a considered statement about your absence from the channel and pinning it to the top of your account, therefore keeping your customers informed, protecting your brand from any damage, and keeping your options open should you wish to return at a later date.

Looking for advice on social media strategy? Drop us a message and our social media expert Sapna will get in touch to discuss how Awesomesauce could help.

Kantar’s latest Media Reactions report revealed that 77% of marketers are planning to increase their ad spend on TikTok while advertising spend on X continues to decline.

Jammie Dodger, Anyone?

Anyone for a Jammie Dodger?! After 10 years, the legendary biscuit is back on our TV screens as part of a £2 million cross-platform campaign.

The 30-second ad was created by Manchester agency McCann for parent company Burton’s Biscuit Co. Kudos to McCann who fully embraced the brief with an ad that conveys the brand’s playfulness with a cross-generational water fight (even grandma gets involved!) As well as TV, the campaign will be supported by social media and PR.

Featuring the Chemical Brothers’ 1997 anthem ‘‘Block Rockin’ Beats’, the ad is undoubtedly intended to appeal to not only a new generation of children but also their parents via a healthy dose of nostalgia – the ad has a very 90s theme to it and takes us back to the summers of our youth! Yes, we’re showing our ages now!

We love the new ad – it’s timely, fun, captures the essence of the brand and is designed to appeal to a wide audience.

Now… time for a tea break and a biscuit. It’s a Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer for me… sorry Jammie Dodgers!

————————————————————–

Contact us on hello@awesomesaucemarketing.co.uk to find out how we can support your business with a client-centred marketing approach – building trust and loyalty.

You can check out previous editions of ‘The Sauce’ here. 

Brought to you by Awesomesauce Marketing – a full-service marketing agency serving UK and international clients.