Ogilvy UK

Ogilvy UK’s formidable chief financial officer Karla Smith talks to Raconteur, sharing her wisdom for navigating the often complex relationship between a CFO and CMO. Karla Smith, CFO, Ogilvy UK: “Working with a group of creatives presents a very interesting opportunity for a finance leader. They usually end up challenging your processes and ways of thinking, which I think is very healthy.”

What a win. TUI UK&I has appointed Ogilvy PR as their retained PR agency for flagship brands First Choice and Marella Cruises following a competitive pitch. PRWeek UK's B2B editor Siobhan Holt: "The appointment follows a three-month four-way pitch in which Ogilvy PR was the standout agency, demonstrating a unique approach to earned-first creativity with measurable impact. Ogilvy PR brought their celebrated behavioural science, influencer and social specialisms into the mix." Ogilvy PR will be tasked with building impactful long-term strategies and creative, attention grabbing earned first activations. For First Choice, the brief is to build awareness with young travellers and shape perceptions of the brand as an expert in curated, next generation package holidays. For Marella Cruises, the team will be attracting more Gen Xers to choose to cruise for the first time. Nicola Dodd, Managing Director, Ogilvy PR: “From the minute this brief landed to finding out we’d been successful, the TUI team ran a stand-out pitch process and we wanted to win this dream brief from the outset! Shifting stubborn attitudes by showing the potential of brands is what gives us our creative spark – and this is exactly what we have been briefed to do. The team are already getting stuck in, and we are excited to build on the strength of these already brilliant brands help shape their stories and build their brand propositions to entirely new audiences.” Amy Dowling, Head of Markets Communications, TUI UK& I: “Following impressive performances from all agencies throughout the pitch, we are confident that Ogilvy PR’s talent and breadth of specialisms will deliver strong strategic thinking and innovative creative against two very different briefs. We were impressed from the start at how Ogilvy interrogated the briefs and tried to understand the brands and their distinct audiences. We’re looking forward to getting some exciting plans off the ground and making noise for two exceptional travel brands” Andy Stern, Head of Marketing for First Choice: “Ogilvy’s outside-the-box strategic and creative thinking impressed us from the outset of the pitch process. The First Choice brand underwent a big relaunch last September, and as such we’re still on a journey of showing up for next-gen travellers and showing off what we bring to the table when it comes to the types of trips they want to take. We’re excited to be re-vamping our strategy with the Ogilvy PR team to engage with this audience.” Chris Hackney, Managing Director at Marella Cruises:  “We're thrilled to partner with Ogilvy - our PR agency for the brand. Collaborating with a variety of agencies and partners is crucial to our brand's success, and with Ogilvy’s earned media first expertise, we aim to inspire new to cruise customers to choose Marella Cruises through innovative earned media. We’re looking forward to seeing what Ogilvy will bring to this exciting new chapter for the brand.” 

Ogilvy UK swept the board at The Drum Awards last night, one of the biggest industry global events of the year celebrating creativity, talent and best practice. This included winning big on campaigns for Dove, Dulux Heritage, Skin Cancer UK and My Life My Say. We also took home the coveted Grand Prix of Grands Prix for Mayor of London’s news-dominating Maaate, the ultimate accolade chosen by the esteemed panel off Presidents and Vice Presidents out of the 10 Grand Prix winners. As well as two additional Grands Prix in Media and Social Purpose for Maaate. Jules Chalkley, Chief ECD Ogilvy UK: ‘With our incredible client the Mayor of London, we set out to change behaviour, stem misogyny and educate. The journey was never going to be an easy one, but to see the genuine impact and progressive result is the most important thing. But to see it awarded so highly and amongst some of the greatest global creativity this year, it is a wonderful and important recognition for the whole team.’

What a result. System1 gives their maximum score to Sainsbury's and New Commercial Arts. enchanting Christmas masterpiece. The campaign stars the iconic children’s book character the BFG who brings the magic and wonder of Christmas alive. "The ad is a triumph of effectiveness. A Christmas ad which feels as special as the food, and works as a strongly branded commercial that’s also a lovely tribute to a British children’s classic." Tom Ewing, editor in chief, System1 “The Big Friendly Giant meets the Big Friendly Grocer - two fabric of the nation brands, bringing the magic of Christmas home to families. Our heart-warming campaign is a celebration of all things Christmas, allowing young and old to escape into a wonderful world of mouth-watering food, and to enjoy the story of a special friendship.” Ian Heartfield, CCO and founder, New Commercial Arts See link in the comments.

A big week for Ogilvy UK. Our cinematic sumptuous campaign for the world’s best-selling Irish whiskey Jameson has dropped. The iconic Aaron Taylor Johnson goes on a quest to find the secrets behind the incredible craftmanship and unparalleled taste of the brand’s Black Barrel. Only to find that the secrets aren’t written down — instead living solely in the minds of those who know. Click the link in the comments to find what it is all about.

Jameson and Ogilvy UK today presents ‘Jameson Black Barrel – the Greatest Story Almost Told’, a new global campaign and the latest iteration within the wider ‘Must Be A Jameson’ series.    Starring internationally renowned actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, the ad celebrates the recently reimagined Jameson Black Barrel whiskey bottle which better tells the untold story of the whiskey within, reflective of the exceptional quality of the liquid it houses. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the film immerses viewers into the world of Jameson Black Barrel and welcomes them to the Jameson family.    Nodjame Cecile Fouad, CEO at Irish Distillers, makers of Jameson Irish Whiskey: “Jameson Black Barrel perfectly exemplifies our tradition of innovation in Irish whiskey making – it's a whiskey that wouldn’t be possible without the expertise of our team and the generations before them. We are excited to bring this exceptional whiskey and its sleek new look to life through our new campaign, featuring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, whose passion mirrors the spirit and craftsmanship of Jameson Black Barrel. Under Yorgos Lanthimos’ direction, the campaign showcases the artistry that defines our brand and, along with our refreshed outer bottle, reinforces our commitment to elevate Jameson Black Barrel and solidify its position as a leader in the super-premium+ whiskey category.”    The new campaign will run across TV, OOH, digital and social in the U.S. and will be available globally from November 2024, with a launch in South Africa planned for 2025, captivating audiences worldwide with the fully immersive world of Jameson Black Barrel.    Jules Chalkley, Chief ECD at Ogilvy Group UK: “The Jameson family continues to expand with the next chapter of Must be a Jameson. We're excited to see the brand’s spirit come to life again as Aaron Taylor-Johnson goes on a quest for the ingredients and craftmanship behind Black Barrel’s supreme taste, the greatest story almost told.”

Our esteemed Global Head of Influence Rahul Titus had an early morning wake up call, joining BBC News Business Today’s Lukwesa Burak for a fascinating conversation on ethics of AI within influence marketing. He talks the power of trust, safeguarding audiences and maintaining authenticity.   Rahul Titus: “Influencer marketing works because people trust people more than they trust brands and AI if not adapted in the right way could risk the very foundation of the why creator marketing works - authenticity. This is why initiatives like Ogilvy’s AI Accountability Act are crucial to take us into the next chapter of an AI enabled creator marketing industry. Disclosing the use of AI in creator marketing allows us to preserve and build on the trust consumers and creators share.”   See the comments to watch the interview...

The old adage "loyalty is earned" has a whole new meaning in today's dynamic marketplace. The days of simply throwing discounts and rewards at customers are long gone. The Ogilvy One team spoke with over 30+ loyalty leaders across EMEA, including experts from Nestlé, Zurich Insurance, Michelin, and more, to understand what truly drives customer relationships in today's market. Ogilvy One's latest paper unveils how these top loyalty marketers transform data noise into actionable insights, fuel personalised experiences that ignite customer passion, and utilise the power of creativity and innovation to design meaningful loyalty programs. See the comments to read the full paper…

Our PR Creative and Strategy Officer Charlie Coney gave a glimpse behind this summer’s immense campaign for Cadbury in PRWeek UK. The Flake 99p Bus, which took hundreds of families from major cities to the seaside during the summer holidays, helped celebrate Cadbury's generosity in its 200th year while reestablishing Cadbury Flake 99’s iconic place in British summertime. An amazing bit of PR magic. See the comments to read the article in full.

Ogilvy takes Global Network of the Year at the LIA - London International Awards for the fourth year running! A fantastic evening welcoming the LIA’s into our office to present these awards, including trophies for Maaate (Mayor of London), The Melanoma Law (Skin Cancer UK) & You Already Vote, So Vote (My Life My Say). Andre (Dede) Laurentino, Ogilvy CCO, hosted the presentation and was joined by WPP CEO Mark Read and WPP Global CCO Rob Reilly, who both made a speech.   Jules Chalkley, Chief Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy UK says: “Our first Mayor of London project, #haveaword, set out Sadiq’s long-term ambition to eradicate violence against women in London. Our second campaign #Maaate, embeds behavioural science at the heart of a unique and multidisciplined creative platform to give young men the tools to understand when they see misogyny, and enable them to stop it safely. By focusing on a simple expression of a single word in different media, our aim is to create something that allows sexist behaviour to be addressed at its root cause.” John McPartland, Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy Health UK, says: “I am very proud of our campaign. So much has changed in society in the last 13 years, the Sunbed Regulation Act as it stands simply isn’t fit for purpose. The huge spike in social media trends around using sunbeds in the last year is a reminder why we need to act now. Young people are seeing all the perceived benefits of using sunbeds on social media but aren’t being reminded of the dangers their use presents in later life. That is the true power of creativity - to change laws and change lives.” #borderlesscreativity