The return of Cannes Lions
Next week marks the first Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity since 2019. Our ad correspondent, Ben Kay, ponders what might be different this time around
Why hasn’t digital technology led to better ads?
The access to information, ideas and inspiration that advertising creatives have today is mind-boggling. Yet it hasn’t necessarily made ads better. Ben Kay examines the reasons why
How damaging is the advertising pitch process?
While many ad industry practices have evolved over the years, the pitching process remains a long hours, high stakes exercise. Here, Ben Kay examines the insidious effect it has on agencies, from burnout to ageism
How to become an ECD in advertising
The path to becoming the creative boss of an ad agency can take many forms. Here our ad correspondent Ben Kay discusses the various ways you might gain entry to the club
Art director vs copywriter?
The ad industry has long paired two creatives in the roles of art director and copywriter, but how do the positions divide up in the modern industry?
Writing for Robots
Tech is infiltrating the advertising landscape in increasingly unexpected ways – including who, or what, will be judging your copywriting skills, writes our advertising correspondent Ben Kay
The case for radical popularism in advertising
The advertising industry turns its nose up at popular creative approaches such as jingles or celebrities in favour of ‘brave originality’. But, asks Ben Kay, is it shooting itself in the foot?
A change at the top
Those leading ad agencies today are taking increasingly unconventional paths to the top and often emerging via the worlds of design and film. It is a change for the better, says our advertising correspondent Ben Kay
A golden era for poster advertising?
Often seen as old-fashioned, print and poster advertising is enjoying something of a renaissance. Our ad correspondent Ben Kay examines what might be driving the change
Why we should all be promoting creative brilliance
When Ben Kay discovered that Fernando Machado, CMO of Burger King, was tweeting about copywriting, he was impressed, and wondered why creatives aren’t doing the same
Do advertising creatives need a union?
As the ad industry moves increasingly quickly towards a freelance model, our advertising correspondent Ben Kay asks whether it’s time for creatives to unionise
Can great ads come out of difficult times?
With recession and an ongoing pandemic, we are living in fearful times. But, argues our advertising correspondent Ben Kay, these pressures may just result in some outstanding creative work