Here we explore what happens when engaging branded communications draw you in but the associated customer experience disappointments.

Preventing food waste once topped consumer agenda. Here we explore the impact of ‘fixing’ the plastic problem on a, seemingly, diregarded topic.  

One in six people in the UK will experience mental health issues at some point in their life. Find out what AD Communications is doing to help. 

Research confirms it – podcasting is on the rise. Here we explore the advantages of this medium and the potential for it to be a powerful marketing tool.

If you’re anything like me, the World Cup provides plenty of reasons to celebrate: football on every day of the week, seeing the best players the world has to offer and the potential for England to bring home a trophy for the first time in decades (or not, as so often ends up being the case). But it’s not only we football fans who get excited about the World Cup; major producers of consumer goods also see the competition as a golden opportunity to grab the attention of potential customers of all ages.

The recent proposal by London mayor Sadiq Khan to remove advertisements for junk food from the Transport for London (TfL) network, in support of a wider movement to combat childhood obesity in the UK capital, points to the impact of OOH (out-of-home) advertising on our purchasing choices and its potential to influence our behaviour, for good or bad.

So after weeks of speculation and chatter, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are finally wed! In a break from traditional royal weddings going back several centuries, it’s encouraging to see the pair opting for a more modern-day celebration (apparatchiks around the British monarchy may not say the same however). While most people were focused on what Meghan was wearing (as a fellow bride-to-be, I will admit that was one of my main reasons for watching the wedding), it also got me thinking about how far we have come in connecting with ‘the Royals’ over the last decade, largely due to the increased adoption of digital communication.

The future of retail is certainly hot news at the moment, a constant stream of negative stories about retail brands collapsing or struggling in the face of the rising trend to online shopping, compounded by their failure to reinvent the shopper experience.

For a grown man in his early thirties, I’ve had toys on my mind a lot recently. Sure, I have a three year old son who can’t get enough of the plastic things and yes, a beloved retail chain from my childhood recently did go into administration, but that’s not what’s causing my mind to wander towards Funko bobbleheads and Paw Patrol action figures. No, I am trying to wrap my head around what must be the most mind-boggling YouTube sensation in years: unboxing.

Different industries have their own terms, abbreviations and acronyms. These may well make perfect sense to those within those industries, but can confuse and baffle those without.

Author: Greg Mills

“Historically, privacy was almost implicit, because it was hard to find and gather information. But in the digital world, whether it’s digital cameras or satellites or just what you click on, we need to have more explicit rules – not just for governments but for private companies.”

Author: Daniel Porter

What lies in store for the packaging industry in 2018? This is not an exhaustive list, but here are a few things we think you’ll be seeing more and more of as the year progresses: