New Zealand city, Dunedin, is quite literally painting the town ‘Ed’ in preparation for Ed Sheeran to play three stadium concerts over the Easter weekend. A mural of Sheeran’s face has been painted in the city centre, a train has been renamed as the ‘Easter Ed Express’ and a major supermarket has created an “Aisle of Ed” featuring a range of orange products, inspired by the star’s famous ginger hair. Sounds like New Zealand’s biggest Ed Cheerans will be out in force this weekend…
Ant and Dec, the nation’s beloved television duo, faced one of the toughest weeks of their careers when Ant was arrested on suspicion of drink driving, after a collision in south-west London. How have the public and media reacted? What does the future hold for our favourite double act?
In Britain, 84 men a week take their own lives. To raise awareness of this shocking statistic, ITV’s This Morning launched #Project84 in collaboration with mental health charity, CALM, which reveals 84 statues of men with their faces covered on top of the ITV studios.
It’s been almost a month since the poisoning in Salisbury, yet the Russian spy scandal shows no signs of slowing. The British Government acted as 23 Russian diplomats were expelled from the UK. As other countries follow in the UK’s footsteps and take similar action, we discuss what this means for the future of Russia.
Last year, influencer marketing became a billion-dollar industry—and it’s poised to break records for marketing spend in 2018. We discuss the impact of influencers and highlight the importance of brand transparency.
A week of turmoil for Facebook, following revelations that personal data of millions of users were obtained by data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. Its market value has plummeted, and the co-founder of WhatsApp – now owned by Facebook – tweeted it’s “time to #DeleteFacebook.” But how serious are the allegations? And could this derail Mark Zuckerberg’s burgeoning presidential campaign?
The news gave the Telegraph plenty to comment on in the same week the publisher launched a new technology reporting division, expanding its coverage in a quest to become the leader in UK technology journalism. Find out our view on their new direction.
The world was shocked by the first reported fatal crash involving a self-driving vehicle, as an autonomous Uber hit and killed a woman in the US. Is it time to put the brakes on the driverless dash?
United Airlines has been in the headlines after a flight attendant asked a passenger to put their dog in an overhead storage holder during a flight. The dog was tragically found dead when the plane landed, due to an apparent lack of oxygen in the compartment. How has the airline responded to the event?
The Killers are well and truly out of their cage and they are doing more than “just fine”. Their most famous track, “Mr. Brightside”, may have been first released 14 years ago, but it’s just clocked up its 200th week in the UK top 100. It’s the most-streamed song released before 2010. Let that sink in, before tuning in to hear us discuss what’s made the song so popular for so long.
The Russian spy saga continues to dominate the front pages this week. The PM announced a 24-hour warning for Moscow to release a “credible response” to the attack before more extensive measures will be activated. The tension is certainly building.
From poison to spitting: the shock factor headlines continued as former Liverpool FC captain, Jamie Carragher, was suspended by Sky Sports after a video was released of him spitting out of his car at a Manchester United fan and his 14-year-old daughter. Has football rivalry gone too far this time? And what role has social media played?
Ever wanted to cut yourself off from the perpetual insanity of global politics and live on a pig farm? Well, former Nike chief, Erik Hagerman, has done just that. He’s retreated to Ohio to completely detach himself from fake – and, of course, real – news. Is his drastic decision a one off, or a sign of widespread political unhappiness in the USA?
In the lead up to St Patrick’s Day, our Irish chairman discusses ‘Brand Ireland’. Brands are launching their biggest and greenest themed PR stunts, but which will come out top? As the Irish might say, it ain’t over ‘til it’s clover.
And, finally: new month, new Evening Standard. This week, the Evening Standard released its first redesign in a decade. It is certainly going for originality, adding emojis for the weather, pink business pages and dropping “London” from its masthead. Listen in for our take.
Russia has once again come under fire in the media after ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were taken to hospital critically ill from a suspected poisoning. Little is known and speculation is rife, but all eyes are facing east as espionage-fever sweeps the nation.
Sir Bradley Wiggins was landed in hot water this week after a report by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee claimed Team Sky "crossed the ethical line" by using drugs to prepare the cyclist before several major races. Ex-team members and coaches have called for Wiggins to come forward and tell the truth. Could this be the next big doping scandal to rock the cycling world?
Lacoste made the bold choice to give their iconic crocodile mascot a brief break earlier this month. Partnering with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it launched a limited edition range of polos, replacing the croc with one of ten endangered species. Let’s hope the animals don’t disappear as quickly as the polos did!
Brewdog’s latest stunt has divided the nation, as it mocked gender stereotypes with its ‘beer for girls’, Pink IPA. Criticised as having “the right motivations but the wrong execution," by one Twitter user, others online praised it for giving 20% of the proceeds to women’s charities. What do you think, outdated stunt or slick social criticism?
As Brits, we love nothing more than to discuss the weather. This meant no one was left lost for words this week as the ‘Beast from the East’ swept through the UK dominating both conversation and front-pages across the nation. But why are we calling it the ‘Beast from the East’? What impact will it continue to have on our nation?
Exercise? Did you mean extra fries? Cancer Research UK released research revealing that millennials are set to become the most obese generation since records began. How will the government and NHS respond? Why millennials?
And what better way to tackle millennial obesity than to, quite literally, feed them advertising in the form of a giant billboard made entirely out of burgers. Deliveroo’s new campaign truly deems that the burger, the better. Are interactive billboards the next craze for brand marketing?
This week Comcast and 21st Century Fox, owned by Rupert Murdoch, have been going head to head in a bid for broadcaster, Sky. What exactly will the impact of this be for the UK? Will the headquarters relocate?
It has been a tough week for retail as Toys R Us and Maplin both collapsed into administration. What are the strains the modern retail industry face? Is this a slippery slope for other retail giants?
Over 100,000 tech lovers descended on Barcelona this week for the Mobile World Congress, the wireless industry’s largest conference. The biggest tech companies arrived to launch their latest products and discuss their visions for the future. But who stole the show at this year’s event?