Virgin Active’s pledge to get us more ‘me-time’, the Super Bowl 2019 and an egg cracks out its mental health campaign.
Join Matt and Jack in a brand new Eulogy podcast, Above the Fold. A companion podcast to Eulogy's monthly media newsletter, the two discuss the big media narratives from the month of January. From social gaffes, to publication closures, to media impartiality, find out the themes that are driving the agenda.
This week on the Headliner: Fyre Festival hits melting point, Tesco cuts down its ‘traditional’ grocer approach and Facebook’s latest ploy to integrate WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram
Poundland’s Valentine's joke causes heartache for the environment, Spice Girls’ charity t-shirts fail to support girl power, and Pizza Hut and Leeds United FC trade Twitter blows.
Gillette’s new ad divides opinion, Nike debuts self-tying laces, and the fashion industry has a vegan vision.
Controversial army recruitment posters, lorry drivers’ Brexit dress rehearsal, and the curious case of the Greggs vegan sausage roll.
It’s our 100th episode special. Matt and Lis face off in an end-of-year quiz, and Eulogites chip in with their top media stories of 2018.
This week on The Headliner: The traditional Christmas dinner no longer tickles our fancy, David Attenborough says civilisation as we know it could collapse, and a British couple are reunited with an engagement ring lost in the sewers of New York.
This week on the Headliner: Google gives a helping hand to high street outlets, celebrating the life of a codebreaking Baroness, and the reasons behind Harry and Meghan’s big move are revealed.
This week on The Headliner: ‘John Lewis’ stars in Twitter’s tongue-in-cheek campaign, Black Friday causes a stir among Brits and a ‘sexist’ shop window from M&S comes under fire.
This week on The Headliner: Wildfires scorch thousands of acres in California, the John Lewis Christmas advert is unveiled and Coca-Cola scales back its UK festive truck tour after opposition from local authorities and health bodies. We also discuss the news that Deliveroo food delivery bags will display pictures of missing people.
This week on the Headliner: One hundred years after the end of the first world war, we look at the history of the Royal British Legion’s iconic poppy campaign, and where the future of fundraising lies. The first sign of the festive period has arrived, as Christmas sandwiches hit the shelves—but which ones are getting us the most excited? Also: why has Gregg’s flipped its logo? Which word has defined 2018? And why does the Guardian have cause for celebration?
This week on The Headliner: Rahul takes home the GBBO trophy, Philp Hammond introduces a new tax for tech giants, and proposals to change Twitter are not well liked. We also discuss William Sitwell’s resignation as editor of Waitrose Food magazine, after he joked about “killing vegans”.
This week on The Headliner: Ryanair faces controversy after a racist passenger causes trouble on the plane, whilst John Lewis announces that DVDs may have finally had their day. In Social Media Snapchat has been pipped to the post as Instagram becomes more popular among younger audiences. Finally, Thomas the Tank Engine announces a host of new, diverse train characters.
This week on The Headliner: Strictly dance partners Seann Walsh and Katya Jones are papped kissing, and the world goes gaga over the news that Meghan and Harry are expecting. Ladbible buys Unilad, and a new tool reveals that some influencers may not have the clout they claim.
This week on The Headliner: Heathrow airport has been fined is £120,000 for a data breach, Pret a Manger is engulfed in a reputational crisis and the WWF has used a hologram to get people talking about illegal wildlife trafficking. We also discuss the latest episode of The Apprentice and the news that Johnston Press has been put up for sale.
This week on The Headliner: Europe stands together in Ryder Cup triumph, the public reacts to new restaurant tipping rules, and this time it’s Boris running through fields of wheat. We also discuss a 26-year-old entrepreneur whose sportswear brand is already worth £100m, and calls for new guidelines limiting the time children spend on social media.
After months of speculation, the battle for Sky finally came to a head with Comcast out-bidding Rupert Murdoch’s Fox. The US cable giant submitted an eye-watering £30bn bid, equating to £17.28 per share. Shortly afterwards Fox announced it would sell all its shares—marking the end of Murdoch’s association with Sky, the business he founded in the 1980s.
Pret a Manger hit the headlines this week following the news that that teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who had a severe sesame allergy, died after eating a sandwich that did not have its ingredients labelled. Her death came as allergy sufferers were warned of an EpiPen shortage, with manufacturer Mylan experiencing supply problems.
In need of a digital detox? Apple’s latest iOS update includes ‘Screen Time’, a new feature that logs how much time people spend using apps on their phones. But could this new feature impact campaigns on social media?
Finally, following a series of controversial campaigns and negative press, craft beer brand BrewDog has announced plans to ditch ‘shock tactics’ in favour of a more traditional marketing strategy. It admitted that recent campaigns have been ‘inappropriate’ and signalled a return safer territory, focusing on its products rather than wider social issues.
Jaguar Land Rover moved 2,000 staff at its Castle Bromwich plant to a three-day week, the manufacturer said they made the decision following difficult conditions in the industry, caused by Brexit and slumping sales of diesel-powered cars. Can this stall in UK car production be reversed?
The UK capital was extra glamorous this week as fashionistas jetted into town for London Fashion Week. Victoria Beckham's first UK show was declared a "runway" success. Her family were in the front row to support her, but did the smiling photos show the full picture?
A flurry of stories suggested that hugely popular video game Fortnite was responsible for 200 divorces a year. But a close look at the research by the Independent found that Fortnite’s marriage wrecking ability had been over exaggerated. A poorly worded press release? Or a calculated attempt to exploit the popularity of Fortnite?
Australia has been gripped by a national strawberry scare after sewing needles have been found hidden in the fruit. What would compel someone to commit this type of crime?
Finally, Dan joined us to talk through his Media Moment of Week. Ofcom has called for independent internet regulation, following new research warning that 20% of Britons have been harmed by web content. Should the internet be regulated and does Ofcom have the clout to do it?
Boris enters the single market
No stranger to controversy, Boris Johnson hit the headlines again this week after it was announced that he is to divorce his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler. With widespread rumours of an alleged affair with a former Conservative Communications Director, will these revelations damage his political future.
Meanwhile, a cartoon depicting Serena Williams sparked outrage on Twitter with many branding it racist and sexist. The image appeared in The Herald Sun, Australia’s most-read paper, and was defended by the cartoonist and the paper’s editor.
Mental health charity Mind released new figures highlighting that poor mental health affects half of all employees in the UK. What’s more, fear, shame and job insecurity were identified as reasons for not speaking up about these issues, something the charity is keen to change.
John Lewis and Waitrose kicked off a major rebranding campaign with a TV ad that premiered during last week’s episode of The Great British Bake Off. Complete with a classic Queen soundtrack and cast of school children, the multimillion pound commercial has received mixed reviews from consumers.
Finally, Rebecca joined us to talk through her Media Moment of Week. With Nationwide, Maltesers and McCain teaming up to highlight the social media backlash against disabled actors in their campaigns, will the specially edited ads make a positive difference?
Chris Evans announced live on air that he was leaving his regular post at BBC Radio 2, for a new role at Virgin Radio. But how will this effect Virgin Radio’s branding? And how will Radio 2 compete with the competition?
Former presidents from across the political spectrum united in their eulogies of the late US Senator John McCain—denouncing the political tactics of “insult and bombast”. So will this actually have an impact on online political debates?
After global criticism, Skype has announced it will be removing its new Snapchat-like features. What does this say about the impact of online criticism on a brand’s decision-making? And does this reflect a wider loyalty to a brand’s creative licencing?
There’s a lot we can learn from our grandparents: wisdom, family history and financial advice to name a few. But what exactly can they learn from us? Disney Kids recently revealed 20 things that grandparents can learn. But what does this really say about our generation? And what dance moves and Disney characters will our grandkids be teaching us about one day?
The Headliner is back, as the bakers returned. Yes, GBBO is back on our screens and we couldn’t be happier—being a firm full of baking fanatics ourselves. An impressive advertising campaign has drummed up a cake tin full of excitement, but people are already mining contestant news feeds to find controversy. What does the treatment of Bake Off contestants tell us about our own digital habits?
The sunny weather we’ve had this summer means things aren’t so golden for the agriculture industry. Vegetable prices have jumped, and their could be a bacon shortage on the way. Is it time to stockpile our carrots?
Facebook has removed 5,000 targeting options from its advertising platform. That may sound like a lot—but it’s a small splash in the ocean of the social media behemoth. Facebook has said it will stop brands being able to discriminate by ethnicity or religion, but will it limit companies’ ability to target effectively?
Warren Buffett. The sage of Omaha. The investing guru whose followers hang on his every word. Recently, it appears that the man himself has been sharing lessons from his seven-decade career on twitter, and he’s been lapping up the retweets. But is everything quite as it seems?
And Matt popped his head into the studio to discuss his Media Moment of the Week. Is 96% of reporting on Trump really, as the President claims, from “left wing” news outlets?
Yet more turbulence for Ryanair. Customers were sent compensation cheques, without signatures, which bounced when they tried to cash them. Will this latest media storm further weather Ryanair’s already beleaguered reputation?
Jamie Oliver cooked up a controversy with his punchy jerk rice, which Labour MP Dawn Butler called cultural appropriation. Was it the misuse of ‘jerk’ that was objectionable or, as Zoe Williams claimed in the Guardian, was it a rich man “making money from an inauthentic dish, while those who eat the real thing get diddly-squat”?
To promote its signature collection, McDonald’s launched its first reservation-only luxury restaurant for one day only in Kensington—complete with a string quartet and diamond-encrusted cutlery. The journalists who attended were lovin' it. Is this the fancy future of Maccy D’s?
PepsiCo has announced it is buying SodaStream for $3.2bn (£2.5bn). Will the deal see the business dominate the soft drinks market?
Plenty of parents would agree that kids today spend way too much time inside on their screens. But how can they be tempted to play outside again? Well, as part of their ‘Dirt is Good’ campaign, Omo (Persil to us in the UK) has found the answer: a book that can only be read when smeared in dirt. Will this encourage more children to play outside? Or do tech companies need to work harder to prevent screen addiction from a young age?
New research has found that a tenth of young women in the UK have struggled to pay for pads and tampons during their periods. That’s why Hey Girls UK has released its own ‘make your own sanitary pad’ to highlight the lengths and efforts that many girls and women are forced to go through during this time. So how is this campaign using shock to make us think? And why has it been successful so far?
The world of Botox is about to change forever. That’s what some believe, as Superdrug launched its £99 Botox and filler treatment in its flagship store on the Strand, London. But why are experts concerned? And how could this change public perceptions of the Superdrug brand?
Spare change is increasingly on the decline, and we may all be living in a cashless society sooner than expected. However, those wishing to donate may still have a way of doing so, as an Oxford University-backed initiative is testing a way for passers-by to donate to the homeless through barcodes. So will this encourage passers-by to donate if they don’t have change?