It’s that time of year again — the time of year when we collectively give up on making anything new and turn to self-reflection and navel-gazing instead.
At B&T we’re no different — so here’s a rundown of the articles that got the most eyeballs in 2022. There are inappropriate potato chips, coffee-flavoured body scrub, and plenty of roasting.
Enjoy!
10. Cleopatra Stars In New Cinematic “Bet with mates” Campaign For Sportsbet
It’s the world’s most natural partnership — Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and online gambling company Sportsbet.
Back in March, Sportsbet returned to popular cinematic style and introduced the use of new virtual production technology from Dreamscreen to launch its latest suite of products for the NRL and AFL seasons.
In a collaboration between Sportsbet’s in-house creative team and production partner, Palomina, the brand picked up from 2021’s “Bet With Mates” campaign, introducing scenarios ranging from Ancient Egypt, to fictional Middle Ages, and deserted islands.
Like Cleopatra herself, the campaign won a lot of hearts — becoming our 10th most read article of the year.
9. Frank Body Cheekily Claps Back At 7-Eleven Coffee Body Scrub Announcement
Who doesn’t love a bit of cheek? When Aussie coffee body scrub specialist, Frank Body, took to socials to take a cheeky dig at 7-Eleven, B&T readers were all eyes.
When 7-Eleven decided to stumble into the beauty and fashion industry by releasing a coffee body scrub based on its iconic $1 coffee, not everyone was impressed.
Not long after the announcement, Aussie coffee body scrub specialists, Frank Body, took to the socials to post a cheeky retort of their own, announcing their new range of “Frurpee” body scrubs.
As you can see, the obviously tongue-in-cheek product is a sugar, artificial colouring, and corn syrup-stuffed body scrub being used by an individual who — according to B&T”s expertise — is probably not the modelling type.
8. Ukraine’s “Moving” Body Bags Prove How Disinformation Is Running Rife In The War
Like most wars, the current violence in the Ukraine is proving that propaganda is as useful a weapon as any. Back in March, B&T readers became aware of the threat of disinformation.
At the time, there was widespread reports that Russian TV was reporting that its soldiers invaded Ukraine to save it from Nazism.
A clip went viral that purported to show cadavers in body bags. However, one of the apparently dead Ukrainians was seen to be moving around from beyond the grave. Apparently, this was proof enough for some on the internet that Ukraine had been fabricating its casualty numbers, with some conspiracy theorists claiming that the body bags were proof of “crisis actors” being used by Ukrainian propagandists.
However, the video actually featured reused footage from a climate change protest that had been edited to appear as though it was recorded in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion.
As has been established, B&T readers love a roast — which is why Burger King Canada’s dig at its fast food rivals was such a hit.
Initially the burger-dealer’s advert promoting its new app that allowed customers to order a home delivered Whopper looked straightforward.
However, upon closer inspection, the campaign’s imagery — the work of creative agency Publicis Montreal -—showed Burger King having another playful jab at the competition, namely McDonald’s and KFC.
6. [B&T warns this article does contain adult themes that may offend.] This article proved that no matter how sophisticated and intelligent humanity thinks it is, most of us will always have our heads turned by phrases like “vagina flavoured potato chips”.
When a report apparently revealed that “Millennials are having three times less sex than their parents at the same age”, Lithuanian potato chip manufacturer CHAZZ decided to release vagina flavoured chips called ‘CHAZZ Pussy Flavor [sic]’.
Erm…….
5. Apple Says “Your Next Computer Is Not A Computer” In Latest Work For The iPad Air 5
Despite controlling half of the mobile phone market, Apple’s creatives do a good job of presenting the tech giant as a maverick and this advert proved no exception.
The spot centred around a US high school election — a well-worn cliché of teen movies — and saw the newly released iPad Air 5 take centre stage.
Called “Election,” the fast-paced spot featured a group of competitive students using the iPad Air to create campaigns for an upcoming election. The iPad Air’s camera, Apple Pencil support, 5G connectivity, messaging, keyboard compatibility, and other features were all demonstrated to great effect.
The spot used closed with a tried-and-tested Apple tagline — “Your next computer is not a computer.”
4. British Tennis Ace Emma Raducanu Stuns As The New Face Of Porsche
Talented and photogenic, it was no surprise that since claiming the 2021 US Open, 19-year-old Brit Emma Raducanu had been courted by some of the world’s top brands.
The teenager has penned sponsorship deals with the likes of Dior, Evian, British Airways, and Tiffany & Co.
Back in March, German sports car marque Porsche joined the Raducanu love-in when it named the sports star as its new ambassador for its famed 911 model.
3. Small But Mighty: Tiny Brand Advertising Strategies
In this guest post, Alicia Barker, a senior marketing scientist at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, asked whether tiny brands are always destined to stay tiny against their much larger competitors.
“A commonly held belief is that tiny brands are destined to stay small. Resources are extremely limited, making substantial growth seem more challenging than the average Joe conquering Everest. But just as average Joe can scale a mountain with the right training, tiny brands can climb the growth ladder with the right marketing strategy,” she wrote.
You’ll have to read the whole article for the rest of Barker’s razor-sharp insights.
2. B&T Awards And Shortlist Coverage
When someone says their favourite thing about going to work is the people, most of us want to throw up on our keypads, but in our industry, it seems like this might be true. Either that or you’re all incredibly competitive and nosy.
When it came to B&T Awards and Shortlist coverage, readers couldn’t get enough. Here are some of the headlines that made it to the most-read.
The Wait Is Over: The 2022 B&T 30 Under 30 Awards Shortlist Is Here!
It’s On, People! Voting For B&T’s 30 Under 30 People’s Choice Awards Is Now Open
The Wait Is Over: Shortlist Revealed For B&T’s Women In Media Awards 2022!
1. Disney+ And Netflix Are Taking Totally Different Paths On Advertising
And taking the top spot is this guest post from Zuora’s subscription strategist in Sydney, Nick Cherrier. Cherrier examined two of the major streaming players — Disney+ And Netflix — and their widely different plans to increase revenue streams…
“The so-called ‘streaming wars’, just like any fiercely competitive exercise, is never static. To gain an advantage, to stand out in an ever-thickening crowd, participants need to change tactics, employ different strategies, zig when an opponent zags or come up with something entirely novel. And one of the most recent and interesting major changes has come from one of the game’s biggest players”.
