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There’s not really such a thing as a quiet year in adland and today we’re taking a look at the stories from the UK that piqued our readers’ interest in 2024. It was, unsurprisingly, a big year for stories featuring AI, whether that’s announcements of how companies are integrating the developing technology into their business models or work that utilises it successfully. 

The state of production was another big conversation and one that’s unlikely to quieten down next year as more mergers and acquisitions rear their heads. 

On a more sombre note, �������� served as a space for memorial in the wake of the tragic loss of two of the UK industry’s great creative minds this year: Gary Koepke and Dave ‘Luddy’ Ludlam. The tributes to them were penned by their friends, collating stories, memories, and the work that they were known for. 

Below is ��������’s selection of UK’s most read stories of the year, curated by UK editor, Zhenya Tsenzharyk.

RSA Films' Sam Coleman’s work highlighting Oracle Red Bull Racing’s support of bringing a Formula 1 event back to Africa made a huge splash. Produced by Iconic Agency in collaboration with Patriot Films, the film follows F1 legend David Coulthard as he breaks into Johannesburg’s hallowed Kyalami racetrack to see if Red Bull’s RB7 car has what it takes. Part action-epic, part comedy, the four-minute short is ambitious, creative, and completely realised on screen. 

As  2024 kicked off we revealed another crop of winners from ��������’s very own awards – the show with no categories and no set amount of winners. That means it’s all down to the judges’ discretion and the quality of the work, of course, to determine what deserves the ‘Immortal’ moniker. This year projects for Apple, CANAL+ and Kraft Heinz were crowned Immortal, with nine more receiving commendations to set the creative standard for the year ahead.

In the fragmented production landscape, Hogarth CEO Richard Glasson and WPP CEO Mark Read saw opportunity, wrote ��������’s Laura Swinton. It planned to achieve that by focusing on AI technology and platforms that the holding company believes will both create efficiencies for the bottom line and up opportunities for clients – as well as the more streamlined WPP structure, which saw the selection box of agency networks whittled down to just six hero brands (VML, AKQA, Ogilvy, Hogarth, GroupM and Burson). 

A Tribute to Gary Koepke, The Coolest Man I’ve Ever Met

In 2024, the industry lost a great creative mind, Gary Koepke, dubbed ‘the coolest man on earth’ by his friend and Brothers and Sisters CEO Matt Charlton. Gary, the co-founder of legendary ad agency Modernista!, passed away suddenly of a heart attack and the tributes poured in soon after. “Many many will have their own stories of Gary. To me, he was the coolest guy I've ever met. So my world just got a little bit less cool. I guess where Gary is now he is going to have to compete with Sinatra in cool stakes, but I wouldn’t bet against him winning old Frank over,” wrote Matt, in a touching reminiscence of everything that made Gary who he was. 

Stan Culture & the Ridiculously Determined Marketing Behind It

We’ve seen the power of the ‘stan’ before but in 2024 it (possibly) reached its apotheosis with Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. Here Be Dragons’ senior account and social media executive, Aggy Kazlauska,s delved into the new social media trend that he coined ‘stan marketing’ by analysing the tactics employed by Swifties (Taylor’s most devoted fans) to ensure that everything she does – from releasing music to product collaborations – becomes a huge success. “So, what does this mean for brands? I believe the obvious answer here is connecting with audiences, and to do that through a comedic approach. What’s there to lose, after all? These artists have dedicated listeners for a reason, and tapping into them could be the perfect way to break through and connect with gen-z, arguably the most important audience currently,” Aggy incisively argued. 

“A Unique Kind of Magic”: A Boy, His Octopus Pal and Taika Waititi Warm Our Hearts with Disney’s Christmas Ad

�������� readers were enchanted by Disney’s Christmas tale of a boy and his octopus in a spot directed by none other than Taika Waititi. It was edited by Final Cut and devised by the team adam&eveDDB. ��������’s Laura Swinton chatted to Tim Pennoyer, director of brand marketing at Disney, about the brand’s brief and how everyone pitched in to make the magical ad. 

The New Production Cocktail: How Production Companies and In-House Studios are Mixing Things Up

Adland whispered, ranted, and sighed over the state of production in 2024. To get to the bottom of it all, ��������’s Alex Reeves took it upon himself to speak to different representatives from the production landscape to determine what actually IS going on and whether there’s a way for everyone to work better together. The comprehensive exploration dove deep into the successes, anxieties, and opportunities facing all the players to provide the answers adland is looking for. 

Jellyfish Unveils Next-Gen Creative Structure with Gen AI at Its Core

With gen AI infiltrating more and more corners of advertising, everyone wants to know how their friends and competitors are integrating it into their business models. Some are doing it on the down low, while others are keen to show the industry exactly how they’ll be utilising it. The announcement from Jellyfish highlighted how the company is the first globally to connect content, data, and media in real-time, powered by gen AI. The new creative model combines tech-driven ideation with human-generated social creativity, connecting all 400 content and experience experts across the globe through the integration of Pencil Pro.

Better Together London 2024: Speaker Line Up & Agenda

This year saw �������� do what we know we’re really good at: getting industry people in a room and creating important conversations that are – always! – as informative as they are fun. That was exactly the agenda of our first ‘Better Together’ event, hosted by Park Village Studios in October. It was an exclusive gathering of 200 of London's finest marketers, creatives, agency and production folk for a full day of panel discussions and networking opportunities. It was a great success, even if we do say so ourselves, and the start of a new era for ��������…

IDLES Reimagines Iconic Coldplay Video Using AI

AI didn’t stay out of the music business this year either. British rock band IDLES unveiled a surprise collaboration: they brought together the video from Coldplay’s classic song ‘Yellow’ with their own single, ‘Grace’. The new version was created by production studio Joyrider with VFX experts Stone Dogs, making it look like Chris Martin was singing IDLES’ new track. Joyrider’s director Jonathan Irwin, who utilised various AI tech solutions to land on the best way of making Chris Martin look like he was actually singing ‘Grace’, whilst maintaining the integrity of Chris’s original performance.

Remembering Dave ‘Luddy’ Ludlam: A Colourful Life in Every Frame

The industry lost another great in colourist Dave ‘Luddy’ Ludham. The tribute, collated by Andrew ‘Barnsley’ Wood, presented unforgettable accounts of his legendary life from friends, colleagues, and co-adventurers over the years. “Anyone and everyone who knew Dave, would surely agree that he was truly a unique character. One of a kind. Straight out of a movie. Terry Venables meets Sid James, with his knack for telling a story, and his unmistakable roaring laughter,” wrote Barnsley of his late friend. 

How Gen Z Are Creating Their Own Wellness Culture

Gen z is having quite an effect on all aspects of culture. Rachel Matovu, strategy director at Amplify, spotted another trend: they’re remaking wellness culture to suit their own definitions. “Gen z’s well-being has been dramatically impacted by their confidence to connect beyond the screen. Partly a result of behaviours from the pandemic that led them to spend an inordinate amount of time away from friends, gen z are some of the hardest hit by the connection recession,” wrote Rachel while setting out how they’re pushing back against ‘absurdist’ wellness solutions. 

Skincare Brand The Ordinary Favours Science Over Celebrity

The Ordinary, a skincare brand that does things differently, teamed up with a creative agency Uncommon that takes the same approach. This resulted in a campaign devoid of loud, unsubstantiated claims and celebrity endorsements. Instead, the work calls attention to the power of negative space and restraint through strikingly simple and meticulously crafted OOH featuring beautifully written words that speak to the brand’s philosophy of science over celebrity and marketing claims.