UK
Top UK Brands Spending in Digital: Q4 2024
As we approach Q4 2024, brands across the UK are gearing up to make their mark in the digital landscape,...
There are dozens of ways brands signal that a new campaign is imminent. Some release vague, intriguing content across social media platforms, hinting at something big without providing full details. Others issue press releases that declare an announcement is forthcoming. But, what we see most often, is an observable increase in advertising — through digital ads, billboards, TV commercials, or sponsorships — or brands hiring for marketing, public relations, or event management roles.
These triggers are part of a strategic approach to build anticipation, create buzz, and ensure the target audience is primed and paying attention when the campaign officially launches. Something 32 UK brands are currently betting on. Click here to uncover 32 UK brands with imminent campaigns — and keep reading for additional insights into four of those brands, including sales leads, likely next steps, media insights, and agency rosters.
1) Barclays: Financial service employs UK CMO, decreases spend
Barclays is a leading global financial services provider. The company offers personal banking, credit card, corporate, and investment banking services across the UK. Estimated media spend: £20,423,233
Barclays employed Inderjit Bassi as UK CMO, effective December 2023. Bassi has been with Barclays since 2003 and held the interim CMO position since Alisa Copeman departed last February. He will spearhead marketing strategy, brand advertising, digital acquisition, and campaign execution.
Target demographic: Millennials and Gen-Z
Barclays will likely:
- Review more of its agency roster — a review of customer marketing, B2B, production, and social and content began in August 2023.
- Reverse its recent spending declines from Facebook in-app advertising. Digital display and brand media have risen over the last year.
Brand media insights (spans cinema, digital, direct mail, door drop, press, outdoor, radio, and TV)
- H1 2023: £12.7m placed via cinema (£145,467), digital (£4.5m), direct mail (£503,518), door drop (£11,492), outdoor (£1.3m), press (£411,724), radio (£1.2m), and TV (£4.7m)
- H1 2022: £9.6m
- Full 2022: £20.4m spread across cinema (£628,958), digital (£2.9m), direct mail (£908,384), door drop (£22,174), outdoor (£4.7m), press (£1.9m), radio (£1.7m), and TV (£7.8m)
- 2021: £21.9m using cinema (£498,012), digital (£1.9m), direct mail (£1.5m), outdoor (£151,287), press (£2.8m), radio (£3.8m), and TV (£11.2m)
Agency roster:
- M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment: Sponsorship (since February 2022)
- BBH London: Creative (since 2002)
- OMD UK: Media
2) Burger King: fast food chain taps UK PR partner, raises Facebook spend
Burger King is an operator of fast food restaurants. The company, founded in 1954, operates mainly through franchised locations worldwide.
Fast food chain Burger King tapped The Academy as its UK PR partner. The independent agency will oversee the day-to-day press office, develop creative brand campaigns, and handle crisis management. The shop likely replaces Splendid Communications, which held the account from March 2022. This hire comes a few months after Walk-In Media picked up the £16m UK media account and Merkle won UK CRM in June 2023.
Target demographic: Millennials and Gen-Z
Burger King will likely:
- Increase spending — Facebook in-app advertising rose over the last 30 days and year; digital display declined over the last 30 days but shot up year-over-year; and brand media decreased during the first six months of 2023 but increased from 2021 to 2022.
- Review even more of its accounts.
- Continue its expansion plans.
- Launch campaigns.
.Brand media insights (spans cinema, digital, direct mail, door drop, press, outdoor, radio, and TV)
- H1 2023: £2.7m placed via digital (£151,810), outdoor (£1.8m), press (£13,850), and TV (£788,129)
- H1 2022: £5m
- Full 2022: £9.6m spread across digital (£584,828), outdoor (£5m), radio (£368,359), and TV (£3.7m)
- 2021: £5.4m using digital (£47,856), outdoor (£3.1m), press (£701), radio (£248,380), and TV (£2m)
Agency roster:
- BBH London: Creative (since September 2018)
- Walk-In Media UK media (since November 2023)
- Coolr: Social (since July 2018)
- Merkle: UK CRM (since June 2023)
- The Academy: UK PR (since January 2024)
3) FitFlop: Footwear business plans spring rebrand, campaign in support
FitFlop is an e-retailer of both men’s and women’s footwear, primarily clogs, flip-flops, and slippers.
To reach younger consumers and power its next stage of global growth, footwear business FitFlop will relaunch its brand this spring. The rebrand includes new colour palettes, silhouettes, and brand logos with a campaign called ‘Smart Moves’ that will launch in tandem.
Target demographic: Gen-Z and millennials with a female skew
FitFlop will likely:
- Continue increasing spending — FitFlop raised about £24m last year to boost marketing, branding, and advertising. Both digital display and social spending increased over the last 30 days and year.
- Highly promote its rebrand with a campaign launching in the spring.
- Update other parts of its strategy.
- Make agency changes.
Digital display insights (ad spend, top sites, and purchase channels across desktop and mobile video and desktop and mobile display)
- Last 30 Days: £18k
- Same 30 Days of 2023: £0
- Over the Last 12 Months: £551.2k
- Previous 12 Months: £8.7k
- Last year’s ads were placed via direct buy (95%), Google AdX + AdSense (3%), Display & Video 360 (1%), and Quantcast (1%) onto publishers such as youtube.com (93%), whowhatwear.co.uk (5%), mirror.co.uk (<1%), dailymail.co.uk (<1%), and zoopla.co.uk (<1%). The YouTube videos spanned 15 seconds (97%), 10 seconds (2%), and other (1%).
Agency roster: Gung Ho Communications: PR (since February 2020)
4) Vodafone: telecomms group taps UK creative partner amid digital display boosts
Vodafone is a multinational telecommunications company and one of the world’s largest subscribed mobile phone service providers. Vodafone markets its products and services internationally. Estimated media spend: £73,381,151
Telecoms group Vodafone tapped Leo Burnett as its UK creative partner. The Publicis agency will develop a long-term platform as well as all ATL and digital communications. AAR led the competitive pitch, which started in September. The incumbent was Ogilvy UK since January 2017 and New Commercial Arts picked up a global brand brief for Vodafone Business in August.
Target demographic: Wide (consumers and businesses)
Vodafone will likely:
- Increase spending — brand media increased during the first six months of 2023 but declined from 2021 to 2022. Facebook in-app advertising has declined since the beginning of 2022. Digital display has increased since the beginning of 2022.
- Make more agency changes.
- Launch campaigns.
Brand media insights (reported in the calendar year; spans cinema, digital, direct mail, door drop, press, outdoor, radio, and TV)
- H1 2023: £35m placed via digital (£7.9m), direct mail (£2.3m), door drop (£193,005), outdoor (£4.9m), press (£985,230), radio (£4.3m), and TV (£14.3m)
- H1 2022: £29.9m
- Full 2022: £73.4m spread across cinema (£1.1m), digital (£6.4m), direct mail (£6.4m), door drop (£1.2m), outdoor (£5.7m), press (£2.4m), radio (£9.8m), and TV (£40.3m)
- 2021: £60.6m using digital (£6.6m), direct mail (£6.7m), door drop (£938,241), outdoor (£552,960), press (£2.8m), radio (£12.5m), and TV (£30.4m)
Agency Roster
- New Commercial Arts: Global brand brief for Vodafone Business (since August 2023) and global creative (since October 2020)
- Carat: International media since (September 2019; retained in August 2022)
- Tin Man Communications: UK consumer PR (since July 2022)
- Right Formula: Sponsorship support (since December 2021)
- FreemanXP: Experiential
- Leo Burnett: UK creative (since January 2024)