Drawing attention
Illustration is quietly making its way back into advertising. Nike, Harvey Nichols and TfL have all rolled out bold, illustrated OOH campaigns that feel confident and self-assured. They’re not chasing polish, but instead showcasing personality.
In a market full of perfect, AI-driven visuals, a visible brushstroke or uneven line instantly signals something made with intent. It feels crafted, not generated, and that difference matters.
Choosing drawing over digital gloss isn’t nostalgia; it’s strategy. It signals warmth, confidence, and craft in a sea of sameness. And as ads get cleaner and colder, the sketchier they look, the more we’ll trust them.
Click to read the Creative Boom article
A new price for privacy
Meta has confirmed it will soon offer an ad-free subscription for Instagram and Facebook. For a small monthly fee, users can scroll without ads - and without surrendering their personal data.
For marketers, this marks the rise of consent-based attention. As users begin paying to opt out of tracking, audience reach will shrink, but the quality of engagement will rise. The age of lazy targeting is ending; creativity, storytelling, and genuine connection will matter more than ever.
The new age of SEO and commerce
ChatGPT is evolving from a helper into a shop, starting with Etsy. Users can now search for products inside ChatGPT and buy them directly, without leaving the chat. Shopify sellers are next, creating a whole new way to shop.
For Etsy, this is huge: it means instant access to millions of shoppers through AI-driven recommendations. For SEO, it flips the rules. Ranking on Google isn’t enough anymore - brands now need to optimise for conversational AI and AI marketplaces. The winners will be those who adapt their content to be discoverable where AI is doing the shopping.
Google’s jab at iPhone
Google’s new Pixel 10 spot goes straight for the jugular, calling out every other smartphone as vanilla. Under the line “Get outside your comfort phone”, it casts Pixel users as the ones brave enough to try something new - the ones who still get a little thrill from tech that actually surprises them.
It’s playful, a bit cheeky, and completely deliberate, adding in personality by mocking the monotony of the market. The ad skips specs and sells something rarer instead: the feeling of not being beige.
Read the Creative Review article
ChatGPT is selling humanity
While most brands are still shouting about “AI-powered” everything, OpenAI’s first major TV campaign takes the opposite approach. Through nostalgic scenes of home cooked dinners and roadtrips, viewers are invited to observe messy, unremarkable, human moments where AI is not the star - you are.
For marketers, it’s a reminder that consumers don’t crave technology, they crave transformation. The most powerful way to sell innovation isn’t to explain how it works, but to show how it fits into ordinary life.
Tilly Norwood: A Cautionary Tale for AI Hype
Tilly Norwood was pitched as the future of cinema - an AI actor in talks with agencies, complete with headshots and comedy sketches. But the backlash was swift. Unions, actors, and audiences all pushed back, reminding us that performance is about humanity: lived experience, emotion, and imperfection.
Despite a PR blitz, Tilly’s career lasted six days before fading into indifference. No films, no legacy, no fans - only a disabled Instagram and a warning. Tilly Norwood’s brief existence proves something important: AI isn’t inevitably the future of everything. Sometimes the smartest move is to slow down.
No-Go for Junk: Food Ads Get Restricted
From October 1st, ads for less healthy food can no longer appear before the watershed or in paid online formats. It’s part of a voluntary industry agreement ahead of a full ban in January 2026 - and it’s shaking things up for UK marketers.
For food and drink brands, Q4 just got trickier. Big retail moments like Christmas, Diwali, and Halloween now need more careful planning. Marketing isn’t just about grabbing attention anymore - it’s about making intentional choices that work within the rules and match shifting consumer expectations.
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