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P1C Friday Finds Round-Up: 30th October – 12th November 2021

TGFFF!

It’s time for another fortnight of exciting comms updates!!

P1C News

Over the past two weeks, we have been writing press releases, preparing for launches and (of course) creating awesome social media content for our clients. With the countdown to Christmas slowly turning things a little festive, we’re gearing up for our Christmas party on 10th December, which promises to be an absolute treat! But that’s not all… we’re also looking forward to introducing not one but TWO new team members in the coming weeks! Stay tuned to hear more about them!

Social Media News

A quick(ish) update for everything going on in the world of social media over the past 2 weeks:

• Instagram is testing a new ‘Take a Break’ feature designed to reduce screen time on the app. Certainly one to consider, as reduced time spent on the channel may mean a drop in reach for many users… https://bit.ly/3orbhuF
• Facebook has announced the removal of thousands of categories from ad targeting relating to sensitive topics. Another reminder for advertisers to start building up first-party data and stop relying on Facebook to target your audience(s)! https://bit.ly/30mIBuE
• Twitter has re-introduced Twitter Card previews for Instagram – so it’s time to get sharing those IG posts on Twitter! https://bit.ly/3DchX5N
• Twitter has added new additions to help users enhance their tweets, including text, stickers and cropping. We’re not sure we’ll be using this one anytime soon, but we’ll be intrigued to see if anyone does! https://bit.ly/3CddXRc
• Twitter has expanded its crypto team to incorporate crypto, blockchain and other decentralised technologies in various ways throughout the app. One to keep an eye on, for sure… https://bit.ly/3DdNMes
• Snapchat has provided a new showcase of its ever-evolving AR tools, which now allow users to try on clothing through the app – an exciting development for fashion brands, especially those with a younger target audience. https://bit.ly/3wIWGOH
• YouTube has announced that it is privatising video dislike counts after a wave of attacks on users through which viewers have been using the dislike button to damage a video’s performance. A welcome crack-down, we think. https://bit.ly/30iUxxe
• Pinterest has lost over 10 million monthly active users in the last quarter as shoppers return to stores. Good news for shops but bad news for Pinterest! https://bit.ly/3DdNNPy

THE CHRISTMAS ADS ARE HERE

Well, we couldn’t go through this week’s Friday Finds without talking about Christmas ads, could we?! Here are some of our favourites so far…

Unexpected Guest – John Lewis

As they are the most ‘iconic’ of the Christmas ad contenders, John Lewis is coming at you first. But, in our humble opinion, this year’s flick just doesn’t cut it like the rest. It all feels a bit “been there done that” to us, but we’ll let you decide that for yourselves.

(ET called, he wants his plot back…)

Watch the full ad here:

THE STEPDAD – Disney

Disney next with an ad that has made almost every member of Team P1C cry (OK, maybe it’s just me…). ‘THE STEPDAD’ follows a kind man trying to earn the trust and affection of his partner’s kids. Set to a song recorded especially for the ad by Gregory Porter and CHERISE, the ad has all the feel-good-family-vibes you’d expect from Disney. But don’t take our word for it, watch it for yourself!

A fun fact for you: Nicole, the mum in this year’s ad, is actually a grown-up version of the child from last year’s ad!

Watch the full ad here

Imaginary Iggy – McDonalds

While we’re on the ‘emotional Christmas ad’ train, we’ve got to talk about McDonalds. The brainchild of two junior creatives, this year’s ad stars a young girl named Matilda and her imaginary friend Iggy. Incredibly well-shot with a beautiful soundtrack and high-quality animation, this one is up there with our favourites for this year, for sure!

A message from Kirsty on this one – “If you don’t feel a physical pang of sadness when she puts him in the cupboard, you have no heart”.

Watch the full ad here:

A Christmas Carrot – Aldi

Last but certainly not least, Aldi simply had to get a mention in this blog for taking their infamous Carrot, Kevin, that little bit further. Inspired by Charles Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’, this year’s ad tells the story of a Banana version of Ebenezer Scrooge (‘Ebanana’). Whisked away on a wintery journey by a ghostly-looking Kevin The Carrot, Ebanana soon learns the meaning of Christmas. But for us, it’s not the storyline that we love most, it’s the characters. Whilst Kevin the Carrot has been in our hearts since his first appearance in 2016, Marcus Radishford (actually voiced by Marcus Rashford) was a new and very welcome entrant! He’s even got his own Twitter page…

Watch the full ad here

Meme Of The Week