All Marketing knowledge

From Oliver poaching a TikTok creative chief to Grey winning Synechron and Weetabix hiring a new social agency, July’s UK agency moves reveal where the market is placing its bets.

Coral has become Birmingham City’s principal partner — its first front-of-shirt football deal in a century. It’s a neat case study in how gambling sponsorship is being reshaped.

Snapchat has opened its Marketing API to external AI agents and brought its Indy agency partner programme to the UK — the latest platform to let software buy and manage ads.

The latest AA/WARC Expenditure Report shows UK ad spend hit £11.7bn in Q1 2026 (+9.3%). But TV’s 0.8% headline hides a split: linear flat, addressable up 15.5%.

New CEO Cindy Rose is dismantling WPP’s holding-company structure in an 18-month, £500m restructure called Elevate28. Here’s what it means for UK clients and talent.

In the UK, any influencer content created in return for payment, free products, commission or a commercial relationship must be clearly labelled as advertising — and the clearest label is the word “Ad”, shown upfront. Two regulators enforce this: the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) through the CAP Code, and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) through the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, which since 6 April 2025 can fine businesses up to 10% o

Havas reported 2.5% organic growth and an improved 11.0% EBIT margin for H1 2026, but flagged that France and the UK turned 'slightly negative' in Q2 — an early warning on UK ad-market softness as results season opens.

A government consultation under the Tobacco and Vapes Act 2024 proposes plain white vape packaging, devices in white, black or grey only, and 'simple recognisable' flavour names — directly constraining the sector's core branding levers.

The ASA has banned BoyleSports' 'Bank Builder Jackpot' free-bets promotion as socially irresponsible — ruling that the reward structure itself, not the wording, encouraged repetitive gambling. A precedent every operator should note.

The GfK Consumer Confidence Index rose 6 points to -17 in July 2026, its biggest monthly jump since November 2023, with every sub-measure improving. Why the Major Purchase Index is the number marketers should watch.

Online shopping reached 29.4% of all UK retail spending in June 2026 — the highest since April 2021 — as online values jumped 14.4%. E-commerce is re-accelerating, and budgets should follow.

Pets at Home has built a national campaign around 'The Perfect Poo' — a cheeky but genuinely diagnostic sign of the right pet food — turning staff expertise into a talkable idea. Here's the lesson for retailers.

Monzo has launched 'Get Busy Living', its first global brand platform via BBH London and narrated by Olivia Colman — and its cleverest move is keeping the bank in the corner of the frame.

Ofcom's Media Nations 2026 report finds Netflix is now the first-choice service for 26% of UK viewers versus the BBC's 25% — and YouTube on the TV set has doubled since 2022. What it means for media plans.

Meta's Q2 2026 advertising revenue rose 27% to $59.4bn, but the number UK marketers should watch is the 12% jump in price-per-ad. Here's what auction inflation means for your budgets.

The AA has tied up with Sony's Spider-Man: Brand New Day for a summer campaign by The Gate — a partnership that works because both brands genuinely share one idea: rescue.

Asahi Super Dry's ‘Infinite Can’ takeover of Piccadilly Lights uses AI to generate 400+ unique designs that never repeat — a masterclass in using generative AI to amplify a human artist, not replace one.

Hours after England's exit, EE turned defeat into a purpose-led moment with ‘You Did Us Proud, Yes Boys’ — a masterclass in preparing reactive marketing for the outcome nobody wants.

Allwyn has brought Powerball to Britain with a VCCP-led campaign timed to the World Cup Final — a masterclass in buying shared cultural attention rather than just media.

The CBI's July 2026 survey shows UK retail sales falling at their slowest pace in six months. A 'least-bad' market is the hardest to plan for — here's how retail marketers should respond.