Borkowski Weekly Media Trends
Before launching into this week’s trends, we could be on the eve of some kind of alien invasion after a
metal monolith was discovered in the Utah desert by a helicopter crew. One for the conspiracy theorists but it would be very on brand for 2020. Without further ado, we’ve wrapped up some of the biggest trending stories from the week with a bit of Borkowski spin…
Diego Maradona
The death of Diego Maradona doesn’t just mark the passing of the man, but a way of being. Any individual blessed with his level of genius in something so popular is always allowed to act in ways the rest of us aren’t. Not just the hand of god, but the habits he held in plain sight – the habits that destroyed him. Look around the world now though and the hell raisers have gone. Hyper-professionalism, constant broadcast of social media and huge financial pressures has sanded away the likes of James Hunt, McEnroe and now Maradona.
Is that such a bad thing? For us, yes. Nothing compares to the human drama of flawed, angry anti-heroes reaching heights kept for them. For them, no. None of these men (and they are mostly men) were happy. Each managed their palpable pain through their innate genius, but the genius could never take the pressure. As Maradona goes, we should think about Hendrix, Cobain, Bonham, Alexander McQueen, Winehouse, Houston, Hemmingway and Best. They gave us so much but gained so little.
Meghan Markle
This week saw the
New York Times publish an essay written by the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. At its heart, the piece is about the power of compassion in the face of culture wars and isolation, drawing on the losses and traumas we will all experience to demonstrate how we are united by common humanity. The central example that Megan uses is her miscarriage, which she and her husband suffered in July, and that, they were surprised to learn, 1 in 10 women will experience in their lifetime.
The piece was, predictably, polarising. Critics lambasted the move as a PR stunt, some citing the recent death of the Cambridge’s dog Ludo as a legitimate reason for Meghan to engineer the limelight away. Many angrily defended her, damning the view of some that Meghan can do no right. Elsewhere, others were left slightly disarmed, unsure what to think. Megan’s approach, after all, is brazen in its candidness.
If this feels like an odd move for a woman who, along with her husband, shunned the Royal family in an apparent bid to stay out of the spotlight, then let the press’ reaction shed some light. Because, for once, the British tabloids, Meghan’s arch nemeses, were on her side, praising her bravery. The thing is Meghan never intended to step out of the spotlight. She only wanted to reclaim her narrative. Here, not only has she done this, but in speaking out about a tragedy that impacts all humans, even her most avid haters, she has forced her compassion on all, and is demanding empathy back.
Another Grammys another controversy
Tuesday’s Grammy nominations sparked controversy after the biggest popstar in the world – The Weeknd – was overlooked, despite his album After Hours
shattering records amassing widespread popularity and critical acclaim. Fans and the music community took to Twitter to voice their disbelief. In a series of tweets The Weeknd’s claimed the Grammys
“remain corrupt” – receiving over 1.1M likes, and the likes of Drake showing his support going one step further declaring the Grammys
should be replaced after continually snubbing black artists.
It is a bizarre exclusion. The Weeknd has effectively ticked every proverbial box with his latest release, many expecting him to sweep up multiple awards for his 80s-synth extravaganza, regarded as one of the best releases of 2020. The Grammys have shown us once again, there is no clear formula or process when selecting the nominees, and eventual winners. You can’t help but wonder - are they purposefully creating their own drama for noise? Is their PR strategy just to create controversy? They’ve left millions scratching their heads.
Only time will tell when we take a look at the viewing figures for next year’s ceremony. We suspect there could be a large proportion of their audience boycotting it this year…
Borkowski Weekly Media Trends
THE DEFINITVE RANKING OF 2020 CHRISTMAS ADVERTS
This year we seem to have reached peak Christmas advert – both in terms of the attention they receive and the effort brands pump into them- so Borkowski have rated some of the most prominent out of 10 in order to create a definitive rankings system. Here’s the critical consensus.
For those not familiar with Christmas adverts here is the general format:
Slow cover of classic song > Diverse (often anthropomorphic) cast > Reminder that life can be hard even at Christmas > Unlikely saviour of Christmas via act of kindness (assisted ostentatiously by brand in question)
AMAZON
Average Score 9
The best Christmas advert of the year by a distance. A powerful story that nails the emotional journey at the core of all the recent classic Christmas adverts perfectly, executed with artistic and cinematic flair.
“LOVED THIS. So powerful, emotive, gorgeous - shot beautifully and love the story”
“loved the modern day take on a ballerina princess-heroine”
“Made me tear up; absolutely loved it and thought it was extremely relevant this year”
“really lovely”
“Love, love, love”
Criticism was sparse, one respondent noting “still hate Jeff Bezos though” while another described it as a “bit intense and overly cinematic” and someone else “could’ve skipped the irrelevant apartment block crush”
WOODIE’S
Average Score: 8
Simply put they’ve really hit the nail on the head (PUN INTENDED).
Woodie’s have nailed the Christmas formula, combining soft music, the elderly, community, a good dog and random acts of kindness in a short 1 minute clip.
The emotional hook is spot-on, and they’ve communicated their brand value very well. Hats off Woodie’s - well played.
TX MAXX
Average Score:8
An unlikely hero in the form of a well-dressed goat and a couple of well-placed jokes.
Humour. A mascot-able creature. A sly nod to the weirdness of 2020. Brevity. All went down well.
“That goat RULES. Happy nonsense what Xmas is all about”
“made me giggle which is a win in my books”
“LOVE the goat and it made me smile. What more do you need!?”
“made me chuckle and quite like the goat”
ARGOS
Average Score: 8
Charm, a sprinkling of magic and the feel-good factor helped by cute kids overpower an extravagant running time:
“Real feel-good factor - great concept played out cleverly.”
“So original and fun whilst still being cute.”
“Just joyous – the idea behind it, the magic, the sparkles, the family – gorgeous"
“Best one yet!”
TESCO
Average Score: 7.5
Widely praised concept and humorous execution.
Tesco seem to have done well this year be eschewing sentimentality for a celebration of naughtiness and a ‘give yourself a break’ message.
Praise centred around the concept: “very clever idea and loved how it spanned the country and age groups”, “best concept by far”, “really clever concept”, “this made me laugh and doesn’t gloss over this year”. The lack of sentimentality seems to have done it no harm with one person noting that it “gives the heartstrings a rest”.
In a year which hasn’t necessarily been great from Christmas Advert music, the choice of song was also praised, one respondent saying: “rate the appropriation of Oops I Did it Again as a Christmas song”.
Criticisms were few although one parent did note: “the naughty list is the ultimate bargaining chip from Halloween to the 24th, and Tesco have just pissed on it. Albeit Cleverly”
JOHN LEWIS & PARTNERS
Average Score: 6.5
Nice conceit to use different artists but doesn’t have the emotional punch of the classics and not the most effective promotion of the brand.
Also worth noting that this score has to be understood in the context of the general perception John Lewis & Partners Christmas ads invented this formula and launched this boom and are still held to higher standards than most of the competition.
Fans of the advert praised it as “the spirit of Christmas” and “genuinely touching without being soppy” while many also “loved the showcase of different animation styles” however those who were less impressed noted that, although impressive, “the concept around it is great but they needed to make it clearer” and others “found the execution a little bland”. Other criticisms included “not sure it’ll prompt be to spend more with the partnership” and “meh, cute but not amazing”.
MCDONALD’S
Average Score: 6.5
While receiving consistently respectable scores, this ad divided opinion in every facet, from the animation, to the emotional impact of the story, to the effectiveness of the sell.
While some described the animated story as “quite Disney” or “Pixar-esque” and noted similarities to Inside Out, others described the animation as “dated” and also criticised the music.
The story was generally praised; Mums related to the attempts to engage with a stroppy teenager while even most participants without kids noted an emotional connection, saying; “heart strings successfully pulled”, “this one got me” or in one case simply “CRIED”. Others were less impressed though, one noting “didn't tug on the heart strings as much as previous (could also be because I don't have kids and can't relate)”.
The call to action also received mixed responses ranging from “made me want nuggets” to “not sure how hungry it made me from McDonalds”.
DISNEY
Average Score 6
Basing their advert on a back catalogue of expensively produced material proved both a blessing and a curse.
Praise for Disney’s advert focussed on the grandiosity and emotive power of the source material:
“powerful, gave me chills...and also I'm a total sucker for anything with Hamilton in it”
“great demonstration of what Disney are capable of”
Criticism focussed on the lack of original content from one of the greatest producers of original content bar none, as well as the questionable Christmassyness:
“Give us some original content, Disney!! Nothing Christmassy about it.”
“it's not really a Christmas advert. Slightly dodgy cover version, and they're consciously pushing things like Mulan which is controversially expensive and the other live action remakes and Star Wars sequels which are trash”
Most were more equivocal:
“I think Disney could have done more and the child at the start is a bit creepy, but still CRIED”
“all I can say is 'fair enough'”
M&S
Average Score 6
This wasn’t just any Christmas advert, it was an M&S Christmas advert, and a polarising one at that, it being the only one on the list to receive both a 0 and a 10 out of 10.
Responses ranged from the two extreme ends of the spectrum, from ‘No spirit of Christmas, just sales’ to ‘Loved this, quirky and funny and honest’, while Queen Olivia herself gained praise all round, with one respondent giving 5 points just for her existence alone.
Something everyone agreed on was that the food looks delicious, but generally this ad divided viewers as much as the new series of The Crown...
COCAL COLA
Average Score 5.5
Recruiting Hollywood superstar director Taika Waititi delivered mixed success as Coke’s 2020 Christmas advert proved to be, with us anyway, in some ways more divisive than Waititi’s last feature JoJo Rabbit in which he literally dressed up as Hitler.
Acclaim focussed on the father-daughter relationship (“I LOVED it made me all gushy and emotional - a dad doing everything for his kid and all she wants is him - heart wrenching!”) and the grandiose production values delivered by Hollywood’s finest (“production values were insane, like watching a short film”, “loved the epic action thriller”).
Waititi’s presence may have helped form this perspective but his attachment as director wasn’t universally seen as a positive, one respondent saying they’d have scored it higher “if it wasn't sold on the fact that they literally got an Oscar-winning director” and their expectations hadn’t soared.
Criticism was vehement and diverse. One respondent who didn’t know that Waititi directed said criticised the toxic masculinity, “cliché” and lack of sensitivity to potential pandemic travel restrictions concluding “I honestly can’t believe that got signed off”. Another critic noted the hypocrisy of “evok[ing] green creds and then rins[ing] the world's carbon footprint to deliver a letter when everyone knows you can email Santa” concluding the whole thing was “fucking stupid”.
A couple of people also pointed out the slight stretch of credibility that the dad would make such a long and unnecessary journey to deliver the letter in person without reading it, finding a post box, or even just working out himself that it might be quite nice if he went home, one noting that it “Literally and metaphorically travels a long way to get to the same place as every other advert”.
SAINSBURY’S
Average Score: 5.5
Again highly polarising. Some liking the quotidian simplicity and nod to 2020, others seemingly becoming possessed with rage.
Those who really didn’t like it tended not to elaborate beyond “hated it” or similar, while others were more equivocal, “love the concept, sadly didn’t like the execution”
Those who did like it were more specific:
“THIS is what Christmas is all about - coming home to see your family. The idea of maybe not being able to this year is so sad and Sainos get it perfectly.”
Other compliments included “it’s a bit different and love the family footage stuff” and “simple, genuine, appropriate to the times without being on the nose”.
LIDL
Average Score 5.5
Nobody hated it but, despite a ballsy dig at their rival’s Christmas advert, it also didn’t low anyone away.
One positive review described it as “quirky and fun - definitely the best of the supermarket ads”.
The bit that earned the most praise was a sly dig at Kevin the carrot with nearly every viewer picking up on it, however the animation and music faired less well in other selected feedback:
“know it's satirical but the music and cartoon still made me cringe. NO MORE PLEASE”
“t's fine and christmassy but nothing to write home about - it didn't make me cry”
“HATE the song and the advert really hangs on it”
“It's fine and non-offesnive but doesn't do it for me.”
ALDI
Average Score 4.5
At a time of year when literally everyone buys carrots, people weren’t buying this one.
The lack of punch was epitomised by the recurrence of the word “boring” and others like “weak” and “average” and “try hard”
A couple of people paid tribute to the ambition of the concept, one described it as “clearly aiming at a 'Sausage Party' meets 'Wind in the Willows' vibe, which is admirable”.
As for Kevin himself he is described as “quite cute”, with another respondent noting “I quite like the idea of using carrots”, but he wasn’t a character people invested in emotionally, one viewer questioning “Do I care if Kevin makes it home for Christmas?” and concluding “Not really” and another summarising “I would eat that carrot”…
ALDI also raised similar issues to Coca Cola in terms of the tropes it relied on: “what is with all the 'get Daddy home for Christmas' themes this year?! Where are all the working Mums at?!”
ASDA
Average Score: 4.5
Apparently ‘That’s Asda price’ just doesn’t quite cut it anymore, according to our esteemed panel. Even those that enjoyed it described it as ‘completely inoffensive’ whilst those that didn’t rate it highly commented ‘big old nothing’.
Something that did unite viewers, however, was grumpy neighbour Christine who according to one respondent ‘looks like she is already coming down’, with another commenting ‘she could’ve cracked a smile’. Perhaps Asda missed a trick there, as surely cracking a Scrooge is the moral of every festive tale?
One participant summed it up perfectly, with ‘I almost preferred it when they used to spank themselves in an ad if this is the drivel they put out now’.
O2
Average Score: 4
Despite being a boring advert, it says a lot about where we are with Christmas adverts. It has no discernible brand recognition and O2 have approached their ad for maximum “cuteness” but it’s done very well with most of the public.
It’s pretty much your standard Xmas ad in 2020 – young girl being captivated by some kind of animated creature (heavily leaning on a Frozen aesthetic). However, it is what the public seem to want.
This one makes you feel that we are at peak Christmas advert hysteria.
NOT ON THE HIGH STREET
Average Score: 3
Not on the High Street and Not at the Races.
“meh”
“Not the best nor the worst thing I've ever seen but that's as far as my sentiment goes”
“boring but fine”
More detailed criticism focussed on the execution and the attempt to inject ‘purpose’ into a Christmas ad:
“the messaging is great and they could have created something really special with it. This year more than ever it's celebrating the little things and supporting small businesses - and I think they blew their opportunity.”
“salute the decision to use a disabled actress and the decision to champion small businesses, especially this year. But thought the way both were crowbarred in was crass and in the first instance borderline exploitation”
Borkowski Weekly Media Trends
Football’s Lower Leagues becoming showbiz playground
We spoke a lot about Burger King’s Stevenage FIFA
stunt earlier in the year and noticed this week that other lower league clubs and elements of the game have recently become entangled in the world of showbiz.
News this week resurfaced of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s reported bid to buy
Wrexham – Reynolds becoming something of a serial entrepreneur having just made a bomb selling his own brand of tequila and Mac fighting off rumours that the whole thing is just an extremely high concept episode of
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile the
BBC reported that major Hollywood agents are signing football talent, and last month Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack joined our friends at
Forest Green Rovers as Artistic Director.
Showbiz and football are natural bedfellows with the even lower league clubs attracting audiences and engagement levels that any brand or individual in the world could benefit from accessing, even those with wealth and fame already.
Put it this way – if football hadn’t been invented already, and somebody pitched it as a publicity stunt – ‘we get people so obsessed with this sport and dedicated to one team that they’ll follow any brand they associate with it’, that person would be a genius. Expect other brands and showbiz figures to follow suit.
Spotify’s ‘Payola’ Problem
Spotify has come under fire this week after announcing a new Discovery mode feature that has been likened to Payola (the illegal practice of payment to commercial radio in exchange for increased plays / airtime).
This new mode gives artists the option to be
paid less in royalties in exchange for more exposure. Critics have warned that this will create an unbalanced playing field for artists, particularly smaller artists as they’ll be forced to sacrifice a portion of their royalties to be on this Discovery mode platform and may penalise artists that choose to boycott it.
Artists’ have been publicly criticising Spotify since its inception for the amount they pay artists, reaching its peak post-pandemic with revenue from touring being destroyed and nothing to replace it.
It is difficult to grasp what this will mean for artists going forward but it is yet another example of streaming giants cornering the market and finding loopholes in outdated laws, most notably Payola – relevant when commercial radio was at its peak but with the streaming boom, thousands of loopholes are created and easily exploited in our digital age.
Rishi's newfound Glamour
Rishi Sunak found an unlikely ally this week in Glamour magazine, who were the only non-news title to be granted an interview with him.
It’s a smart move, one that sees Rishi and his policies clad in millennial-pink and pushed onto the feeds of young women across the country.
The questions asked came from Glamour readers, prodding him over out-of-touch campaign messaging (Fatima, we’re looking at you) and a perceived neglect of the beauty industry.
However the pitch-perfect messaging and product placement (of Rishi’s various schemes, in this case) is hard to ignore.
The piece won’t work its magic on cynics, who only need to turn to Twitter to hear about the many holes in Rishi’s initiatives, but it’ll do a good job at endearing the chancellor’s choices to many who otherwise might feel out of reach. The effort made to speak to a wider audience is simple but will go a long a way.
Cummings Pulling Out Early
It is well known that as soon as the PR becomes the story, the PR isn’t doing a great job. When PR- man Dominic Cummings’ PR-man father-in-law hit the headlines for working at PR firm that was getting tax money for an unknown PR campaign you had to begin to wonder. Now, if we are to believe the BBC (and ignoring the bizarre bravado on his Twitter account) he is gone – and what for?
His impact on political campaigning is remembered for its brilliance when it should be for his cynicism. Winning the referendum was a remarkable achievement on the face of it, but it’s easier to provoke fear than to inspire hope and it’s easiest of all to promise things that can never be delivered. The only thing that that requires is an absence of shame. Yes he won, but he won against opponents who were playing to rules he ignored. You can call it the hand of God all you like, but ultimately it’s still only a handball.
Now he, and his acolyte Cane, are out because of their inability to manage the Prime Minister. But to manage the PM to do what? This isn’t an ideological battle between wets and drys, or brownites and Blairites – this was just about control. This is the vacuum that sits at the centre of this political party. Cummings came in, raised hell and took on the machine and lost. Now millions of Brits, unable to leave their homes, will watch tonight's news as he walks off into the sunset. It's up to us to pick up the pieces. Again.