The Christmas Special: festive ads, Orlando's stocking fillers and a challenging "name that ad"

Never Mind The Adverts 2025 Review

Jon and Orlando are back with a festive, fast-paced review of the biggest marketing stories and creative moments of 2025. Expect some interesting tipples, advertising wisdom (even some going back to 1928) and some laughs along the way. What to expect: 00:00 - Start 00:41 - Starting with some festive cheer 02:04 - The big news stories from 2025 02:20 - The multiplier effect 03:51 - The creative dividend 05:05 - The Cost of Dull Media 07:17 - Les Binet Go Big or Go Home 09:22 - The Wild West of Influencer Measurement 13:00 - How the pause screen has become an advertising channel 14:30 - Sydney Sweeney, American Eagle and Jaguar - The Crisis 16:15 - Mergers and WPP 17:26 - Drinks Trolley Break 19:00 - Jon’s highlight - awards 20:12 - Orlando Wood’s highlight of 2025 21:46 - Rory Sutherland vs Scott Galloway 22:35 - Jon and Alix Earle in Cannes 23:52 - Jon cycles up a mountain with Zwift 25:12 - Becoming trustee for the History of Advertising Trust 26:42 - The History of Christmas Advertising with a special guest 33:10 - Who won Christmas in 2025? 34:27 - Aldi and Kevin the Carrot 35:18 - Waitrose’s strong Christmas showing 36:28 - The most viewed Christmas Ads on YouTube 37:25 - Amazon re-airing their Christmas ad this year 38:20 - The growth of Christmas Ads in 2025 39:47 - The right brained nature of the successful Christmas ads 40:51 - The Coca Cola AI Christmas Ad 43:23 - The Never Mind the Adverts Awards 44:02 - System1 Star of the Year 44:51 - System1 Turkey of the Year 45:32 - Name that ad

Stormzy's McDonald's campaign, the multiplier effect and consciousness

This episode Jon and Orlando are delving into "The Multiplier Effect" report from WARC [https://www.warc.com/the-multiplier-effect] and how McDonald's latest campaign with Stormzy exemplifies the findings from the report. It may also be the only time in history two people have discussed Stormzy, consciousness and Renault Clio's while drinking Cockburn's fortified wine. Timestamps * 00:00 - Intro * 00:49 - The news - the multiplier effect * 07:39 - Ad of the week * 12:41 - Drinks trolley * 16:06 - Break for the ads * 23:05 - Name that ad

The "death" of Liquid Death in the UK and a belated Super Bowl ad review

Jon and Orlando are back for a third "one-off special" in a row, this time talking about their favourite Super Bowl ads. With a dash of personal preference and a dusting of System1 testing scores, the duo pick the standout performers of this year's big game. Soft drinks veteran Jon gives his two cents on Liquid Death has exiting the UK market and is tested hard in the latest round of "Name that ad". Timestamps: * 00:00 Intro * 00:49 The news - Liquid Death exits UK market * 05:25 The news - Nike comeback * 11:14 Super Bowl ads * 11:46 Liquid Death ad * 14:42 Hellman's * 15:49 WeatherTech * 18:21 Stella Artois * 20:32 NFL * 22:52 Lays * 25:05 Budweiser * 26:18 Pfizer * 30:26 Drinks Trolley * 33:10 Break from the ads * 39:16 Name that ad * 43:00 Outro

TikTok Ban, Dubonnet and New Years Resolutions

The dynamic duo are back to discuss TikTok's recent Supreme Court ruling, analyze Yorkshire Tea's latest advertisement featuring Sarah Lancashire, and share their thoughts on vintage advertising while sampling the Queen's favorite cocktail, Dubonnet. The fan favourite "Name That Ad" segment makes a return, where Jon tries to guess an iconic commercial directed by Ridley Scott. The episode concludes with a discussion about New Year's resolutions and the importance of energy and consistency in creative work.  Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:47 - The news 06:05 - Ad of the week: Yorkshire Tea 09:26 - Drinks trolley 16:18 - Break from the ads 23:12 - Name that Ad

The Christmas Special: festive ads, Orlando's stocking fillers and a challenging "name that ad"

Orlando and Jon are back for a one-off episode of Never Mind the Adverts. The duo talk festive ads (including that Coke AI one), Orlando's favourite (advertising themed) stocking fillers and he stumps Jon with a rather challenging "name that ad" segment. Be warned: festive alcoholic drinks were consumed in this episode. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - The news 03:28 - Orlando’s Christmas Stocking Fillers 08:41 - Drinks trolley 12:13 - Review of the 2024 Christmas Ads 16:20 - A break from the ads 20:38 - Name that ad