Warwick Cairns
Opinion
02 May 2023
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Pondering the storm engulfing Bud Light, Warwick Cairns reflects that effective advertising is truthful advertising, but truth only works if audiences recognise it as their truth.
Opinion
17 February 2023
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Warwick Cairns muses on the extraordinary rise of short-form video and what it means for advertising – and human nature.
Opinion
24 January 2023
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Tech giants are pouring huge sums into Artificial Intelligence technologies that are increasingly capable of both writing and evaluating advertising. Should we be worried or excited? Warwick Cairns asked a computer to tell us the answers…
Opinion
01 November 2022
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Warwick Cairns considers the nature of change via limited-edition Crocs, sustainably-sourced pronoun badges and the Overton Window.
Opinion
23 September 2022
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What does Damien Hirst’s decision to torch his physical paintings but keep the digital versions tell us about the brave new world of crypto and NFTs? Warwick Cairns ponders the lessons marketing can take from the 90s dotcom boom.
Opinion
31 August 2022
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Modern marketers can learn something about effectiveness from Stone Age hunter-gatherers, says Warwick Cairns.
Opinion
05 July 2022
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Warwick Cairns explores the effectiveness – and limitations – of celebrity endorsement in advertising.
Opinion
27 March 2022
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Seniors, Boomers, Third Agers … whatever you choose to call them, we’ll all be in this demographic eventually – and hopefully with a bit of money. It’s ludicrous that that older people still aren’t properly represented in marketing, says new arrival Warwick Cairns.
Opinion
02 February 2022
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Warwick Cairns explores the psychology of big disruptive events and urges brands and marketers to grab what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for change.
Opinion
29 November 2021
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In 1968, a programme printed for a Swedish exhibition of Andy Warhol’s work read: “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” But in today’s fragmented media environment, increasing numbers of ‘world-famous’ celebrities are only recognised by 15% or less of the world’s population. This has huge implications for brands and marketing, says Warwick Cairns.
Opinion
02 November 2021
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As John Lewis pulls its controversial home insurance ad, research shows that people in the creative industries increasingly think more like each other and less like the consumers we serve. This means that miscommunication is a growing risk, says Warwick Cairns.
Opinion
08 September 2021
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The power to punish transgressors underpins advertising regulations, but Warwick Cairns ponders what happens when there are no regulations at all.
Opinion
10 August 2021
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Today more than ever, the secret to having an effective brand lies less in the quality or performance of the products being sold and more in the power of the stories attached to them, says Warwick Cairns.
Opinion
13 July 2021
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In today’s fragmented media world, sport is one of the few truly shared experiences left to us. But unless brands embed a culture of effectiveness, money spent on sports marketing may well be wasted, says Warwick Cairns.
Opinion
17 June 2021
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As the post-pandemic world approaches, businesses shouldn’t rush to settle back into the old normal – or even to replace it with a new one, says strategist Warwick Cairns. Instead, 2021 offers once-in-a-generation opportunities to keep on experimenting to develop better, more effective working practices.
Opinion
29 April 2021
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Since it’s becoming harder for brands to avoid taking a political stance on issues, Warwick Cairns from The Effectiveness Partnership looks at the relationship between taking a stance and effectiveness -- and how brands can navigate this increasingly rocky terrain.
