Cindy Rose’s in-tray | Colleen DeCourcy’s Big Interview | Our new WhatsApp
This week on The Drum:
Setting the record straight
Jen Faull , deputy editor
It’s been another week of American Eagle and Sydney Sweeney dominating international media and LinkedIn feeds. By Monday, it felt like every possible opinion had been voiced twice over, loudest by those in the marketing community. Which is why The Drum wanted to get out of the echo chamber and find out what the general public thought of this campaign.
So, we commissioned media measurement and analytics firm Kantar to conduct a survey of Americans. At that point, no survey like this had been conducted, and from what I’ve read in trade and national press, I haven't seen anything published since either.
The Drum has been on the receiving end of criticism for the report. And I understand.
The findings were surprising, even to me (you can read it here). They suggest that what seems like an obvious, offensive message to many in the marketing world did not translate to the average consumer. At least not in a way that makes them less likely to consider American Eagle as a brand.
The methodology has also been debated.
Indeed, The Drum published a column from Andrew Tindall, SVP at Kantar-rival System1, on why this approach to measuring campaign effectiveness was more of a test of “ad recall” and “a vibes check, not an outcome measure.”
To be clear, The Drum did not set out to measure the ad’s effectiveness. We didn’t ask Kantar to evaluate the creative or performance. Frankly, only American Eagle’s sales data (out later this month) can really show whether it has persuaded or dissuaded people from buying.
But this was intended to be a snapshot of people’s reactions, to get us out of a marketing bubble. Kantar asked over 1,600 Americans if they had seen the campaign in the news agenda, and of the 1,000 that had, Kantar pressed further on their understanding of the controversy, how it had impacted their consideration of the brand and their likelihood to purchase from American Eagle in the future.
I will not disagree with those who have taken issue with certain aspects of the methodology, which we published in full in the article.
76.8% of respondents to Kantar’s survey are white; the US Census Bureau’s 2020 data states 75.8% of Americans identified as white alone or in combination with another race (61.6% identified as white alone). Black respondents make up 9.3% of the results, when they represent 12.4% of America. The survey ran until Kantar had a minimum of 1,000 people who were aware of the campaign in the news agenda, and the fact that such a high proportion of those respondents are white is perhaps reflective of the more engaged audience. But that’s a conversation for another post.
The Drum will continue to read, listen to, and report on all views of this campaign (though, we are not taking any more ‘Here’s What the Ad Industry Thinks’ pitches, thanks).
And I sincerely look forward to seeing System1’s data on this ad if it analyzes it in the future. The most important perspective is that of the customer, and I hope this study has shed some light on that.
Ads of the Week
This bold anti-plastic campaign riffs on Calvin Klein’s iconic ads to call out world leaders ignoring microplastics
KFC and Greggs team up for a cheeky collab that puts gravy and pastry in one very British chicken box
Beyoncé and Levi's keep the spotlight on Western aesthetics with the latest phase of their ‘Reiimagine’ campaign
Yorkshire Tea brings its no-nonsense brew to Australia, leaning into British charm with a properly funny twist
Columbia Sportswear revamps its brand for the first time in a decade, swapping picture-perfect nature for the real, risky wild
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Sorry, not sorry, sorry
John McCarthy , opinion editor
I’ve had a busy week. When I wasn’t enabling Andrew Tindall’s swipe at my colleague’s stellar reporting, or thinking of new ways to text you about Sydney Sweeney via our new WhatsApp channel, I kept dwelling on saying sorry.
Well, no not saying sorry. More so, how others should say sorry. Because I spotted a rather new trend. Well, I fell for a new trend. You see, before I go to sleep at night, I like to doomscroll Instagram for several hours. And every now and then, I’ll see how brand scandals play out in the zeitgeist. Not QUITE the real world, but not quite the ’ads have fandoms’ LinkedIn bubble either.
And be it Coldplay KissGate TM or Sydney Sweeney GenesGate TM, I have noted that fake apologies or statements went viral. First. In fact, I fell for one in my doomscrolling daze and brought it into our morning editorial conference, which is always humiliating.
So, I tasked comms expert Andy Barr with some thinking on what happens if the public uses their newfound AIs, GPTs and apps to create and distribute seemingly legit corporate statements. He argued that the traditional crisis communications playbook has become obsolete in the age of viral “fake-troversy.”
These fake statements spread before a company can even formulate a response, rendering the old, formulaic methods for crisis management unworkable. For decades, Barr’s experience taught him to advise brands to “hold out” for as long as possible before reacting. Not any more.
But he also noted that none of the examples I brought him were 'real' crises. These typically only really register at a board level when there is a significant movement in the share price.
“Saying nothing, even if you have done nothing wrong, is no longer a real option.” He concluded that brands need to consider getting out “fast and first” before someone else fills the void.
Cindy Rose’s in-tray
Cameron Clarke , editor
The holding company world is shrinking.
That might seem like an odd thing to say in the week that Omnicom’s merger with IPG, which will create a new global goliath, passed another crucial milestone with clearance being granted by the UK’s competition watchdog.
However, as we also learned this week from a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, IPG has cut 2,400 jobs globally since the beginning of the year, roughly 4.5% of its workforce, in anticipation of that very merger.
And WPP , as part of another challenging earnings update, revealed that it had cut its workforce by around 4,000, to a total of 104,000, over the first six months of 2025.
A combination of tough economic realities and AI-promised efficiencies (code for: machines are much cheaper than humans) means the size and shape of traditional holding company businesses are changing.
WPP built its empire through decades of acquisitions. Under the aggressively acquisitive leadership of Sir Martin Sorrell, it became the biggest show in town by buying up other agency groups.
The same model that created this scale is also responsible for many of its latter-day problems. A bloated organization, it is still nowhere near as integrated or efficient as it needs to be, even after seven years of consolidation under Sorrell’s successor, Mark Read. That has been exemplified by the recent restructuring of its WPP Media division, from where many of the job cuts have come from.
Cindy Rose, the next CEO tasked with turning around the company, will embark on a “strategic review” once she takes over on September 1.
Some speculate that it could end in further streamlining of the company or even the break-up and sell-off of component parts such as agency brands or whole divisions.
Of course, that is all a matter of fevered, highly speculative, and, in some cases, mischief-making suggestion. But the fact that it is even plausible shows how the once-feared holdco dominance has given way to corporate vulnerability.
Only a month ago, a report emerged that Accenture and WPP had engaged in “high-level” merger talks. Mark Read played down that speculation on yesterday’s analyst call, so whether it will happen remains anyone’s guess. But one thing is indisputable: one of those companies has a market cap of £150bn; the other, £4bn. Who do you think would be the ‘A’ side in that deal?
Unless a real step change is on the horizon, the holding companies aren’t merely going to diminish in size, but in stature, too. And that’s not good news for the thousands of poor souls who rely on their prosperity for a living.
The Big Interview
Colleen DeCourcy thought she had retired from advertising. Is anyone ever truly out?
After three years at Snap and a whirlwind Cannes appearance, she’s realizing that her time in the industry might not be over after all.
“I’m not sure that I am going to retire this time,” she tells Jen Faull. “I think it’s just about setting different boundaries.”
In this in-depth, career-spanning interview, DeCourcy reflects on life after Wieden+Kennedy, her unexpected time in Big Tech, and why artificial intelligence has rekindled her creative energy rather than extinguished it.
She is clear-eyed about what’s broken and what’s worth saving. “What’s at risk is not creativity,” she says. “What’s at risk is the size of the margins of the businesses that built things out to wrap around creativity.”
In her view, AI won’t destroy agencies, but it will force them to reimagine how they operate – and charge for ideas that genuinely move culture.
Now entering a new personal chapter as a soon-to-be grandmother, DeCourcy is setting her own terms. She’s not chasing titles, but she’s still chasing the thrill of ideas. And she has no time for nostalgia. “Now is a really interesting moment. And it really is exciting to me as a creative person, playing with the tools, to get ready for this.”
Smelling’s telling
Tyarna Agyekum, social media executive
I smell a new trend in beauty.
Scented billboards have been popping up more often on social.
Back in 2024, McDonald’s ran its ‘Smells Like McDonald’s’ campaign, a plain red billboard with no logo, just the smell of foods on its menu. It was a clever way to highlight how recognizable the brand is through scent alone.
Now, beauty brands are tapping in, using social media marketing to elevate the campaign. Rare Beauty, by Selena Gomez, recently set up a scratch-and-sniff billboard in New York for its first perfume launch. People could test the scent, view the creative, and scan a QR code for a free gift.
While scent sampling isn’t new, brands have been putting fragrance sachets in magazines and tester bottles in stores for years, scented billboards bring a new level of excitement, especially when amplified on social media.
Rare Beauty posted the billboard locations on Instagram and TikTok, encouraging fans to find them fast.
This helped boost product awareness and excitement, as people went on a scavenger hunt to locate the billboards. It also sparked community engagement, with fans commenting to the brand and to each other about their thoughts on the scent and the campaign.
Rare Beauty was not the first to do it, but it definitely will not be the last. I smell this trend is here to stay, especially backed by social media to create ‘hype’.
Weight and see
Amy Houston , senior reporter
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are no longer just about weight loss. They’re rewriting consumer behavior, reshaping culture, and forcing brands in every category to rethink how they sell everything from champagne to skincare.
“It’s created this new addressable audience,” Havas’s Chloé Depiesse said. “In 2025 and onwards, every brand needs a GLP-1 strategy.”
Amy Houston explores how this lifestyle drug is disrupting sectors well beyond health. From food and fitness to travel and dating, the ripple effects will be far-reaching. Read it here.
Opinions from you
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4dThanks for including my oped in this awesome round up! Bursting with great stories and thoughts. 😃