MAGnet #27 26/11/21

Magnet #27

This week, we’re travelling to Norway for Christmas romance, seeing  a well-known brand disappear from social media.

Enjoy.

Adverts:

We’re hopping over to Norway to look at this fabulous advert; When Harry met Santa. Posten (the Norwegian postal service) sends a message of inclusivity this holiday season with a new Christmas campaign showcasing Santa as you’ve never seen him before.

Shattering established tropes, the campaign marks the 50th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality in Norway, as well as Posten’s commitment to a diverse workplace. ‘When Harry Met Santa’ brings the joy of love to viewers by way of a chance fireplace encounter that sparks an enduring relationship between Harry and Father Christmas, who are doomed to meet just once a year.

Don’t fret, as the tale has a happy ending, with Posten stepping into Santa’s shoes to pick up present delivery duties, freeing both men to finally share a kiss.

Posten has made a Christmas tradition of upending entrenched seasonal cliches and stereotypes by upending expectations, and this creative is one full of love and joy, as well as the magical flair of Christmas- a romance with Santa!

Lush, Anti-Social:

Recently, cosmetic brands Lush has made a risky choice: The Global Anti-Social Media Policy is a grand title for a high-stakes the name of a new pledge by the brand to stop posting on four major platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok and Snapchat.

It’s a move that is sure to be scrutinised by marketers throughout the cosmetics sector, but  Lush has a history of taking up political stances, from combating animal cruelty and partnering with Allout on its 2015 #Gayisok campaign, to donating profits from sales of its Error 404 bath bomb towards  digital activists working to keep the internet free, open and safe.

And next up on its agenda is social media — with the new Global Anti-Social Media Policy, being rolled out across 48 countries.

So, Social Media’s place, the company is planning a series of initiatives, including growing its Youtube presence, using Twitter for customer care, producing email newsletters for campaigns and tapping Pinterest for inspirational content.

Offline, Lush is going to invest in more physical events, community activations and maybe even old-fashioned postal catalogues.

This move was prompted by broader news about social media whistleblowers and the negative impact algorithms have on users’ mental health — an issue that’s relevant to Lush’s core demographic of young girls.

Chief digital officer of Lush,  Jack Constantine said, “Social media was not designed to look after people’s health, but our products are, it is counter-intuitive for us to use platforms that keep you hyper-tense, engaged and anxious.”

The risks in doing this are acknowledged by Lush. “I could be risking my career by doing this,” says Jack Constantine. “And you can’t deny there’s a commercial risk, but we’re prioritising people over profit.”

In addition, Lush’s direct sales from social media account for just 0.5 per cent of total sales.

It’s important to emphasise this is not a total social media blackout. Lush will retain its social media handles and accounts for brand protection, it just won’t be actively posting or replying to messages on the four platforms.

Campaigns for good: Mind

'Heroes', is a new campaign for mental health charity, Mind. 'Heroes' launch aims to raise awareness of Mind's Blue Light Program of mental health support for emergency responders in the UK.

The campaign will signpost 999 staff and volunteers across ambulance, police, fire and search and rescue services to the new website and aims to destigmatise asking for help within the emergency responder community.

The campaign showcases what it's like to be on the other end of the hero narrative and the creative inspiration came from the overuse of the word ‘Hero’ during the pandemic. Mind’s research found that while hailing emergency responders as 'heroes' can seem harmless on the surface, many emergency responders felt this terminology increased the pressure they felt to deal with increasingly challenging demanding and life-threatening roles they carry out every day.

 Mind’s Blue Light Programme was re-launched in March 2021, following the outbreak of coronavirus, thanks to funding from The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Covid-19 Response Fund.

Throughout November, the ‘Heroes’ campaign will come to life across TVC, OOH, radio and social. The TVC will also feature on ITV’s VOD platform.