The Insight
Percipient thought-pieces and opinions from some
of
the world’s most respected industry leaders.
)
With the Super Bowl less than two weeks away, the influx of high-end, mass appeal ads is on its way. But, says Joseph Miller, Founder of Can You Clear Me Now, it's not always the array of celebrities that make a campaign stick in the mind, but the choice of music.
WPP Production: The industry responds
Following last week’s news of WPP launching WPP Production, shots has spoken to production company leaders and trade bodies on what the move could mean for craft, competition, and the future of the agency and production company relationship.
Kindness over convenience: The sound of change
What if the way we used sound changed? asks Laura Montarroso Daher, Founder and Executive Creative Director at Music Collective. What if more thought, more time and more insight was used to make sure the noises we hear around us were more relevant to the environments in which we hear them, and more attuned to the way we might be feeling?
Why the pricing of creativity is the industry’s most costly self-deception
Jon Williams, Founder/CEO of The Liberty Guild, bemoans the outdated models that treat an idea as labour rather than value, suggesting that, as automation increases, the human creative leap is becoming a most precious asset.
The evolving aesthetics of wellness culture
Once seen as niche and alternative, wellness products are now trendy, affordable, and woven into everyday life for people battling burnout. Tim Donald, Creative Director at functional drinks brand Sneak, explains how brands are reshaping their design and marketing to feel more mainstream and accessible.
The 10 brands that cut through in 2025
Creative effectiveness platform System1 has crunched the 2025 numbers and revealed the 10 campaigns which had true category cut-through last year.
Why guilt-driven January messaging is backfiring
George Bacon, Founder of GBM Group, looks into consumers’ – and even over-consumers’– increasing rejection of seasonal shame-based marketing, and suggests other ways wellness brands can cut through.
Well-being: The missing department on the call sheet
We perfect what appears on screen, but the true success of a production depends on something unseen – the emotional health of a team behind it. Becky Morrison, CEO and Founder of The Light, believes that the industry’s next creative leap won’t come from better tools, but from better care for those using them.
When it comes to advertising, funny matters
When the world's full of doom and gloom on a daily basis, aren't commercial wins more likely to be found in comedy? In the past, advertising was part of the UK's comedy culture and, says Jonny Parker, Joint Chief Creative Officer at VCCP London, that's where its future should be.