S T U D I O 1 2 : Ryan Reynolds' Sweater

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First Things First

January 02, 2020

By Kathryn Lundstrom

Ryan Reynolds' Ugly Sweater Brings Holiday Fundraising Joy to Hospitalized Children

To close out what some in the ad world have dubbed "the year of Ryan Reynolds," the marketing genius helped raise more than $300,000 for The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto by turning last year's infamous holiday sweater-turned-meme into something completely different: a playful symbol of hope for kids with serious illnesses. An animated short shows the sweater's humble beginnings, enduring price cut after price cut as shoppers pass it by, laughing at its ugliness. The shopkeeper then gifts it to a man looking for fun attire to wear to a party, but the sweater just endures more laughs at said party. That's when Reynolds truly throws his lot in with the sweater, it seems, because photos of him wearing the sweater, caressing the sweater and generally appreciating the sweater lead us to the moral of this garment's journey: "Every holiday story deserves a magical ending." A bunch of adorable kids and a few hospital staff in that same ridiculous sweater follow that up. The link at the end of the video leads to a page pledging $100,000 in matching funds from Reynolds, which they met twice over.

The Most Captivating Brand Campaigns We Saw on Social Media in 2019

Social media analytics company Unmetric looked at brand posts to determine which campaigns garnered the best results throughout 2019—and one of the top prizes went to the dogs. Sort of. In addition to data that showed video and strong narrative make for winning social media campaigns, the company also found that anything to do with dogs (and other animals) also plays extremely well with social media audiences. Other themes identified by Unmetric that resonated with audiences were things like social responsibility, satire, music industry partnerships and holiday themes.

The UK Is Investing in Influencer Marketing—and Learning From US Successes

Adweek's Diana Pearl spoke with three content creators working in the UK about the opportunities and challenges of the influencer market across the pond. While US bloggers and content producers have been partnering with brands for years, the industry in the UK is younger—providing a different set of complications, especially when working with brands who are new to influencer marketing and hesitant to pay rates comparable to those earned by US influencers. But easier access to Europe can be especially useful for many content creators who focus on fashion or travel.

The TV Shows That Will Air Their Final Episodes in 2020

While some pretty big names in TV took their farewell tours in 2019—Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, and Veep, to name a few—even more fan favorites will be sending last installments into the world in 2020. Netflix's Bojack Horseman, the animated adult comedy starring an alcoholic, washed up horse actor will drop it the final episodes of its sixth and last season at the end of the month. Fox's Empire, which tells the story of a hip hop mogul family, finishes up in the Spring. The Good Place, NBC's forking fantastic afterlife comedy starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson wraps on Jan. 30.

Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Insights

This KFC Ad Shockingly Reveals How Santa Spends the Rest of His Year

As Christmas trees are kicked to the curb (or stuffed back in their boxes) and holiday decor is packed away once again, Santa Claus is likely up north somewhere settling in for a long year of rest and relaxation until next year's flurry of activity. Right? Or does he have a day job for the rest of the year?

According to Agency Circus Grey Peru, he does have a day job, but he certainly isn't lying low—in fact, you can expect to see him all year long... at KFC. Because the Santa you know and love is ALSO the Colonel.

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How to Use Small Data to Take Your Customer Experience to the Next Level

Adweek Promos and Events

Creating Connections Through Storytelling

Authentic, effective brand storytelling is essential to creating lasting connections with consumers. Adweek's Arc Awards celebrate those who are excelling in this creative, and essential, medium – enter today. Entries close Jan. 27.

Candid Career Advice from 30 Trailblazing Women

Adweek talked with a lot of impressive people this year on its Inside the Brand podcast. And as we look back on the year, we drew some of the most insightful, practical pieces of advice from conversations with 30 different women who are pushing the boundaries in the field.

Danielle Lee, Global VP of Partner Solutions at Spotify

By now, we're all well-versed in the studies and reports that show that companies with more diverse teams, across race, ethnicity, gender, religion and other dimensions deliver stronger business results. Business leaders need to set an intention to have representation at the executive and board level. They have to be comfortable shifting the power and giving "others" a seat at the table. It is really that simple.

Jacki Kelley, President and Chief Client Officer of Dentsu

The advice I always share is to pick people and environments where you can learn and stretch. It sounds simple but it's actually hard to find both of these; consistently. If you are around smart, accomplished, generous, secure, innovative, kind, determined people – you will have a better shot at becoming these things yourself.

Melanie Whelan, former CEO of SoulCycle

Whether you're the minority or one of many women in the room, it's crucial to do your homework and come to the table with a strong point of view. Early on in my career, I made sure I knew my facts forward and backward so that I had the conviction to make my voice heard.