Staying Current in the Ad World: Best Sources to Follow
The world of advertising is more dynamic now than ever. The digital and social media boom along with the development of AI have kept advertising professionals on their feet. Keeping up to date on what’s new in the world of advertising is a constant challenge, so here is a carefully curated list of websites, newsletters, and other online sources you can follow to stay in the know!
Where to find great ads?
Whether you have hit a wall on a campaign idea, need some inspiration, or are simply in the mood to watch some ads, here are some websites and social media sources to check out:
Ads of the World
From student projects to agency work, find creative advertisements and campaigns from people across the globe, separated into collections of brands, mediums, themes, events, and more at https://www.adsoftheworld.com/.
Good Ads Matter
This Instagram page is something I stumbled upon only recently. They feature the top campaign picks of advertising pros from different parts of the world. The global diversity in terms of geography, cultural influences, languages, and ideas seen on this page will help widen our knowledge as ad-makers, showing us perspectives we never may have considered otherwise. Follow this page here: https://www.instagram.com/goodadsmatter/
What’s the work that is winning awards?
What can be better than learning from award-winning ad work? Check out the biggest names in the game and keep an eye on what they are doing through these award-show sites:
Cannes Lions
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is considered the universal standard for creative excellence. Check their website to find the list of shortlisted and winner campaigns through the years. They also support and nurture young creative talent and students through several initiatives including the Young Lions Competition, LIONS Academies, and multiple scholarship offerings.
The One Club
A non-profit organization, The One Club For Creativity is primarily run to encourage and celebrate young, diverse creatives. A wing of this organization, The One Show is a world-renowned award show for the advertising and design industry. The One Club also hosts multiple student competitions, award shows for budding creatives, and geography-based award shows among other programs and initiatives, to best include and commemorate all the world’s creative talent.
D&AD
Yet another platform honoring excellence in creative communications is D&AD. You want to know the brands, campaigns, and agencies winning the prestigious Gold, Silver, and Bronze Pencils? Browse their archive of winners. They also offer some learning resources and a podium - D&AD New Blood Awards - for aspiring creatives to showcase their winning ideas and kickstart their advertising careers.
How to keep up with the latest news and trends?
The following is a list of website and email newsletter resources to follow and subscribe to in order to stay up to date with all things creative, marketing, media, strategy, and more.
AdWeek
Find great articles with rising trends, interesting insights, and current news about brand marketing.
Website: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adweek/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/adweek/
AdAge
From the latest ads to agency reports, campaign analyses, marketing trends, market pulse, brand category updates, and more, AdAge offers you a whole platter to pick and choose from based on your domain of interest.
Website: https://adage.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adage/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ad-age/
Newsletters
Get a daily dose of the marketing world packed into brief, informative emails from Marketing Brew and Marketing Dive. All you need is 5 minutes at any convenient time slot in your day to get a close look at world marketing news with just a sneak peek. You can also subscribe to Morning Brew for quick, daily bytes of general news and business.
And, what else?
Here’s more of what you can do:
- Use professional platforms like LinkedIn to follow industry leaders who inspire you.
- Follow your dream agencies and favorite brands on any and every platform you can find them on. LinkedIn, Instagram, and the official websites are good places to start.
- Indulge in anything and everything that you enjoy and may find inspiration from. This could be the books you read, the art you make, the games you play, or even the walks you take!
