Mark Tungate
Journalist and author at Adforum
Paris, France

Mark Tungate Publications

Hitting the Nazis in their merch

13 February 2025
Of all the ideas that have ever surfaced in an advertising agency, one of the most unexpected must be: “We’re going to fight the neo-Nazis – but using intellectual property rights.” It’s a bit like the Chicago cops deciding to bust Capone by charging him with tax evasion. Even if it sounds counter-intuitive, it’s effective.

Escape required? Dive into the Super Bowl

10 February 2025
It’s early days in an already turbulent new presidency, but the Super Bowl will always be the Super Bowl, at least from an advertising point of view. The writer David Mamet once described it as a legitimate national holiday, along with the Oscars. The event is escapist.

Using a famous lens to condemn war

04 February 2025
The campaign, which recently won an Epica Award, puts Robert Capa’s images in a modern context to ask why the kind of wars he photographed are still being waged.

30 years of BETC: “We’re still a very young agency”

03 February 2025
Anyone who cares about advertising no doubt has a favourite BETC campaign...In any case, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to review BETC’s greatest hits over the coming months, because the French creative powerhouse is celebrating its 30th birthday this year.

The Future is Back

16 January 2025
It’s time for our annual round-up of predictions for the year ahead. Stand by for healthier living, sustainable AI and a social media backlash.

When the press rewards creative prowess

16 December 2024
The 2024 Epica Awards once again allowed a jury of leading journalists to celebrate creativity. Here are some of their choices.

Claire Young, Girl&Bear: “Any opportunity to elevate the makers, and I'm there.”

28 November 2024
Girl&Bear has grown year on year since it launched in 2021, and its skilled team of “makers” has recently expanded to new outposts in Prague and Madrid.

Christmas done differently

21 November 2024
This year’s festive ads are falling like early snow, with many joyful films among them. But is there another way of capturing the Christmas spirit?

Lucas Peon, The Gate London: “I would love for people not to be able to guess what we’re going to do next.”

18 November 2024
Creativity doesn’t have a geographical location, but it may be that the more places, people and cultures you experience in life, the more inspiration you have to draw on. If that’s the case, then Lucas Peon has an advantage.

Robyn D’Arcy, AMV BBDO: Data, but make it emotional

04 November 2024
AMV BBDO’s approach to data is “data with a soul”, or data as a form of storytelling. Both sound reassuring, but what do they mean in practice?

Giving imprisoned journalists a voice

31 October 2024
Many journalists around the world are behind bars simply for doing their job. The Paris-based agency BETC, along with Reporters Without Borders and the French magazine Society, found a way of enabling them to express themselves. Not just beyond borders, but beyond prison walls.

Campaigns for the scariest season

18 October 2024
Halloween is just around the corner, so it’s time to gather around the cauldron and see what creative campaigns bubble up.

A new era for Herezie

10 October 2024
The four newcomers are likely to have a strong influence on the agency’s future direction.

During Pink October, a French insurer acts on breast cancer discrimination

09 October 2024
French insurer CNP Assurances and the agency The Good Company are using real estate billboards marked “Not For Sale” to make a point during breast cancer awareness month, known as “Octobre Rose” in France.

Frédéric Raillard on [Ai]magination: “We want to keep humans at the core”

07 October 2024
Currently [Ai]magination has around 35 people across all FRED & FARID offices and has already worked with a number of clients, including LVMH, L’Oréal, Valentino, Ferrero, Heineken and Fox Studios, to name a few.

Andrew Dimitriou on his new role at DEPT: “I need to tell the world what I’ve discovered here.”

27 September 2024
After 25 years at various iterations of Young & Rubicam – now VML, of course – he has joined DEPT as its first Global Chief Client and Growth Officer.

WE ARE Pi's Nike-backed sports blockbuster

26 September 2024
Nike is famous for 30 or 60-second ads that capture in a kinetic flash the essence of how it feels to be an athlete. The brand’s latest film – created by Amsterdam agency WE ARE Pi – is an entirely different beast.

The French army throws down the gauntlet

18 September 2024
Young people are asked if they’re up to the challenge of serving their country in a new recruitment campaign from Dentsu Creative.

When campaigns go back to school

06 September 2024
Yep, it’s that time of the year again, which means we can take a look at some campaigns that deserve top marks.

Claire Atkinson, Epica Awards 2024 Jury President: “I’m fascinated by commercial messaging and the way companies speak to us.”

03 September 2024
Her impressive career has included stints at the New York Post, where she spent seven years covering media, then NBC News, where she was senior media editor.

Jonathan Emmins, Amplify: “Just because something’s difficult, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.”

31 July 2024
It’s always interesting to see to what extent the founder of an agency resembles their business. Jonathan Emmins, founder and Global CEO of Amplify, seems energetic, curious and forward-looking. What could be better for a buoyant indie agency that’s somewhat outside the mainstream?

Why sport still scores with brands

30 July 2024
People – and brands – can’t get enough of sport. Even in today’s media environment, where streaming and social media draw millions of eyeballs, events like the Olympic Games have the power to stir up a fervor over broadcasting rights and sponsorship deals.

Brave Spark: Erasing the gap between thinkers and makers

29 July 2024
It’s sometimes a good idea to create something out of frustration: to solve a problem nobody else seems willing to address. That’s what happened with Brave Spark, founded by Rob Drake and Robin Shek in 2010. They felt that production and creativity were working too far apart. Their creative studio – which fused the two – was the result.

Amélie Ebongue: playing a role in a global conversation

18 July 2024
A unique experience of understanding various cultural insights from all over the world, but also learning from brands' standpoints and concrete positions via powerful campaigns with meaningful messages.

Why The Gate is doing more than OK

17 July 2024
It's been two years since we last sat down in Cannes with Jamie Elliott, CEO of The Gate. So what’s new at this compact but ambitious UK agency?

Teemu Suviala, Landor: “When there’s an atmosphere of trust, you loosen up, have fun and take more risks.”

10 July 2024
Teemu Suviala is passionate about all forms of design. Experimentation is part of his job description – and maybe even his mission in life.

When advertising is in Olympic form

08 July 2024
As France gears up for the Olympic Games, we take a look at some of the campaigns inspired by the event.

PJ Pereira: A novel vision of creativity

01 July 2024
Most people think there’s a difference between art and technology. PJ Pereira doesn’t see a space between them. More accurately, he sees the space – and he lives in it.

Severine Vauleon: How LUX puts a brave face on beauty

27 June 2024
It’s not uncommon for a person who works for a brand to express admiration and loyalty for it – but in Severine Vauleon’s case it rings true. After all, with a gap in between, she’s worked for LUX for a total of almost ten years.

Awards are skewed male – why?

20 June 2024
During OHFG this Wednesday, for the first time, a panel was opened to the public in the Palais des Festivals. Here are some insights from the session.

Innovative expressions of Pride

11 June 2024
As June is Pride month, we decided to explore campaigns supporting the LGBTQIA+ community.

Louis-Philippe Trépanier: Making A Good Move

07 June 2024
The subject of cause-related communications was on Louis-Philippe Trépanier’s mind long before he became The Good Company’s latest recruit.

When the press takes a stand

15 May 2024
With fake news still undermining facts and AI worming its way into newsrooms, the press faces more challenges than ever. Following World Press Freedom Day on May 3, we find out how journalism is fighting back.

Roisin Keown: Running an advertising hit factory in Ireland

08 May 2024
Pop music is a theme of the first part of our interview, mostly because the agency is called The Brill Building. Sound familiar? In fact, it’s a building in Manhattan that became a vital component of the music industry.

For young talent, advertising still has the power of attraction

19 April 2024
In partnership with the IAA France, we discuss the perception of advertising among young people, and find out what efforts are being made to attract young talent to the industry. Here are some key points from the interviews.

Shilpa Sinha, McCann: “The industry is attractive because it openly welcomes people from diverse backgrounds”

18 April 2024
In a series of interviews in partnership with the IAA France, we discuss the perception of advertising among young people, and find out what efforts are being made to attract young talent to the industry. In the last of our four articles, we hear from Shilpa Sinha, Chief Strategy Officer APAC, McCann Worldgroup Asia Pacific.

Mary Hargreaves, Lancaster University: “Our students feel that advertising is a career they will enjoy”

17 April 2024
In a series of interviews in partnership with the IAA France, we discuss the perception of advertising among young people, and find out what efforts are being made to attract young talent to the industry. This time it's the turn of a teacher: Mary Hargreaves, Teaching Fellow, Advertising & Marketing degree (BA Hons), Lancaster University, UK.

Bringing people back to books

16 April 2024
April 23 is World Book Day, so we decided to take another dive into campaigns promoting literacy and a love of books.

Bas Korsten, VML: “The ability to make a real world impact through advertising is bigger than it’s ever been”

16 April 2024
In a series of interviews in partnership with the IAA France, we discuss the perception of advertising among young people, and find out what efforts are being made to attract young talent to the industry. In this article we talk to Bas Korsten, Global Chief Creative Officer, Innovation and Co-Chief Creative Officer, EMEA, VML.

Inside a new Franco-Italian agency: the story of 777

15 April 2024
The new agency 777, created by Herezie and Armando Testa, is already handling two major accounts for automotive giant Stellantis: legendary auto brand Lancia and – as announced last week – the group’s second-hand vehicles brand, SPOTICAR.

Antoinette Beatson, BETC: "We have a shared responsibility to make these kids great"

15 April 2024
In a series of interviews in partnership with the IAA France, we discuss the perception of advertising among young people, and find out what efforts are being made to attract young talent to the industry. Our first interviewee is Antoinette Beatson, Vice-President, Executive Creative Director, BETC, France.

New trade magazine, Manifest, launches in India

12 April 2024
Raahil Chopra, the former editor of Campaign India, has launched a new print and online publication for the Indian market: Manifest.

New blood at GUT Amsterdam

02 April 2024
It can’t be easy to leap from Buenos Aires to Amsterdam – the cities are so far apart they’re in different seasons – but Gastón Gual and Alex Romero seem pretty chilled about the move. Having contributed to the soaring success of GUT in Argentina, the creative directors are now bringing their energy to the agency’s Amsterdam office, established only last year.

Direct talking with Pancho Cassis

28 March 2024
"I usually tell my jurors that the winners’ list should be a ‘go to’ manual for creatives and advertisers who want to see what’s possible within that category.”

Decathlon's Olympic bid for impact

18 March 2024
With the Olympic Games coming to Paris this summer, the French sports retail chain is likely to benefit from the nation’s big moment. And it’s making the most of it, with a new mission statement and logo, as well as an ad campaign from AMV BBDO.

A First Class Train

12 March 2024
The music, the lighting and the bittersweet storyline all make the film compelling. But the key to its magic lies in a bold production choice.

Tales of female empowerment

11 March 2024
March 8 was International Women’s Day. With France making abortion a constitutional right – a world first – only days before, we decided to focus on campaigns promoting gender equity and empowerment.

Abi Stephenson and Matt Jones: From the beach to BETC

11 March 2024
Winning awards can boost careers, but it isn’t usually the function of the Epica Awards to be a job dating agency. That can sometimes happen, though, as the fabulous story of Abi Stephenson and Matt Jones demonstrates.

Crystal Malachias, McCann: “Creators are opening up new forms of expression”

07 March 2024
It’s easy to get the impression that most people who handle influencer marketing at agencies are only one job into their career. But Crystal Malachias has over 17 years’ experience to draw on in her current role.

Rethink, Canada: Nurturing a love of great ideas

29 February 2024
While Rethink is clearly among the heads of the pack, it appears there’s something highly creative about Canadians.

The Escape Industry: How Iconic and Innovative Brands Built the Travel Business

October 2017
The Escape Industry takes readers on a journey through the evolution of this fascinating industry, from 19th century trailblazers such as Thomas Cook and The Ritz, to today's innovators such as TripAdvisor and Airbnb. A lively read full of incidents, anecdotes and unexpected encounters.

Adland: A Global History of Advertising (Second Edition)

July 2013
Adland is a ground-breaking examination of modern advertising, from its origins and evolution to the current advertising landscape. Bestselling author Mark Tungate examines key developments in the industry, from the first print ads, to the emergence of radio and TV and the opportunities afforded by the explosion of digital media. All backed up by exclusive interviews with adland luminaries including Jean-Marie Dru, Sir Alan Parker, Sir John Hegarty, Sir Martin Sorrell and George Lois.

Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara (3rd Edition)

October 2012
Fashion Brands takes you 'behind the seams' to expose how the use of advertising, store design and the media can transform a mere piece of clothing into something with an almost mystical allure. Packed with first-hand interviews with fashion brand gurus and industry insiders.

Branded Beauty: How Marketing Changed The Way We Look

October 2011
Beauty is a multi-billion dollar global industry embracing make-up, skincare, hair care, fragrances, cosmetic surgery - even tattooing and piercing. Over the years it has used flattery, seduction, science and shame to persuade consumers that they'll have to invest if they want to look their best. In Branded Beauty, Mark Tungate delves into the history and evolution of the beauty business.

Luxury World: The Past, Present and Future of Luxury Brands

October 2009
With wit, accuracy and insatiable curiosity, Luxury World takes us on a voyage around the luxury universe, slipping behind the façades of the world's most sophisticated businesses to show the reader how they function.

Branded Male: Marketing to Men

February 2008
Branded Male paints a portrait of the male consumer. From razor blades to beer, from aftershave to hotels, author Mark Tungate finds out which marketing messages have the most impact on male wallets. Men's bank balances may never be the same again.