Cerys Holliday

Journalist.

Formerly Media and Communications at The All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon.

Shortlisted writer.

MA Journalism graduate at Goldsmiths, University of London.


Creative Salon •

Boots Has Found Its Festive Funny Bone

In being funny, celebrity-free, and relatable, Boots’ Christmas campaign has proved that going against the status quo can pay off. While most brands focus on the heartfelt rollercoasters of Christmas time, the beauty brand has honed in on the humour behind gift giving, and the feeling of being utterly obsessed with a present.

For Gifts They’ll Really Love captures the moments of elation felt when a desired gift is opened, as opposed to having to feign appreciation. Thanks to its creative agency, WPP, it’s captured this in style, with a mum seemingly permanently attached to her new LED Light Therapy Mask, a girl who’s possessive over her Dyson Airwrap, and a man in love with his Oral-B electric toothbrush. All to a techno cover of Shepard’s Bell.
Creative Salon •

Why John Lewis' Christmas Ad Spotlights Intergenerational Connection

It’s officially the festive season, as John Lewis unveils this year's Christmas ad, alongside heroes Gloria and Pickles.

The campaign features Dame Kristin Scott as Gloria, who embarks on a journey of intergenerational connection, searching for the perfect gift for her grandchildren that isn’t a card filled with money. That leads her to rediscover her old Christmas gift, Pickles the dog, who has sat in her attic for years.
Creative Salon •

Just Eat's Global Platform Taps Into Life’s Important Moments

Say goodbye to the days of celebrities such as Katy Perry and Craig David with their (annoyingly) catchy songs. Just Eat has entered a new era.

The brand is turning its traditions on its head (aside from its bright orange colouring), and honing in on human insight, as it swaps Did Somebody Say… for its new brand platform Stay Just Where You Are – the debut work from its new creative agency VCCP.
Creative Salon •

Turning Money Management On Its Head: Monzo's AJ Coyne

It’s a brave move to purposely get consumers to think less about a product – and there are few categories where it works as powerfully as banking.

Monzo is a digital bank aiming to showcase to its audience that while money is important, it shouldn’t consume a person's everyday thoughts. Its CMO AJ Coyne is the marketer helping the brand mark its territory as it has continued to grow in popularity over recent years.
Creative Salon •

Creators: The Next Gen

The creator economy is entering a new era but perhaps not in the way some many expected. Not because influence is disappearing, but because agencies and brands are rethinking where creators belong in the creative process.

Edelman’s Gen Z Maker Bench is one example of that shift. The initiative brings together a pool of ‘makers’ whose skills and cultural fluency can be matched with client briefs. Rather than treating creators as the final step, brought in to polish or amplify an already-made idea, Edelman is involving makers from the outset, using their understanding of audiences, platforms, and trends to shape the work itself.
Creative Salon •

Why Virgin Media O2 Collaborated With The Sidemen

The Sidemen are one of the UK’s most popular YouTube groups with over 20 million subscribers and growing.

Best known for their hugely popular 'Sidemen Sunday' videos, the group has grown into a cultural powerhouse, collaborating with creators including Mr Beast and, most recently, hosting YouTube's first official live stream of a FIFA World Cup match, complete with their own creator-led commentary alongside BBC coverage
Creat •

How Digitas Kickstarted Cadillac's F1 Journey

The Super Bowl is the pinnacle stage for brands; millions of consumers are watching, and an ad slot during half-time is worth an estimated $8m. The timing of this year's game coincided with luxury car brand Cadillac announcing its new Formula 1 (F1) team entry; not only did it look to capitalise on one of the world's most sporting events, but it looked to create a platform for attention to land and to keep audience engagement levels high. Its online hub was designed as a digital home for the br...
Cre •

Will Grundy on leading the next wave of strategy

It’s a growing rarity to find someone that hasn’t left their first job after more than a decade – even in adland. Will Grundy, having been at adam&eve\TBWA for nearly 15 years, is an exception to the rule. He was promoted to the agency’s CSO in January last year, having previously been head of strategy – originally joining through the adam&eve graduate scheme. “I love this place,” he begins. “I often feel I'm a fly on the wall in the All Black’s dressing room because I've had this incredible op...
Creative Salon •

Taking The NFL To The World

While football (or soccer to the natives) is the sport dominating America this summer, the National Football League (NFL) is only briefly sitting back in the shadows in its homeland.

The season, despite being only 18-weeks long, is constantly gaining traction internationally; Super Bowl 2026 had an estimated 125.6 million viewers worldwide and growing.

On top of all that, Flag football, which, alongside Dentsu Creative, sees the brand aiming to inspire the next wave of talent and celebrate the younger athletes shaping the future of the sport.
Creative Salon •

Kate Stanners: ‘I’m still working at my age because I bloody love it’

Kate Stanners surprised the industry last September when she announced she was leaving Saatchi & Saatchi for PR giant Edelman, ending a 20-year tenure at the creative agency.
Her hiring was a well kept industry secret, while her newly-created job title – chief creative officer, international – sees her leading the agency’s creativity across EMEA and APAC.
Sitting in a conference room after a full day of judging at D&AD, Stanners speaks with clarity and openness throughout the near hour-and-a-half...
Creative Salon •

When HP and Edelman Printed An Entire Billboard

When HP wanted to showcase the durability of its Smart Tank printers, it turned the traditions of advertising on its head alongside Edelman.

While just printing something out is seemingly an obvious choice to do so; printing out an OOH billboard using just a HP printer requires an eyebrow raise – both in intrigue and at its unconventional challenges.

“It gave us an opportunity to talk about the durability of the product in a very authentic way,” begins Debbie Fagan, creative director at Edelman. “There were no frills. We didn't put it on a stage. We didn't have any talent around it. We literally had the printer and the billboard.”
Creative Salon •

The World Cup of Influencers

With the World Cup just around the corner, it’s set to be a beaming reflection of the current digital era.

Audience attention is fixated on social media. Nose down in screens, scrolling through a symphony of opinions, liking the ones that align with their own. And being world’s most anticipated sporting tournament, this leaves a window of opportunity for brands to capitalise on the growing interest in what goes on off the pitch, behind the scenes, away on screens.

How? The creator ecosystem.
Creative Salon •

Starbucks Chilled Coffee Is Putting People Over Product

Waking up and reaching for a cup of coffee is a habit that is still ever-growing — whether that comes with 12 pumps of caramel or just a splash of oat milk — Starbucks Chilled Coffee is a brand looking to support as life’s sidekick.

That why its new platform ‘Whatever Your Thing, We’re In’— by creative agency AMV BBDO — is rooted in the insight of celebrating self-expression in an era where conforming to society is a barrier for some — particularly young people constantly editing themselves to fit in.
Creative Salon •

Ottolenghi Is Reinventing The Brand Storytelling Script

How do you launch a book in modern culture? A pertinent question when considering emerging technology, popular social platforms, fragmented attention spans. But for hospitality brand Ottolenghi, co-founded by chef Yotam Ottolenghi, its cookbooks are proof that appetite for reading is still there.

Its most popular read, ‘Simple’, launched in 2018, sold 11 million copies and resides in one in eight UK homes, according to Shona Campbell, chief marketing and growth officer at Ottolenghi. With the launch of its highly anticipated sequel, ‘Simple Too’, the brand is looking to answer that very question while working with its first creative agency, Ace of Hearts.
Creative Salon •

World Cup 2026: Redefining Brand Partnerships

They think it's all over... the wait for the next World Cup almost is anyway, and it’s not just fans brimming at the possibility of ‘what could be’.This year’s tournament, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, is one that has stirred up controversy. That includes the extortionate ticket prices (the lowest-priced ticket for the final is nearly 500 per cent higher than Qatar 2022 at £3,000), controversial immigration enforcement practises, FIFA cutting its operating budget by over...
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