February 3, 2025 / Thought Leadership

Love at First Sight: Inspiring Generosity Through the Gift of Vision

We teamed up with global nonprofit Seva Canada to showcase the transformative power of sight restoration – crafting an acquisition strategy and campaign to attract new donors.

Together, we launched the “Love at First Sight” campaign, featuring beautiful photography captured by Nepali eye patients. The images told the powerful stories of the people and moments they had missed most—now brought into clear focus following eye treatments, including cataract surgery and glasses.

Bringing the campaign to life: We equipped Nepali eye patients with cameras after their sight was restored. They received training on how to use the cameras and documented heartfelt glimpses of their world—families, friends, pets, homes, and even birds soaring through the sky.

Forging an emotional bond with our audience, the campaign drove a 55% year-over-year increase in new donors.

Even amidst the challenges posed by the Canada Post strike during the critical holiday giving season, the campaign achieved remarkable success.

The Seva Canada business was won via our Vancouver office and supported by a global creative team to bring the campaign to life.

Learn more about the campaign here.

January 29, 2025 / News

Ads of the World: New England Aquarium

How do you motivate people to visit the New England Aquarium? You create a campaign that reflects the true experience and brings the exhibits to life with a stunning visual approach. In short, you WOW them.

We created a stunning typographic series that brought to life the emotions of the word WOW. Each letter, intricately formed from coral, anemone, and seaweed, was brought to life by the aquarium’s diverse marine life. This innovative approach not only resonated with audiences but also drove record-breaking ticket sales.

Read more
See the work here

January 29, 2025 / News

The City: How Mayoral Candidate Learned to Embrace the Cringe

A young mayoral candidate for New York City has set himself apart on social feeds by mixing big policy proposals with silliness to try to draw voters to his campaign. Alyssa Steven’s explains that this strategy doesn’t always lead to votes, especially when candidates focus on creating buzz or going viral without tying it back to their policy platforms.

Alyssa shares that Zohran Mamdani’s age plays a key role in his success. His content comes across as more genuine, making it easier for people to connect with his message.

Read more here.

January 28, 2025 / News

Ads of the World: Whetstone Beer Co.

Born in a renovated train station, Whetstone Beer Co. brews 16oz beers designed for new adventures, scenic escapes, and well-earned downtime. Our “Punch Your Ticket” campaign designs celebrate train travel’s golden age, their spirit of adventure shines in stores, online, print, merch, and sales materials.

Learn more here.

January 27, 2025 / News

AdWorld: AI Is an Asset That Can Amplify Human Creativity

Steve Connelly argues that while AI is a valuable asset in marketing and advertising, it should complement rather than replace human creativity and emotion in strategy. AI enhances capabilities and benefits clients, but it cannot fully replicate the intuitive and emotional elements crucial for building strong brand connections and customer loyalty. Integrating AI with human intuition and experience maximizes its effectiveness, preserving the essential human touch needed to foster meaningful customer relationships.

Read more here.

January 23, 2025 / News

Ads of the World: Carhartt

Since 1889, Carhartt has been the go-to brand for tradespeople facing tough conditions. We collaborated with Carhartt to launch a fall campaign, titled “Tough Is Timeless,” featuring cinematic visuals and rich storytelling to showcase the brand’s enduring quality.

Read more here.

Credits:
Carhartt
Connelly Partners
Subprime films
@Cabin Editing Company
@Company 3

January 23, 2025 / Thought Leadership

Practical Insights on Short-Form Video Platforms Amidst the Ongoing TikTok Saga

Erin Mullaney, Media Director
Courtney Marlow, Senior PR, Social Media & Influencer Marketing Manager

The potential TikTok ban is shaking up the short-form video landscape, leaving creators, marketers, and brands holding out hope or scrambling to explore alternative platforms. As TikTok’s highly engaged audience and creator-driven approach hang in the balance, many advertisers are making contingency plans. According to recent eMarketer reports, 50.2% of marketers plan to shift their TikTok investment to YouTube or Meta if the app is banned. How do all these platforms differ? Below is a synopsis of audiences, current platform environments and performance to take into consideration of where to invest your resources amidst the uncertainty. 

Audience: Who’s watching? 

Short-form video consumption is on the rise, with 63% of adults aged 18+ watching these videos on their smartphones, 55% of whom do so weekly1

TikTok has undeniably fueled this trend, but it hasn’t yet surpassed longer-established platforms in adult audience reach. YouTube leads the way, engaging 63% of the adult population, closely followed by Facebook at 62%. Instagram captures 44%, while TikTok trails with a reach of 33%.

A18+ Reach by Platform2:

  • YouTube: 63%
  • Facebook: 62%
  • Instagram: 44%
  • TikTok: 33%

Sources:
1A18+ Resonate – Jan 2025
2Average across MRI Simmons, Emarketer, and Resonate A18+ Penetration % 

The disparity in reach largely stems from generational engagement with each platform. TikTok has surpassed Facebook among adult Gen Z users and has been steadily approaching Instagram’s more mainstream appeal. Meanwhile, YouTube and Facebook, with their longer presence in the market, maintain broad reach across generations, particularly among Gen X and Boomers. In contrast, Instagram’s core audience skews heavily toward Millennials and Gen Z.

Source: eMarketer Platform Population Penetration, US 2024

Environments: How do they differ?

TikTok has become infamous for its ability to pull users into endless scrolling on their For You Page, delivering content that uncannily aligns with their current interests. As users potentially move away from TikTok, they’ll likely seek similar entertainment on other platforms. This means these platforms will need to bridge the content gap, with their current areas of focus and user experiences outlined below.

YouTube 

YouTube stands out as a platform with the broadest reach across age groups, making it a versatile choice for connecting with diverse audiences. With its integration into Google’s ecosystem, YouTube leverages extensive search data, allowing content, organic or paid, to reach users with precision and intent. While long-form horizontal videos remain prominent, YouTube Shorts, introduced as of 2021 in the U.S., represents a significant evolution. Shorts are increasingly featured in search results, offering users the flexibility to consume shorter, bite-sized content. The platform’s dual focus on search-driven discovery and content variety makes it a powerful tool for brands and creators alike.

Instagram & Facebook 

Instagram Reels is integrated into the Instagram app, where users can seamlessly transition from their feed to a TikTok-like Reels experience. While trends on Reels tend to be slightly delayed from TikTok, Instagram has evolved from a personal “highlight reel” to a discovery-focused platform, offering content tailored to user interests. Similarly, Facebook Reels appear in users’ feeds, and once clicked, users enter the Reels feed. Facebook is also pushing Reels content in an effort to drive more engagement on its platform.

Time Spent

The most significant distinction between TikTok and other platforms lies in user engagement time. TikTok’s finely tuned algorithm captivates users for an average of 51 minutes daily, far outpacing other platforms. By comparison, YouTube users spend an average of 36 minutes per day, Instagram users 35 minutes, and Facebook users 32 minutes1. With potentially freed-up consumption time following the potential TikTok ban, it will be interesting to see if consumer behaviors shift—and whether one platform, through user preference or ongoing updates to enhance engagement, begins to close the gap.

1Source: eMarketer Time Spent, US 2024

Performance: What Are They Good At?

While the activity of scrolling through short-form videos is similar across platforms, performance in the paid advertising space varies. Across campaigns, a few trends have emerged. YouTube Shorts is the most cost-efficient in terms of CPM, likely due to slower adoption and lower advertiser demand since rolling out Short-specific paid ads in late 2023. However, it falls behind Meta Reels and TikTok in average watch time.

TikTok strikes an impressive balance, offering the highest CTR, lowest CPC, and moderate costs, while maintaining competitive video watch times. Meta platforms (Instagram and Facebook) deliver slightly lower action metrics but benefit from marginally higher average watch times.

For conversion campaigns, Meta Reels appears to be the better alternative, while YouTube Shorts is ideal for cost-effective reach. If advertisers reallocate budgets amidst the TikTok uncertainty, Meta is predicted to see more reallocation dollars and thus increased competition. Therefore YouTube Shorts could remain a cost-efficient alternative.

Final Thoughts

As the potential TikTok ban looms, it’s important for brands and marketers to adapt by exploring alternative platforms, encompassing both organic and paid social strategies, as well as influencer marketing. Each platform offers nuances and unique advantages, and TikTok’s dominance in entertainment will undoubtedly be missed. However, with engaged and diverse audiences spread across multiple platforms, there are ample opportunities to evolve your strategy and connect with users where they are now—and where they’re headed in the near future.

January 22, 2025 / News

Big Changes Ahead in Advertiser YouTube Use by 2025

A survey conducted by Pixability, a company specializing in AI-driven contextual targeting, brand suitability and performance advertising on YouTube and CTV, revealed insights from U.S. & UK Media Agency executives, buyers and planners about their current video advertising behaviors and their predictions for YouTube and CTV budgets and strategies in 2025.

Erin Mullaney, Media Director at Connelly Partners, emphasizes that brands need to recognize YouTube’s dominance in the CTV space. YouTube is not only the top streaming platform in terms of viewership and reach but also distinguishes itself with its ad-supported model, unlike competitors such as Netflix, which rely heavily on ad-free subscriptions.

This shift in the landscape has led agencies to adapt by unifying their TV, YouTube, and CTV teams. 

Read more from MarTech Cube and StreetInsider 

January 16, 2025 / News

AdAge: Top Ad Trends to Watch in 2025

The advertising industry in 2025 is rapidly transforming. From AI-driven personalization, to shifting consumer dynamics and unprecedented cultural fragmentation, brands are facing both monumental challenges and unparalleled opportunities.

In this AdAge feature, Steve Connelly shares his predictions for the industry this year. He foresees a backlash against superficial AI, leading to the reduction of lazy, gimmicky AI marketing and a push toward more meaningful applications. We’ll also see a focus on AI’s true benefits in analytics, media and enhancing search, rather than empty, concept-less ads.

Check out all the 2025 predictions here.

January 15, 2025 / News

Ads of the World: Bombazine Oysters

Oysters may be among the world’s most savory yet unsightly creatures. Our latest campaign for Bombazine Oysters celebrates the charm of this unconventional delicacy, embracing a deeper philosophy of beauty. Find the work featured online, in-store, and beyond.

See the work here.