1. About this policy

    1. Together with our Website Terms of Use, this acceptable use policy (Policy) governs how you may access and use this website and all associated web pages (Site), which is provided by us free of charge.
    2. You should read this Policy carefully before using the Site.
    3. By using the Site or otherwise indicating your consent, you agree to be bound by this Policy, which supplements our Website Terms of Use. If you do not agree with or accept any part of this Policy, you should stop using the Site immediately.
    4. If you have any questions about this Policy, please contact us using the contact details provided in our Website Terms of Use.
    5. If you would like this Policy in another format (for example: audio, large print, braille) or language please contact us using the contact details provided in our Website Terms of Use.
    6. In this Policy:‘we’, ‘us’ or ‘our’ means Common Interest Group Limited, company registration number 14022495 with VAT registration number 441201942 and whose registered office is at 6th Floor 9 Appold Street, London, United Kingdom, EC2A 2AP; and‘you’ or ‘your’ means the person accessing or using the Site or its content.
  2. Acceptable use

    We permit you to use the Site only for personal, non-commercial purposes and primarily for accessing information about us. Use of the Site in any other way, including any unacceptable use set out in this Policy, is not permitted.

  3. Unacceptable use

    1. As a condition of your use of the Site, you agree not to use the Site:
      1. for any purpose that is unlawful under any applicable law or prohibited by this Policy or our Website Terms of Use;
      2. to commit any act of fraud;
      3. to distribute viruses or malware or other similar harmful software code;
      4. for purposes of promoting unsolicited advertising or sending spam;
      5. to simulate communications from us or another service or entity in order to collect identity information, authentication credentials, or other information (‘phishing’);
      6. in any manner that disrupts the operation of our Site or business or the website or business of any other entity;
      7. in any manner that harms minors;
      8. to promote any unlawful activity (including but not limited to the promotion or sale of any unlawful goods or services);
      9. to represent or suggest that we endorse any other business, product or service unless we have separately agreed to do so in writing;
      10. to gain unauthorised access to or use of computers, data, systems, accounts or networks; or
      11. to attempt to circumvent password or user authentication methods.
  4. Linking and framing

    1. You may create a link to our Site from another website without our prior written consent provided no such link:
      1. creates a frame or any other browser or border environment around the content of our Site;
      2. implies that we endorse your products or services or any of the products or services of, or available through, the website on which you place a link to our Site;
      3. displays any of the trade marks or logos used on our Site without our permission or that of the owner of such trade marks or logos; or
      4. is placed on a website that itself breaches this Policy.
    2. We reserve the right to require you to immediately remove any link to the Site at any time, and you shall immediately comply with any request by us to remove any such link.
  5. Using our name and logo

    You may not use our trade marks, logos or trade names except in accordance with this Policy and our Website Terms of Use.

  6. Breach

    We shall apply the terms of this Policy in our absolute discretion. In the event of your breach of this Policy we may terminate or suspend your use of the Site, remove or edit Submissions, disclose Submissions or any other communication to users of our Site by you to law enforcement authorities or take any action we consider necessary to remedy the breach.

  7. Changes to this Policy  

    This Policy was published on 9 July 2024 and last updated on 9 July 2024.We may change this policy from time to time, when we do we will inform you via email.
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“Our strategy is not to try to persuade CMOs that are not inclined to think about things in our way to spend budget with Common Interest,” said Freedman. “We’re here to create a new and different option for CMOs who have already come to the conclusion that cultural relevance is a competitive advantage.”

He’s really talking about those marketers who have reached that point in their careers where they recognize the importance of building a strong brand. For many, the pandemic was a moment of clarity. Brand advertising was the key that enabled companies to corkscrew through the inflationary period of the past two years. Time and again, CEOs mentioned on conference calls how the strength of their brands allowed them to pass inflation costs to consumers. Not paid advertising. Not programmatic. Brand strength.

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Holding company Common Interest has launched CultureLab, an AI data platform for brands to help them understand and grow their cultural relevance.

The start-up platform uses AI to analyse more than 1.8 billion cultural data points daily, to find trends and “act as a cultural compass” for brands.

AI and machine learning are a key part of the platform and its capability to mine licensed and anonymised cultural data at scale. Future plans include incorporating generative AI into the tech with a longer-term view of vertically integrating the platform into tools that clients and partners are building.

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Creative and design agency Otherway has become the latest addition to the holding company Common Interest’s stable.

Launched by Anthony Freedman, former chair of Havas in Australia and New Zealand, Common Interest is on a shopping spree, aiming to acquire around 10 businesses during 2024-25. It began last September, when it bought global marketing consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand.

Otherway’s clients include Unilever, Fortnum & Mason and Strongbow, whose branding the agency overhauled last year. Chief Executive Jono Holt, who joins Common Interest’s leadership team, said: “We really see the power of being part of something bigger than us, having done this independently for 10 years. We’ve got one eye on North America.”

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Last week, Common Interest’s entry into the advertising world didn’t shy away from poking a stick at its would-be rivals. Founder Anthony Freedman, former chair at Havas Australia, promised his new venture wouldn’t fall into the same trap as legacy ad networks that are “pursuing a narrowing focus on incremental performance gains driven by data.” It would not be focused on “short-term gains” or “shareholder returns” but would find a new way “to harness the power of creativity in culture to deliver growth in brand and business.”

The pitch: to deliver big, bold creative at the intersection of brand, entertainment, modern media and technology.

But it was the acquisition of TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, the much-hyped trans-Atlantic marketing consultancy set up by ex-Airbnb CMO Johnathan Mildenhall and former chief strategy officer of TBWA\Chiat\Day Neil Barrie, that really gave the manifesto some gravitas.

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TwentyFirstCenturyBrand was founded in 2018 and is led by global chief executive and co-founder Neil Barrie and chairman and co-founder Jonathan Mildenhall. Campaign spoke to the duo about selling their business to the new kid on the block.

What made you decide to become part of a holding company, and a new one at that? What was it about the Common Interest proposition that attracted you?

Barrie: "The proposition of a collective specifically designed to help brands grow in popular culture is refreshing and necessary. While we knew from our earliest days that we might need to become part of something bigger to achieve our goals for TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, a traditional holding company did not feel right.

Common Interest has a unique ambition and Anthony is a unique leader. He immediately understood not only the work we do but our culture and our values. We are a people-first business and we'll do our best work by building on our values, not by diluting them. Anthony's integrity and ability to build progressive and creative teams is renowned among those he's worked with. Under his leadership, Common Interest will supercharge our offer without diluting what makes us special.”

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Anthony Freedman, the former chair of Havas in Australia and New Zealand, has launched a London-headquartered holding company called Common Interest and announced its first acquisition – global marketing consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand.

Freedman, who has also founded businesses including One Green Bean, described privately funded Common Interest as a group with a "mission to build brands in popular culture", one that eschews a traditional paid media approach.

Common Interest is funded by nine investors (none of whom owns a stake greater than 20%), including chief executive and founder Freedman, from across the "worlds of film, entertainment, tech, media, gaming and advertising”.

Freedman described Common Interest's mission as generating "ideas that are bigger than advertising", that "aren't going to rely predominantly on paid media to reach audiences" and that are "fundamentally looking to build connections by tapping into popular culture”.

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