1. About our terms

    1. These terms and conditions of use (Terms) explain how you may use this website and any of its content (Site). These Terms apply between Common Interest Group Limited (we, us or our) and you, the person accessing or using the Site (you or your).
    2. You should read these Terms carefully before using the Site. By using the Site or otherwise indicating your consent, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with any of these Terms, you should stop using the Site immediately.
    3. The Site is provided by us to you free of charge for information.
    4. If you would like these Terms in another format (for example: audio, large print, braille) or language please contact us using the contact details set out below. About us  
    5. We are Common Interest Group Limited (trading as Common Interest), a company registered in England and Wales under company registration number 14022495. Our registered office is at 6th Floor, 9 Appold Street, London EC2A 2AP. Our VAT registration number is 441201942.
    6. If you have any questions about the Site, please contact us by sending an email to hello@commoninterest.co.
  2. Using the site

    1. As a condition of your use of the Site, you agree to comply with our Acceptable Use Policy  and agree not to:
      1. The Site is for your personal and non-commercial use only.
      2. You agree that you are solely responsible for all costs and expenses you may incur in relation to your use of the Site.
      3. We make no promise that the Site is appropriate or available for use in locations outside of the UK. If you choose to access the Site from locations outside the UK, you acknowledge you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws where they apply.
      4. We try to make the Site as accessible as possible. If you have any difficulties using the Site, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this page.
      5. As a condition of your use of the Site, you agree to comply with our Acceptable Use Policy  and agree not to:
        1. misuse or attack our Site by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or any other material which is malicious or technologically harmful (such as by way of a denial-of-service attack), or
        2. attempt to gain unauthorised access to our Site, the server on which our Site is stored or any server, computer or database connected to our Site.
      6. We may prevent or suspend your access to the Site if you do not comply with these Terms or any applicable law.
  3. Registration and password security

    1. Use of the Site may require registration, particularly in order to access restricted areas of the Site.
    2. We are not obliged to permit anyone to register with the Site and we may refuse, terminate or suspend registration to anyone at any time.
    3. You are responsible for making sure that your password and any other account details are kept secure and confidential.
    4. If we have reason to believe there is likely to be a breach of security or misuse of the Site through your account or the use of your password, we may notify you and require you to change your password, or we may suspend or terminate your account.
    5. Any personal information you provide to us as part of the registration process will be processed in accordance with our Website Privacy Policy.
  4. Infringing content

    1. We will use reasonable efforts to:
      1. delete accounts which are being used in an inappropriate manner or in breach of these Terms; and
      2. identify and remove any content that is inappropriate, defamatory, infringes intellectual property rights or is otherwise in breach of our Acceptable Use Policy   when we are notified, but we cannot be responsible if you have failed to provide us with the relevant information.
    2. If you believe that any content which is distributed or published by the Site is inappropriate, defamatory or infringing on intellectual property rights, you should contact us immediately using the contact details at the top of this page.
  5. Your privacy and personal information

    Your privacy and personal information are important to us. Any personal information that you provide to us will be dealt with in line with our Website Privacy Policy, which explains what personal information we collect from you, how and why we collect, store, use and share such information, your rights in relation to your personal information and how to contact us and supervisory authorities in the event you have a query or complaint about the use of your personal information.

  6. Ownership, use and intellectual property rights

    1. The intellectual property rights in the Site and in any text, images, video, audio or other multimedia content, software or other information or material submitted to or accessible from the Site (Content) are owned by us and our licensors.
    2. We and our licensors reserve all our intellectual property rights (including, but not limited to, all copyright, trade marks, domain names, design rights, database rights, patents and all other intellectual property rights of any kind) whether registered or unregistered anywhere in the world. This means, for example, that we remain owners of them and are free to use them as we see fit.
    3. Nothing in these Terms grants you any legal rights in the Site or the Content other than as necessary for you to access it. You agree not to adjust, try to circumvent or delete any notices contained on the Site or the Content (including any intellectual property notices) and in particular, in any digital rights or other security technology embedded or contained within the Site or the Content.
    4. Trade marks: trade marks and trade names may be used on the Site or in the Content. Use by you of any trade marks on the Site or in the Content is strictly prohibited unless you have our prior written permission.
  7. Submitting information to the site

    1. While we try to make sure that the Site is secure, we do not actively monitor or check whether information supplied to us through the Site is confidential, commercially sensitive or valuable.
    2. Other than any personal information which will be dealt with in accordance with our Website Privacy Policy, we do not guarantee that information supplied to us through the Site will be kept confidential and we may use it on an unrestricted and free-of-charge basis as we reasonably see fit.
  8. Accuracy of information and availability of the site

    1. We try to make sure that the Site is accurate, up-to-date and free from bugs, but we cannot promise that it will be. Furthermore, we cannot promise that the Site will be fit or suitable for any purpose. Any reliance that you may place on the information on the Site is at your own risk.
    2. We may suspend or terminate access or operation of the Site at any time as we see fit.
    3. Any Content is provided for your general information purposes only and to inform you about us and our products and news, features, services and other websites that may be of interest, but has not been tailored to your specific requirements or circumstances. It does not constitute technical, financial or legal advice or any other type of advice and should not be relied on for any purposes. You should always use your own independent judgment when using our Site and its Content.
    4. While we try to make sure that the Site is available for your use, we do not promise that the Site will be available at all times or that your use of the Site will be uninterrupted.
  9. Hyperlinks and third party sites

    The Site may contain hyperlinks or references to third party advertising and websites other than the Site. Any such hyperlinks or references are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over third party advertising or websites and accept no legal responsibility for any content, material or information contained in them. The display of any hyperlink and reference to any third party advertising or website does not mean that we endorse that third party’s website, products or services. Your use of a third party site may be governed by the terms and conditions of that third-party site and is at your own risk.

  10. Our responsibility to you

    1. If we breach these Terms or are negligent, we are liable to you for foreseeable loss or damage that you suffer as a result. By ‘foreseeable’ we mean that, at the time these Terms were formed, it was either clear that such loss or damage would occur or you and we both knew that it might reasonably occur, as a result of something we did (or failed to do).
    2. We are not liable to you for any loss or damage that was not foreseeable, any loss or damage not caused by our breach or negligence, or any business loss or damage.
    3. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits our liability for any death or personal injury caused by our negligence, liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that the law does not allow us to exclude or limit.
  11. Events beyond our control

    We are not liable to you if we fail to comply with these Terms because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

  12. No third party rights

    No one other than us or you has any right to enforce any of these Terms.

  13. Complaints

    1. We will try to resolve any disputes with you quickly and efficiently. If you are unhappy with us, please contact us as soon as possible using the contact details set out at the top of this page.
    2. The laws of England and Wales apply to these Terms, although if you are resident elsewhere you will retain the benefit of any mandatory protections given to you by the laws of that country.
    3. Any disputes will be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
  14. Variation

    1. These Terms were last published on 9 July 2024 and last updated on 9 July 2024.
    2. No changes to these Terms are valid or have any effect unless agreed by us in writing or made in accordance with this clause 14.
    3. We reserve the right to vary these Terms from time to time. Our updated Terms will be displayed on the Site and by continuing to use and access the Site following such changes, you agree to be bound by any variation made by us. It is your responsibility to check these Terms from time to time to verify such variations.
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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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