AKA UK

Ready to work with one of the West End’s most creative and forward-thinking independent marketing agencies? We’re ready for you 🫵 Join our growing team in the London office: 💥 Digital Operations Executive Digital Media Team 💥 Media Account Manager Offline Media Team 💥 Media Executive Offline Media Team 💥 Account Executive Strategy & Account Management Team 💥 Account Manager / Senior Account Manager Strategy & Account Management Team If you are passionate about live entertainment and theatre, check out the details of the live roles here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ertDKcYY

ITV has announced that ITVX saw a record-breaking 1 BILLION PLUS streams in Q1 of 2025!   Highlights included: ➡️ 300 million+ streams in Drama – with Unforgotten, Playing Nice, Protection all in the mix of top-delivering titles ➡️ 124 million streams of ITV’s Soaps – Emmerdale and Coronation Street ➡️ 100 million+ streams for Love Island   A recent Thinkbox research piece conducted by Richard Shotton - who specialises in applying behavioural science to marketing – shows that TV as a medium still leads the field when it comes to brand trust, recall and impact. Some prime takeaways from this research are:   ✒️ 54% of adverts are noticed by audiences who are “relaxed” – compared to just 36% noticed by “stressed” audiences – so brands that reach people on their sofa with their feet up will find themselves a far more receptive audience! ✒️ By extension, specifically targeting channels or programming that makes audiences relaxed (e.g. Light Entertainment / Soaps) increases our campaigns propensity to land with viewing audiences. ✒️ Viewers in groups experience more extreme emotional reactions to brands – happy messages make them happier, sad messages sadder! We should consider including programming reaching group audiences (such as sports matches) when we have product that can elicit that amplified “happy” emotional response through group viewing dynamic. ✒️ Creatively, mood really matters. One of the important principles of behavioural science is the need to make desired behaviours attractive so it’s important to be mindful of this – and the audiences to whom we want to appeal – when putting creative together. ✒️ Make messaging “concrete”. Things are more memorable when we can picture them in our mind’s eye; in a recent survey, 425 consumers were given a list of 10 phrases – some abstract (e.g. “Innovative quality”, “trusted provenance”, “central purpose”), some concrete (“fast car”, “skinny jeans”, “cashew nut”, “money in your pocket”) – participants recalled 10 times more of the concrete phrases than the abstract ones, therefore developing a “concrete language” in our creatives is key for the way in which our brands are not only received but also recalled, and engaged with.   Now has never been a better time to explore On-Demand TV advertising.   Get in touch! Samantha Thomas, Head of Offline Media : samanthathomas@akauk.com Neil Holding, Media Account Director : neilholding@akauk.com

For this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 60 campaign with the Natural History Museum, AKA’s OOH campaign combined high-impact and high-frequency formats to drive awareness and engagement. 💡 London Underground 16s and Rail 6s ensured visibility at key commuter hubs. 💡 Adrail 4s (LSE) and LU 4s delivered strong reach and frequency. 💡 Jack Arts’ 15 in-a-row gave us bold, creative roadside impact. By focusing on proven formats and environments, we maximised attention and engagement for this incredible exhibition. 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/dHyr8KTd #naturalhistorymuseum #WPY #WildlifePhotographerOfTheYear #OOH #AKAUK

📢 ALVA ANNOUNCES 2024 VISITOR NUMBERS 📢   ALVA - Association of Leading Visitor Attractions released the visitor figures of its members for 2024 last week. The total number of visits to 400 ALVA members sites in 2024 was 157.2 million, which is a 3.4% increase on the previous year.    Richard Huntrods and Charlotte Thomson, AKA's Directors of Audiences, Research and Insight, have taken away one key outcome:   Audiences Show Up, Even in Challenging Times. In a world of rising living costs and uncertainty, one thing remains true: people are still seeking connection, excitement, and experiences that create a buzz. New data from ALVA shows that even in 2024, audiences are showing up for attractions that offer something new, something different, and something that makes them feel connected and those that don’t tend to fall off the pace.   Our top takeaways from this are:   ➡️ Buzz and Novelty Drive Visits: Overall, visits increased by 3.5%, with top-performing attractions being those that offered unique experiences and exciting new exhibitions.   ➡️ Regional Revival: London saw a 3% increase in visitor numbers, while regions like the East Midlands (+4.5%) and Yorkshire & Humberside (+4.2%) are thriving.   ➡️ New Experiences Matter: Venues that introduced fresh experiences—like the V&A’s Taylor Swift Songbook trail and the National Portrait Gallery’s grand reopening—saw impressive boosts in attendance.   ➡️ What’s Next? With major anniversaries and immersive experiences on the horizon, from Tate Modern’s 25th to the Roman Baths' evening events, the future looks bright for attractions that keep innovating.   In a post-pandemic world dominated by social media, people are craving real experiences that say something about who they are, can be shared, and create a sense of connection. For marketers in arts and culture, we need to create a sense of excitement, offer something new, and celebrate connection.   📧 To find out more about audiences and insight at AKA please get in touch with richardhuntrods@akauk.com and charlottethomson@akauk.com #ALVA #AKAUK

💙 Matilda The Musical 💙 The new website for Matilda The Musical is now live 🙌 AKA has been working on this multi award-winning musical for over a decade and the team have worked very hard with our clients at the Royal Shakespeare Company to come up with concepts and fully visualised designs that mirror this inspiring show. The brand new website benefits from more engaging and user responsive interactions which enhance the overall experience and journey through the site. It also now has a more intuitive CMS and backend that makes for easier and more robust updating. 
Check it out! https://lnkd.in/eCH5sWBb #matildathemusical #website #AKAUK

🚀 50 NOMS 🚀 Congratulations to our inspiring clients whose productions, casts, and creatives have been nominated in this year’s Olivier Awards. We're incredibly proud and grateful to be part of the team that helped make this West End season shine. To all the nominees, break a leg and see you on Sunday, 6 April - we can't wait! Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre #olivierawards #AKAUK

📣 Sadler’s Wells East 📣 Sadler’s Wells East- a new powerhouse of dance has officially opened this month to an incredible season. From hip hop to ballet, bharatanatyam to rave, khatak to krumping. This is their fourth permanent venue, joining Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Lilian Baylis Studio in Angel, and Peacock Theatre in Holborn. In addition to a 550-seat auditorium, there are four dance studio spaces, bars and restaurant, a public performance space and it will be home to resident company Breakin’ Convention. It has been a joy working with Sadler's Wells over the past few decades and can’t wait for what the future holds 🙌 Dance to move the world 🌍 Sadler’s Wells East: ✨ Mythili Prakash She’s Auspicious 28 Feb- 2 March ✨ Jasmin Vardimon Company NOW 5 - 8 March ✨ (LA)HORDE / Ballet national de Marseille Age of Content 14 - 16 March ⬇️ Check out the rest of the programme ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/ebM9bDm2 #sadlerswells #sadlerswellseast #dance #AKAUK

🦖 Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs 🦕 AKA are delighted to continue working with the amazing team at Lightroom the home of artist- led storytelling. Working hand-in-hand with the greatest artistic talents across art, music, film, fashion, science and more, Lightroom has reimagined what an immersive experience can look like. Prehistoric Planet: Discovering Dinosaurs will be roaring in to the venue from 9 July 2025. A celebration of our natural world through captivating storytelling, breathtaking visuals and groundbreaking technology, in collaboration with Apple TV+. Evoking a feeling of wonder, you will be guided on a once in a lifetime adventure, exploring the fascinating role dinosaurs have played in shaping our world from 66 million years ago until now. Between now and then you still have time to catch: 👗 Vogue: Inventing The Runway 🌙 The Moonwalkers: A Journey with Tom Hanks 🎨 Coldplay: A Film for the Future 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/ezRhzM7a Lightroom Apple TV+ #lightroom #discoveringdinosaurs #AKAUK

What a phenomenal night last night at the 25th WhatsOnStage Awards. A huge congratulations to our extraordinary clients, motivated and passionate team that bring the magic of LIVE Entertainment, day in day out to the masses. EAT SLEEP THEATRE REPEAT Andrew Lloyd Webber ATG Entertainment UK Cameron Mackintosh Ltd Kenny Wax Productions MICHAEL HARRISON ENTERTAINMENT LIMITED Octopus Theatricals, LLC Sonia Friedman Productions The Jamie Lloyd Company #WOSAWARDS #THEATRE #WESTEND #AKAUK

Happy 25th Whats On Stage Awards Day 🤩 Good luck to all nominees and everyone involved in this wonderful celebration of theatre 🙌, we’ll be cheering from the sidelines💥 AKA are proud to be sponsoring ‘Best professional debut performance’ 💫 WhatsOnStage #WOSAWARDS #Theatre #WestEnd #AKAUK