This is the second piece in our three-part series on agencies that participated in the largest four-day workweek trial to date.

In an industry where long hours and weekend work aren’t exactly uncommon, a four-day workweek might seem like a pipe dream. But as the shorter workweek gains traction, some marketing agencies are experimenting with it—literally.

Several agencies took part in the world’s largest trial of the four-day workweek, conducted in the UK between June 2022 and December 2022. Results, which came out last month, indicated that the five-day, 40-hour workweek could soon become a relic of the past.

Given that marketing and advertising was the most-represented industry in the trial, we spoke with three participating agency executives about their experiences, including Paul David, CEO and co-founder of ad agency Literal Humans.

Getting involved

When the trial opportunity emerged, David told us, “We just thought it’s super aligned with our values; we generally just want to work less and test out if we can make it work with the agency model.” With the agency only a couple years old at the time, he said a shortened week was easy to “bake into the DNA of the company.”

Similar to Amplitude, David said he was concerned about the impact a shortened workweek could have on the agency’s ability to “keep pace” with other agencies and make money, as well as manage workers’ stress levels as they navigated shorter timelines.

However, by the end of it, the general consensus among employees was (in his words): “Please, God, do not ever go back to the five-day workweek.”

Continue reading here.—KH

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Nicole de Ravel is group account director at No Fixed Address, an independent agency. Throughout her career, she has held roles at agencies including Publicis Montreal and Bite Size Entertainment.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? Nurses Weak Gifts for connectRN. Nurses are supposed to feel appreciated for all that they do during Nurses Week, but yet 63% of nurses felt patronized by the typical ways in which employers were showing them appreciation. From encouragement rocks to bags of Goldfish crackers, these gifts infantilized an already demotivated and demoralized workforce. So what better way than to get in on the joke and offer nurses the opportunity to trade weak gifts for gifts that they will actually want. Not only was this campaign smart and bold, but it was so rewarding to feel the positive impact our work had on the nursing community.

What’s your favorite ad campaign? I love a campaign that generates a simple, singular human reaction: Dove’s “Real Beauty,” Chick-fil-A’s “Eat Mor Chikin,” or Ocean Spray’s recent “Power Your Holidays.” Keep it simple, keep it focused!

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? I am a huge foodie. I love to cook and host dinner parties just as much as I love to go out to restaurants or order takeout. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are the top three moments of my day.

What marketing trend are you most optimistic about? Least? I am excited to see brands and agencies embrace content creators and native content. I am least optimistic about AR/VR initiatives or updates to the metaverse.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? I enjoy listening to The Marketing Millennials on my commute to work. They cover a wide range of topics and keep the content succinct yet insightful. How millennial of me.

A package protects, promotes, and sets a product apart. This series looks at how iconic packages took shape.

The thing about iPhone packaging nowadays is that there’s less of it. The iPhone 12, released in 2020, the first without earbuds and a wall adapter, reduced packaging by half. The iPhone 14, released in September, boasts using fiber from what Apple calls “recycled and responsible sources,” with plastic making up just 5% of the packaging, down from 7% for the iPhone 12.

Then again, iPhone boxes may be less apt to clutter up landfills because many never throw them away, with 28.3% of purchasers keeping the boxes forever, according to a 2021 9to5Mac poll. Only 8.4% dispose of or recycle them, while 59.5% keep them until they replace the phone.

Why it works: The iPhone has always been linked to anticipation. After Steve Jobs announced it on stage in 2007, it didn’t come out for six months, and when it did, long lines formed outside stores, as they have for new versions.

Designed to be opened slowly, the packaging in a way mimics that post-announcement wait. Many open an iPhone by lifting it by the box top, which fully encompasses the bottom. Then there’s a long moment until gravity overcomes a slight vacuum and surface tension and the bottom slowly descends.

Greta Dirsel, executive creative director at branding and design agency Landor & Fitch, noted in an interview with us that there’s even the slightest sound when top and bottom separate.

“We’re not popping Pringles here,” she told us. “But to me, it’s just creating anticipation and suspense.” Keep reading on Retail Brew.—AAN

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

: Pinterest shared some tips on how to make the most of the full marketing funnel on the platform.

: Why this business owner uses snail mail as part of his marketing strategy.

: Read up on Bing Image Creator, Microsoft’s new AI-powered image generator.

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Have you checked out our new industry digest, Double Shot? At the end of every workday, you can expect a rundown of the day’s top stories, personnel changes, agency wins, and more in the style you’ve come to know and love from us. Learn more and subscribe here.

March Madness is in full swing, and CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery execs said earlier this month that ad inventory for the men’s tournament was effectively sold out. How much was the going rate for spots in the men’s championship game this year?

1. $1.9 million
2. $2.2 million
3. $2.5 million
4. $2.7 million

Keep scrolling for the answer.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• The four-day workweek: Why Amplitude tried it and wants to make it permanent
• How marketers and creators are thinking about a potential TikTok ban
• Brands are ditching their usual influencer marketing strategies for NIL deals