Episodes
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Campaign’s editorial team take to the studio clad in Christmas jumpers and novelty antlers to chat about this year’s crop of festive ads.
A wave of ads have dropped over the last few weeks, including the likes of John Lewis, Waitrose, McDonald’s, M&S, Coca-Cola, Amazon, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
In this episode, the team discusses some standout work as well as other spots that didn’t quite hit the mark. Guests also debate whether John Lewis still holds the yard stick when it comes to quality Christmas ads, argue the value of revisiting old strategies and praise the power of music.
Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley is joined by Maisie McCabe, UK editor, Alessandra Scotto di Santolo, creativity and culture editor, and Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter.
Further reading:
‘Wonderful nostalgia’, ‘little annoyances’, ‘brilliantly chosen track’: creatives react to John Lewis Christmas adJohn Lewis Christmas ad depicts 'magical journey of memories' between sistersWaitrose & Partners campaign conjures up star-studded festive mysteryMcDonald’s lights up festive season with ‘satisfying’ Christmas campaignSainsbury’s and the BFG serve up a 'phizz-whizzing' Christmas feastGingerbread-fuelled Tesco ad touches on grief during the festive periodCoca-Cola unveils ‘Holidays are coming’ ad made by AIAmazon's Christmas campaign puts theatre caretaker's talent centre stageM&S Food's Sharry Cramond hails consistency as Dawn French's festive fairy returnsM&S Clothing & Home ad imagines Christmas inside a snow globeFind Waldo in Etsy’s holiday campaignHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The jury is out and the 2024 awards season is drawing to a close – with adland celebrating the best work of the year at the Campaigns Big Awards 2024 last week.
In this episode, tech editor Lucy Shelley catches up with co-chairs of judges Charlene Chandrasekaran, executive creative director at TheOr, and Nicholas Hulley, chief creative officer at Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. Alongside Campaign's UK editor Maisie McCabe, they dissect what happened on the judging days and what makes award-winning work in 2024.
Chandrasekaran explains her sausage analogy mentioned in her speech on the night while the duo reveal what they'd like to see in next year's awards circuit including how brands and agencies need to "stick their necks out" and have a bit more "teeth".
Later on the episode, Shelley chats with the big winner of the night Mother, which picked up the grand prix Agency of the Year award as well as five more gongs for its work with Uber One, KFC and Ikea. Katie Mackay-Sinclair, partner at the creative shop, discusses Mother's winning ingredients, why long-term partnerships make the difference and finding the space to take risks.
Other big winners on the night included McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi, Adam & Eve/DDB and PepsiCo's Sips & Bites.
Further reading:
Campaign Big Awards 2024: winners revealed
Uber's and Mother’s partnership demonstrates the value of being annoying
Uber taps Robert De Niro and Asa Butterfield for Uber One spot
KFC and Mother tap into modern anxieties for first phase of brand relaunch
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Campaign's editorial team gather in the studio to question how to launch a successful ad agency.
This year we have seen exciting start ups include Uncharted founded by the female trio (Fern Miller, Hattie Matthews and Laura Jordan Bambach) and Publicis Groupe launching LeShop with 80 staff working across 20 brands. However, in the last five years, data from Avid Panda suggests that 42.5% of new marketing companies have closed and advertising agencies are the hardest to run, with a business mortality rate of 43.9%.
In this episode, the team discusses what happens after an agency is launched, how do you scale and is a sell a measure of success, with comments from James Murphy, founder and chief executive of New Commercial Arts, which he recently sold to WPP, after selling his previous shop Adam & Eve to DDB in 2012.
Hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley, she is joined by editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, deputy editor Gemma Charles and features editor Matt Barker.
Further reading:
What makes an agency brand?
Croud sells majority stake to boost M&A ‘war chest’ in £180m-plus deal
Would an agency by any other name taste as sweet?
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As Black History Month draws to a close, Campaign's editorial team is questioning has adland lost its commitment to DEI, and if so, why?
After George Floyd's death in 2020, the advertising industry saw a flurry of activity and investment. In this episode, Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley is joined by deputy editor Gemma Charles to take a look at what adland has done in the four years since. They are joined by special guests Asad Dhunna, founder and chief executive of The Unmistakables, and Sonia Gilchrist, senior business director and head of DE&I at VCCP.
They discuss why the agency world isn't set up for diverse talent, Heinz' errors in advertising and how adland can recapture the spirit of 2020.
Further reading:
Following the Heinz rows, how should brands respond to accusations of racism?
Heinz faces backlash over negative stereotypes in ad
How to fix the deprioritisation of DE&I
The deprioritisation of DE&I in adland: ‘You talk about race and you see people glaze over’
School Reports 2024: One step forward, two steps back for diversity
Adland has BAME talent
Four years on, adland's diverse talent speaks out on challenges, change and next steps
Chloë Davies officially launches It Takes A Village Collective
Up next in the Campaign calendar:
Campaign Big Awards (5 November)
Campaign In-Housing Summit (5 November)
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A Campaign feature revealed the proportion of people experiencing or witnessing bullying and harassment in adland has increased from 34% in 2023 to 47% this year.
This episode speaks to Lorraine Jennings-Creed, director of wellbeing services and culture change at Nabs, who delves into the issue, digging up why the ad industry has a problem and if it might be getting worse. She talks about how power dynamics in the industry intensify issues of bullying and harassment and what impact this has on businesses and people in adland.
Hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley, Jennings-Creed is joined in the studio by Campaign's UK editor Maisie McCabe and culture and creativity editor Alessandra Scotto di Santolo.
They discuss instances that occurred at Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity this year and what role event organisers should play, including a conversation with Dagmar Bennet, new business and brand partnerships director for Brixton Finishing School, who came forward after experiencing harassment this year. She discusses how the industry has reacted to her openness four months on.
Nabs is a support charity for people in advertising and media, and has been around for over 100 years.
If anyone has experienced bullying or harassment or is in need of support, please call Nabs advice line on 0800 707 6607.
Further reading:
Nabs launches training for managers in mental wellness
Never mind 'wellness', it's time to properly focus on mental health
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The Media Week Awards 2024 took place last Thursday with a theatrical show, Rylan Clark and almost 1000 people in attendance. As one of the most prestigious awards in media, and one of the rowdiest nights in the calendar, this episode catches up with the chairs of judges and top winners on the night.
Hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley, the episode begins with a catchup the morning after with media editor Beau Jackson and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis. They discuss some of the standout moments of the night and also give a backstage look into the judging days that preceded the event.
After their chat, the episode features Lewis on the ground at the awards talking to chairs of judges David Amodio, head of video sales specialists for Northern Europe at Amazon, and Laura Fenton, UK chief executive of Omnicom Media Group. With a G&T in hand, they discuss what makes a winner and the trends seen in the shortlists this year.
Lewis then braved a few midnight interviews with the winners of the biggest awards – Media Agency of the Year and Sales Team of the Year. These were won by MG OMD and Telegraph Media respectively. They discuss why they think they won this year and what it will take to win again.
The Media Week Awards 2024 were in partnership with Infinitum Entertainment, Alight Media, Bauer Media, Clear Channel, Mail Metro Media, Outernet, Radiocentre and Reach Solutions.
Read more about the awards and the winners here: Media Week Awards 2024: winners revealed
Find out more about:
BRiM (Black Representation in Media)
Campaign Big Awards (5 November)
Campaign In-Housing Summit (5 November)
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In a Campaign feature on hybrid working, Thom Binding, co-founder of the Creative Communications Workers union, said culture is “a manipulative term defined by management”, often to enforce compliance, rather than genuinely foster a positive work environment.
In this episode, the Campaign editorial team talk through the culture conundrum, with examples of manipulative culture as well as supportive, and why bad practices still exist.
Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the studio welcomes features editor Matt Barker, media editor Beau Jackson and deputy editor Gemma Charles. The team discuss how culture impacts creativity, what the new generation want and what agency leaders can do to improve.
Further reading:
One in six agencies increased number of office days in 2023
Is hybrid working killing creativity?
Publicis makes in-office attendance mandatory on Mondays and eliminates consecutive remote work days
Omnicom’s John Wren on the future of work, the business and succession plans
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Publicis Groupe's chief executive Arthur Sadoun breaks his six-year silence from public speaking in the UK at Campaign's inaugural Campaign Live event.
Opening the conference opposite Campaign's UK editor-in-chief Gideon Spanier, Sadoun is questioned on how to sell creativity and what has made Publicis Groupe "extract itself from the agency pack".
In this episode, Spanier and tech editor Lucy Shelley have a brief chat about the interview before heading into the session from the event. The discussion begins with Sadoun making a joke as he sits down in stage about buying Stagwell, who are projected behind him as a sponsor of the event. "I'm not going to buy them," he said.
The question from the audience came from financial analyst and Campaign columnist Ian Whittaker, who asked about the value of creative and how if clients are prepared to pay for it, that could add to the agencies’ share price value.
Further reading:
Arthur Sadoun: 'I have never won a pitch without a creative idea'
Arthur Sadoun on defying doubters, Q2 revenue upgrade, ‘very high’ staff bonus pool and Paris Olympics
Publicis’ mocking ‘taking the BS out of AI’ film goes down badly with agency rivals
M&A rumour mill is buzzing as Publicis pulls ahead of agency pack
More from Campaign Live:
Adam & Eve/DDB's Richard Brim says industry's creative ‘low point’ is an opportunity
Ads 'must accurately represent target audience' say Campaign Live panellists
Black creatives recount 'unapologetic' pushes for industry change
Monzo's AJ Coyne: ‘Creativity is the way to differentiate yourself’
NatWest chief design officer: AI makes brands ‘more creative’
Ex-Unilever CFO says it's now harder to justify marketing and media spend to investors
‘It all comes down to trust’: KFC and Mother on how to create a cult
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Is true, and fair, cross-media measurement possible?
ISBA launched its cross-media measurement platform Origin into beta trails last month, following successful alpha trials in 2023. However, the launch of Origin has thrown some questions and controversies into the air.
In this episode, Campaign's media duo (Beau Jackson, media editor, and Shauna Lewis, deputy media editor) are joined by editor Maisie McCabe to discuss what the concerns are for broadcasters, how the industry is reacting and the complications of measuring views on TV vs digital.
Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the team discuss Google and Meta's involvement, why it doesn't include Barb data and who else is also attempting to achieve true cross-media measurement.
Further reading:
ISBA starts beta trials of Origin cross-media measurement platform
Media360: NatWest CMO criticises broadcaster scepticism of ISBA's Origin
As phase four launches, what do broadcasters think of ISBA’s Origin?
First phase of Project Origin testing 'exceeds expectations'
Industry shows caution as ISBA's Origin claims proof-of-concept milestone
ITV and Channel 4 unite with Sky for TV ad measurement tool CFlight
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Is it risky for brands to pick a new agency without a proper pitch process, or is it time to reevaluate how agencies win business?
Last month B&Q appointed Leo Burnett without a pitch, pushing out the incumbent Uncommon Creative Studio who had held the account since 2019. In this episode, Campaign's editorial team investigate the risks and benefits of a pitchless process, what is considered good practice and how it impacts creativity.
With Campaign editor Maisie McCabe, deputy editor Gemma Charles, and deputy media editor Shauna Lewis, this episode looks into the role of intermediaries, why public sector clients are mandated to have a pitch process, and what happens to the incumbents when agencies are picked without a pitch. The episode is hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley.
Further reading:
Why the Pitch Positive Pledge remains a diamond in the rough
Specsavers shows Pitch Positive Pledge commitment with OMD reappointment
Mother calls on clients to shorten pitch process at chemistry meetings
Tesco moves £110m account to BBH
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Last night the great and the glorious in podcasting gathered not around microphones but tables to attend the sold-out British Podcast Awards 2024, presented by Campaign in partnership with Wondery, Audible, Global, Podcast Discovery and YouTube.
From Rylan Clark and Scott Mills to Greg James and the Whitehalls, celebs and independent podcasters alike assembled in London to celebrate the best in the business.
In this episode, Lucy Shelley, tech editor at Campaign, and Adam Shepherd, editor of the British Podcast Awards, talk through the event, its highlights and winners as well as the bittersweet moments including a moving tribute to late broadcaster and health expert Dr. Michael Mosley, whose podcast Just One Thing won this year’s Hall of Fame award.
Backstage at the awards, we chat to some of the winners including The News Agents, YouTube's head of podcasts, and Tortoise Media. We discuss what podcasting brings to news journalism, if a video podcast counts a podcast, and where we're going next for podcasts.
Check out the full list of winners – which include The Rest Is Politics and Help I Sexted My Boss – here.
This episode includes interviews with:
The News Agents hosts Emily Maitlis, Jon Soper and Lewis GoodallYouTube's head of podcasts Sandy WilheimGood Bad Billionaire hosts Simon Jack and Zing TsjengTortoise Media producer Rebecca Moore and voice of the Sensemaker podcast Tomini BabsGossip Gays hosts Danny Beard and DJ Billy AndrewsFurther reading:
Should podcasts behave more like social media?
UK is trailing behind US in podcast advertising, says Goalhanger founder
Guardian in talks to sell The Observer to Tortoise Media
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Agency brands have been through the wash this year with a laundry load of mergers, acquisitions, closures and some clean and sparkly new shops.
In this episode, the Campaign editorial team discuss how agency brands become distinct and recognisable and what concoction of ingredients help them create their own brand.
From famous leaders and agency names, to office location and calibre of clients, Campaign's journalists investigate what happens when an agency gets bought (in light of NCA's sale to WPP) and how shops stand out among the competition.
Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, this episode includes Maisie McCabe, UK Editor; Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter and Gideon Spanier, UK editor-in-chief.
Spanier takes us through the history of how some of the UK's biggest agencies, including WPP and Saatchi & Saatchi, became who they are today. McCabe examines some of the top creative agency brands and Rawlings suggests that if agencies are so good at building brands for clients, do they need to take a dose of their own medicine?
Further reading:
WPP buys New Commercial Arts as founders hit jackpot again
What does adland think of NCA’s sale to WPP?
Ogilvy and NCA chiefs on M&A deal, sharing talent and why rivals should be ‘frightened’
WPP merges VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson
Will advertising agencies survive?
Laura Jordan Bambach, Hannah Matthews and Fern Miller unveil 'advanced' creative agency
WPP makes £2.8bn annual loss after Covid hits value of agencies
WPP’s Mark Read on the outlook for 2024, bonuses, fewer freelancers and job cuts
Maurice Lévy on his Publicis legacy: handing power to Arthur Sadoun ‘worked beautifully’
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"Who wants to advertise on Twitter with a maverick owner?," said Gideon Spanier, Campaign's UK editor in chief in this episode.
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter, renamed X, journalists have been busy keeping up with the contention surrounding the platform – from cutting staff by 80% to blaspheming advertisers for withholding adspend; filing an antitrust lawsuit against GARM causing the body to close, and posting on X saying “civil war is inevitable” in the UK after the riots that took place this August.
After all the controversy, many of X's largest advertisers – including Apple, Warner Bros., Discovery, Sony and Disney – have left the platform. So, in a new, revamped version of the Campaign Podcast, the editorial team ask: What do brands lose by not having X on their plan?
This episode welcomes Spanier to the studio with Maisie McCabe, Campaign's UK editor, and Shauna Lewis, deputy media editor. It is hosted by Lucy Shelley, tech editor at Campaign.
Read more about what was discussed in this episode:
'We can’t see brands ever returning': agency leaders on advertising with X
'Now it is war': Elon Musk’s X sues advertisers over alleged ‘illegal boycott’
Consultants call GARM antitrust lawsuit ‘disaster’ for X
Elon Musk on artistic ads, 'foolish' posts and telling advertisers to go fuck themselves
X officially allows ‘consensually produced’ adult content
X/Twitter one year on: Site traffic is up 22.3%
Media buyers: ‘Advertisers are not responsible for keeping X afloat — or shutting it down’
X-rated Elon Musk burns bridges with concerned advertisers: ‘Go F yourself’
Advertisers flee X as Elon Musk announces 'thermonuclear' lawsuit
IBM suspends advertising on X (Twitter) after ads appear next to Nazi posts
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"Language is everything" in advertising, particularly for the Paralympics.
Channel 4's "Considering what?" campaign frames Paralympians as world-class athletes rather than competitors "overcoming" their disabilities. The International Paralympic Committee's “They’re not playing games” left messages on social media from the Paris Paralympic 2024 athletes saying “I won’t be participating at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games” to then reveal that they will be "competing".
This year's advertising sees a movement to correctly represent the athletic and sporting champions in the Paralympics games, kicking the "well-meant bullshit" out of its vocabulary.
Going behind the scenes of these campaigns and discussing what has changed in the media for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, we speak to:
Lynsey Atkin, outgoing executive creative director of Channel 4’s in-house agency 4Creative;
Tom Ghiden, managing director of Joan London;
Craig Spence, chief brand and communications officer at the IPC
This episode was hosted by Campaign's tech editor Lucy Shelley.
Further reading:
Why brands need to stop talking about ‘overcoming’ disabilities
Paralympians challenge perceptions in campaign ahead of Paris Games
Channel 4 cuts the ‘well-meant bullshit’ in 2024 Paralympic campaign
Pick of the Week: Channel 4 takes home gold in 2024 Paralympic campaign
Orange “When you love sport, you love sport” by Publicis Conseil
Paralympics 2024 round-up: watch the ads
Channel 4 in Paralympic ads deal with TikTok
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Campaign teamed up with Activision Blizzard Media to explore the world of gaming ads and how brands and agencies can make the most of it.
Gaming is big business - worth almost $250bn last year. Tuned-in brands are diversifying their channel mix and turning to gaming to capitalise on fandom's fierce nature and the growing attention the channel now commands.
Yet, despite being one of the world’s most popular entertainment channels, it's still one of the least understood by advertisers.
In this special podcast, Campaign’s tech editor Lucy Shelley talks with Claire Nance, head of global gaming business success strategy for Activision Blizzard Media, the media arm of gaming giant Activision Blizzard which owns Candy Crush Saga, Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
Their wide-ranging conversation includes: debunking popular gaming myths, best practices for effectively reaching players, and the in-game measurements you should be paying attention to.
If you want to up your ad game - listen in.
This podcast episode is sponsored by Activision Blizzard Media
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Pay, people and pitching. Not just fantastic alliteration but also the basis for a number of features that have run over the summer using data from this year’s School Reports.
Hosted by media editor Beau Jackson, who was joined by deputy editor Gemma Charles and premium content editor Nicola Merrifield, this episode digs deeper into the issues raised in the following articles:
Is adland 'manipulating culture', or striking the right balance with hybrid-working rules?
‘Winners and losers’: how agency bonuses dried up in 2023
Agency pay revealed: junior wage rises slow as ‘balancing profitability gets harder’
The waiting game: agency staff churn dips as restructuring hits
Why the pitch positive pledge remains a diamond in the rough
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It's the school holidays. So in a more relaxed episode, the Campaign editorial team debates this summer's top cultural moments.
Hosted by features editor Matt Barker, the team discusses what's been inspiring and entertaining them away from the advertising industry. TV shows, books, music, anything really!
Senior creativity reporter Charlotte Rawlings educates us on Taylor Swift, tech editor Lucy Shelley talks through her theatre highlights and Barker imparts Wembley wisdom, exhibition recommendations and tales of giggling through Kafka.
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After WPP's Q2 results, the Campaign team analyses why the agency group downgraded its annual forecast and saw revenues drop in China.
Gideon Spanier, Campaign UK's editor-in-chief, discusses his recent interview with Mark Read, the chief executive of WPP, and the context behind his questioning which included the FGS sale and what's going on with Group M.Gideon Spanier, Campaign UK's editor-in-chief, sat down with WPP chief executive Mark Read to discuss the holdco's Q2 results.
He is joined in the studio by Charlotte Rawlings, senior creativity reporter, who reminisces her school days with M&S and Mother's back-to-school campaign. Plus she takes us through the N Brown creative review which owns JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo.
Hosted by tech editor Lucy Shelley, the trio discuss the latest feature from creativity and culture editor Alessandra Scotto di Santolo which digs into adland's hybrid working structure using data from Campaign's 2024 School Reports and how the industry might be "manipulating culture".
Further reading:
Group M appoints Zenith's Jon Stevens as chief growth officer
Dentsu results: EMEA bounces back strongly as group returns to modest growth
Dentsu whistleblower reports more than double amid major reforms
Volvo launches review of global £353m media account
Grace Francis, Jamie Mancini, Katy Collins launch Wonderful Things
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Andy Jex, chief creative officer at TBWA\London, and Carren O'Keefe, chief creative officer at Digitas UK, join Campaign's senior creativity reporter, Charlotte Rawlings, to review some of the latest ads.
Jex and O’Keefe explore the prevalent use of oil paintings and classical music in recent work. The pair discuss Bodyform “Never just a period” by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, Heineken “Forgotten beers” by LePub, TNT Sports “Only sport can do this” by Brothers & Sisters, Babybel “Let the goodness begin” by BETC, British Airways “A British original period drama" by Uncommon Creative Studio, and Thomas Cook and Marine Conservation Society “Deflatables” by McCann Birmingham.
Further reading:
Bodyform exposes menstrual health gaps in latest campaign by AMV BBDO
Heineken urges socialising over sipping for International Beer Day
TNT Sports launches first campaign by Brothers & Sisters
Babybel celebrates summer of sport with peeling billboard
British Airways launches period-drama-style safety video
Thomas Cook and ocean charity spotlight inflatables' environmental impact
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Campaign features editor Matt Barker is joined in the studio by senior media reporter Shauna Lewis and senior creativity reporter Charlotte Rawlings.
The trio discuss Elon Musk's announcement that he will be suing the Global Alliance for Responsible Media in the US over an alleged "illegal boycott" of advertising on his X platform.
Chat then turns to the potential problems faced by brands on social media to a backdrop of rioting and protests, before unpicking the latest from WPP after it reported a drop in like-for-like revenue (less pass-through costs) in Q2.
Further reading
'Now it is war': Elon Musk’s X sues advertisers over alleged ‘illegal boycott’
Adland urged to step up over social media's role in UK riots
WPP now expects revenues to decline in 2024 after cutting forecast and 3,000 roles
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