Kayak Launches AR Bag Measurement Tool To Ease Travel Anxiety

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Kayak is using augmented reality to help travelers measure their luggage. The new bag measurement tool will tell users whether a bag is likely a carry-on or if it should be checked.

Anyone who has been asked to check a bag after they already boarded a flight knows the pain and embarrassment of not having the right-sized luggage. Kayak is addressing this common problem with technology that adds novelty to the “carry it on vs. check it” deliberation.

“There are a lot of AR applications that are fun but this one was designed to be truly useful for travelers,” Kayak chief technology officer Giorgos Zacharia said in a press release.

Kayak’s new AR bag measurement tool, added on Tuesday, is currently available only to iOS users. It was developed during the company’s “SWAT Week,” an annual engineering competition that challenges employees to rapidly design and develop new ideas.

Users can access the tool from the Kayak mobile app. Once opened, users will be prompted to scan the floor to help calibrate measurements, then move the camera around the bag. The AR tool captures the bag’s exact measurements, then recommends whether it qualifies as a carry-on or not.

If the bag is deemed too large for a carry-on, the app automatically compares check baggage fee policies so users know what to expect.

The AR tool continues a trend of Kayak’s try-it-before-you-buy-it-with-technology strategy. In June, Kayak launched a VR app for Google Daydream that lets travelers “visit” a location before booking. The app launched with 360-degree views of Venice and Kathmandu, inviting users to explore the locations with onscreen information or an audio tour.

Kayak continues to invest in technology so it can stand out in the growing travel industry. The brand uses AI to assist its customers through Facebook Messenger, Google and Alexa and says it will continue to invest in a variety of technologies.

This Week’s Exec Shifts: NASCAR CMO Upped To CEO; Neiman Marcus CMO Promoted To EVP

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This week’s executive moves include NASCAR appointing its CMO to the CEO and president roles and Neiman Marcus promoting its chief marketing officer to executive vice president. Also, Walt Disney Studios promotes two marketers, Bonobos promotes its CMO to CEO, The Honest Company appoints a new chief marketing officer, Burton hires its chief marketer and crypto startup Kin picks up a marketer from Twitch.

Check out our careers section for executive job openings and to post your own staffing needs.

NASCAR President Steps Down, CMO Takes Role

Brent Dewar has stepped down from his role as NASCAR president. Taking his place will be NASCAR’s chief global sales and marketing officer Steve Phelps, who has been promoted to the role of president as well as CEO. Phelps came to NASCAR in 2005 after senior leadership roles at NFL and Wasserman.

According to the statement, “Phelps has played a key role in significant initiatives, such as negotiating key partnership agreements with Coca-Cola, Monster Energy, Comcast and Camping World, the acquisition of NASCAR’s digital and social rights and leading industry collaborative efforts such as the Industry Action Plan and industry-wide marketing platforms.”

Neiman Marcus CMO Promoted to EVP

Carrie Tharp, hired by Neiman Marcus Group in 2016 for the roles of senior vice president, chief marketing officer has been promoted to executive vice president, chief digital officer. Prior to joining Neiman Marcus Group, Tharp held similar posts at Fossil and Travelocity.

“These key promotions, new hires, and team refinements ensure that Neiman Marcus Group is in the best position to lead in digital and data excellence, drive growth, and deliver on our goals to continue to elevate the company as one of the world’s most prestigious luxury retailers in the world,” said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO, Neiman Marcus Group, said in the statement.

Arista Records Announces Three Marketing Hires

Arista Records has announced the appointment of three marketers to the company’s staff. Brian Vinikoor has been appointed vice president of marketing; Dee Heuvelings will be the senior director, A&R and marketing; Ethan Geltzer has taken the role of senior director of digital marketing & branding.

Vinikoor comes to Arista after previously working at mTheory as the senior director, strategic & digital Partnerships.

Walt Disney Studios Promotes Two Marketers

Walt Disney Studio marketers Martha Morrison and Ryan Stankevich have been promoted to SVPs of marketing. Morrison previously worked at Miramax before starting at Disney in 2010, and Stankevich has been working at Disney for 20 years.

Morrison will oversee global marketing for Disney Animation Studios and Pixar while Stankevich will focus on LucasFilm and Marvel films.

Bonobos Founder Steps Down; CMO Steps Up

Bonobos founder Andy Dunn has stepped down from his post as CEO and will hand the reins over to Bonobons chief marketing officer, Micky Onvural. Dunn announced the move in a LinkedIn post. Onvural previously served as VP of consumer marketing at Trulia and before that had a stint at eBay.

The Honest Company Hires Chief Marketing Officer

The Honest Company, a consumer goods company that specializes in baby and beauty products, has hired Shannon Pruitt as its chief marketing officer. Pruitt was previously chief content officer at Carat and president of The Story Lab.

Nick Vlahos, CEO of The Honest Company, said of the appointment “With her extensive marketing, brand building, digital and entertainment background, Pruitt will bring a fresh perspective to our company as we take our brand global.”

Kin Hires Chief Marketer

Crytpo startup, Kin, has chosen Matthew DiPietro as the company’s new chief marketing officer. DiPietro comes to Kin from Twitch where he was the senior vice president of marketing. At Twitch, DiPietro helped created the company’s bread and led marketing efforts over eight years.

WCNY Hires CMO

WCNY, Syracuse’s member of the Public Broadcasting Service, announced Cristina Hatem as the company’s new vice president and chief marketing officer. Hatem previously worked at JADAK and Preferred Mutual Insurance.

Porch Names Lead Marketer

Porch, a digital marketplace for home services, has announced Jaso Marshall as its new chief marketing officer. Marshall previously served as CMO at GiftTree.

Burton Appoints New Chief Marketing Officer

Burton welcomes Sarah Crockett as its new chief marketing officer. Crockett comes to the snowboard and clothing company from REI, where she was the vice president of integrated marketing & community engagement. Before that Crockett was vice president of global consumer marketing at Vans. John Lacy, president of Burton, said of Crockett, “Sarah gets what it means to work for a brand that respects its core audience, but at the same time, welcomes everyone to be a part of the brand.”

Tuffy’s Pet Foods Names CMO

Darren Fujii was named chief marketing officer of Minnesota-based Tuffy’s Pet Foods. Previously, Fujii was the president of Pet Club, and prior to that consulted for several companies including MGM, Con Agra and Kellogg’s.

Identifi Picks CMO

Indentifi, a “brand and media management studio of original programming in sports” has chosen Dante Simpson as its chief marketing officer. Simpson held previous posts as global vice president at Gucci Group and BMG Music.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, September 21. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies 

VP, Marketing & Commercial Coca-Cola El Segundo, CA
Director of Brand Sponsorships & Experiential Marketing Capital One McLean, Virginia
VP, Originals Marketing Starz Los Angeles, CA
VP, Marketing, Brand & Customer Strategy Banana Republic San Francisco, CA
Head of Marketing, Stephen Curry Under Armour Baltimore, MD
VP, Marketing Strategy Operations Paramount Pictures Hollywood, CA

Make sure to check back for updates on our Careers page.

McDonald’s Recruits Pranksters For Diversity Marketing

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A wholesome prank that went viral earned two college students $50,000 and a marketing project for McDonald’s. The friends simply filled a void in the brand’s ethnic representation, sat back and reaped the rewards.

Inspired by Crazy Rich Asians and what the film means for representation, Jevh Maravilla and Christian Toledo—both hailing from the Philippines—decided to make their own inclusive marketing materials to fill a blank wall at their local McDonald’s restaurant.

“We looked around [and] we saw all these other posters on there. We saw that [there are] different ethnicities, and we saw that they’re all these people having fun, so we decided to represent ourselves as Asians—to be up there as well,” Maravilla explained.

The two friends carefully studied the design layout of materials hung around the restaurant, then created their own image to match. The poster featured Maravilla and Toledo, both walking together while holding food from the restaurant. A YouTube video, which has garnered over one million views to date, tells the story of how they snuck the poster into McDonald’s unnoticed.

Maravilla donned a McDonald’s shirt he found at a thrift store and a fake ID badge calling himself a Regional Interior Coordinator. Then he, Toledo and two friends casually walked in and hung the art.

Nearly two months later, the poster was still hanging at McDonald’s. Maravilla shared a photo of  Toledo and himself sitting in front of it, which quickly went viral.

This kind of peaceful “reverse vandalism” caught the eye of Ellen DeGeneres, who invited the duo onto her show. There, Maravilla and Toledo were surprised to learn that McDonald’s plans to use them for a future marketing campaign. McDonald’s also paid them each $25,000.

McDonald’s chose not to punish the creative young designers but use their energy to fuel change within the company. The famous poster will be removed when the restaurant gets remodeled, but Maravilla and Toledo will be around to design something new—for real this time.

Olive Garden Countdown Reveals Pasta-Fueled Scavenger Hunt

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Olive Garden teased social media users with a mysterious countdown that eventually revealed a social media scavenger hunt. Carb-hungry fans can follow the clues across social media for a chance to win 52 weeks of free pasta.

On Monday, Olive Garden shared a countdown through Twitter and Instagram Stories. The microsite read, “If you thought unlimited breadsticks were big…” The post was accompanied by photos on Instagram and Facebook of a folder labeled “Project P.A.S.T.A.S.: Top Secret.” Users were left to speculate what the restaurant was going to reveal, offering guesses from endless Sangria to changing its name to Burger Garden—a stab at IHOP’s recent campaign.

Olive Garden kept the conversation going with Instagram Stories that quoted some of its favorite responses with screenshots, responses and emoji.

When the countdown ended Wednesday morning, the microsite revealed a series of puzzles and an announcement that Olive Garden would give away 10 Annual Pasta Passes through social media. The passes would entitle cardholders to 52 weeks’ worth of never-ending pasta bowls—normally purchased for $300 each.

Each of the 10 puzzles, when solved, will lead hungry sleuths to a social media profile on Instagram, Twitter or a Group on Facebook. Once located, the entrant must be the first to send a DM saying, “Pasta Pass Please” to win.

The puzzles range in difficulty from a Google search (Olive Garden’s first address) to wordplay, tracking down the fan club of a food critic and solving a 12-part crossword puzzle.

Olive Garden holds its neverending pasta bowl each year but decided to extend the promotion for a limited number of fans. Five years ago, the brand offered 1,000 Annual Pasta Passes for $300 each—offering endless bowls of pasta for 52 weeks. The passes quickly sell out each year, so the scavenger hunt allows 10 more fans the chance to participate.

Scavenger hunts have proven to be an effective way of engaging consumers around a product launch or event. Brands like Oreo, Tomb Raider, Adidas, Delta Airlines and Bloomingdales have all launched social and/or mobile scavenger hunts with the promise of rewards or contest entries. These campaigns frequently use augmented reality on Snapchat, but can also include hidden objects in the real world or puzzles that must be located and solved.

Casual Connect Asia 2018 Coming To The Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen, China This November

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Casual Connect Asia 2018
Location: OCT Creative Exhibition Center (OCT Design Museum)
Date: Nov. 12-14, 2018
Attendees: 1,200 gaming professionals
Speakers: 150 executives and experts
Indie Prize Showcase: 120 games

Organized by CGA with the support of host partner iDreamSky, Casual Connect is coming to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area China with its annual Asian event. At Casual Connect Asia 2018, you’ll have unlimited access to the meeting system to network with games industry professionals like yourself. All attendees get access to three days of lectures, official networking parties, and 120 of the world’s best indie games with developers. The venue will also feature a large expo area where you can talk one-on-one with industry-leading companies.

“China is now the world’s biggest game market. Being co-host of Casual Connect China, our intention is to build the bridge for the international game industry to learn more about Chinese culture and bring in more high-quality content for the Chinese market,” said Michael Chen, CEO of iDreamSky.

For Developers

More than 1,500 developers apply to Indie Prize during the year and judges from throughout the games industry select the most promising games to participate at international Indie Prize showcases during Casual Connect conferences. Submit your game for the international Indie Prize Asia 2018 scholarship program before Sep 10, more details are in the submission form. Join industry leaders as an established developer with developer showcase or support this great event as a sponsor with 50 percent off Gold, Silver and Bronze.

For Funding Publishers

Sign up for a Publishers Pitch and review 40 of the world’s best indie games during a three-hour pitch on Nov. 12. Get more exposure at the expo area with a booth or meeting table with 50 percent off Gold, Silver or Bronze sponsorship packages.

New Delegation Package

CGA has recently launched a new program that will make it simpler for government and non-profit organizations or just a group of up to 10 developers to join Casual Connect with a special delegation package rate.

* * *

Casual Connect brings together the most talented and knowledgeable experts in the gaming field to further the industry with the best learning and networking opportunities for gaming professionals since 2005, four times every year. See the full schedule of Casual Connect events for 2018 here.

For any questions please contact Yuliya Moshkaryova at yuliya@cga.global or on Facebook.

A Guide To Advertising Week New York 2018 Panels

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Advertising Week New York panels offer the rare opportunity to learn from some of today’s top marketers. Here are some of our top picks for panels you should check out during the event—including a special event from AList!

Note: unless otherwise noted, all panels on this list will take place at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13 Theatres—1998 Broadway, New York, NY 10023.

Monday, Oct 1

Go Big or Go Home

Sometimes you just have to go all out to make an impression. This panel explores the connection between brand activations and making memories that last in the hearts and minds of consumers.

When: 10:00 a.m.

Where: Walt Disney Company Stage

Speakers:

Joao Chueiri—VP of Consumer Connections, Anheuser Busch

Russell Silvers—COO, AEG

Intent Is The New Funnel: Driving Growth at Every Step of the Journey

The traditional funnel is dying and out of the ashes rises a new formula for dynamic consumer journeys. This panel takes a look at the opportunities marketers face in an intent-driven world.

When: 10:45 a.m.

Where: Target Media Network Stage @ IMAX

Speakers:

Allan Thygesen—president of the Americas, Google

Kristin Lemkau—CMO, JPMorgan Chase

The CMO Perspective on Trust, Quality and Brand Safety

The struggle is real. Hear from top CMOs about how they’re combating fraud, quality, trust and brand safety concerns while still achieving success in a digital landscape.

When: 11:30 a.m.

Where: Realtor.com Stage

Speakers:

Tim Cadogan—CEO, OpenX

Meredith Verdone—CMO, Bank of America

Raja Rajamannar—chief marketing and communications officer, Mastercard

Jessica Rodriguez—CMO, Univision

Developing the Next Generation of Leaders

Diverse hiring and equal opportunity are growing concerns for the marketing industry, and not just for women. This panel discusses a new wave of leaders and invites plans to use skills-based hiring to increase inclusion and access.

When: 12:30 p.m.

Where: Realtor.com Stage

Speakers:

Kieran Luke—general manager assessments, General Assembly

Micky Onveral—chief marketing officer, Bonobos

Seth Rogin—president and CEO, Nucleus Marketing Solutions

Wired Brand Storytellers

Masters of brand storytelling share their tried and true methods for getting key messages across in an authentic and creative way.

When: 2:30 p.m.

Where: Twitter Stage

Speakers:

Kim Kelleher—chief business officer, GQ, GQ Style, WIRED Media Group, Pitchfork, Golf Digest, Condé Nast

Dario Spina—chief marketing officer, Viacom Velocity

Stephanie MacMahon—chief brand officer, WWE

Susan Vobejda—chief marketing officer, The Trade Desk

Maria Pousa—chief marketing officer, Integral Ad Science

Tuesday, Oct 2

THE REBOUND: Recovering From Failure

This panel of marketers will have a frank discussion about attitudes around failure, how to pivot when you sense things are going awry and provide practical advice for those at any stage of their career on recovering from a failure. Be sure to RSVP.

When: 10:20 a.m.

Where: NewGen Stage

Speakers: 

Monica Halpert—chief marketing officer, Sundance Institute

Vimla Gupta—chief marketing officer, Equinox

Gene Foca—chief marketing officer, Getty Images

Dara Treseder—chief marketing officer, GE Business Innovations & GE Ventures, General Electric

Moderator: H.B. Duran—reporter, AList

Memeology 101: The New Language of Cultural Ideas

Tfw you realize memes are more than a trend, but the primary language of the zeitgeist. Learn how memes reflect modern culture and how to apply that thinking to their own work.

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Where: Walt Disney Company Stage

Speakers:

Joe Federer—brand strategy, Reddit

Kenny Gold—director of social media, Grey

Programmatic’s TRUST Factor

Brand safety has marketers taking a second look at programmatic. This panel is an insider’s view on how 35 premium publishers are taking the reins in restoring trust, transparency and safety to programmatic advertising.

When: 1:30 p.m.

Where: Microsoft Stage

Speakers:

David Kohl—president and CEO, TrustX

Matt Barnes—senior director of platform programmatic sales and strategy, ESPN

Nicole Lesko—VP of digital ad product and ops, Meredith Corporation

Sharmilan Rayer—VP of audience and programmatic platforms, NBC Universal

GDPR: Where Do We Go Now?

It has been months since GDPR went into effect, but a marketer’s work is never done. This panel will guide attendees through the latest updates on privacy issues as well as consumer trust.

When: 3:30 p.m.

Where: Microsoft Stage

Speakers:

Jason Kint—CEO, Digital Content Next

Vikram Somaya—SVP and global data officer, ESPN

Programmatic for the People

All angles of the industry join together to talk programmatic in this panel discussing the current obstacles and state and what is to come.

When: 5:15 p.m.

Where: IBM Watson Marketing Stage

Speakers:

Neil Shapiro—VP of digital, Captivate

Wade Rifkin—SVP of programmatic, Clear Channel Outdoor

Anne Frisbie—SVP of global programmatic and brand, InMobi

Charlie Neer—VP of revenue, MiQ

Wednesday, Oct 3

Stop Collaborate and Listen: New Ways To Team-up for a Customer-Centric Brand 

This panel of executives specializes in transformative initiatives. They share their insights into how smarter collaboration models are driving success in today’s marketing industry.

When: 9:30 a.m.

Where: Realtor.com Stage

Speakers:

Nikki Mendonça—president, Accenture Interactive Operations

Rob Roy—chief digital officer, Sprint

Rémy Merckx—vice president of digital, Radisson Hotel Group

Carissa Ganelli—chief digital officer, Subway

How Wayfair Conquered AdTech and MarTech

This panel tells the story of how Wayfair’s marketing data science team built a CRM from scratch, designed to be capable of fluidly integrating advertising and marketing technologies. Learn how the CRM focuses on fostering long-term relationships.

When: 12:15 p.m.

Where: IBM Watson Marketing Stage

Speakers:

Jessica Jacobs—director of marketing, Wayfair

Nick Dujnic—VP of marketing, LiveIntent

Where AdTech Meets MarTech

This panel explains the promises of converging adtech and martech as it relates to consumer communications.

When: 1:15 p.m.

Where: IBM Watson Marketing Stage

Speakers:

Moderator: Sona Mirakian-Pehlivanian VP operations, New York Interconnect

Damian Garbaccio— executive vice president of commercial strategy, Nielsen

Andy Sriubas—chief commercial officer, OUTFRONT Media

Chandra Stevens—global director of cross-industry marketing solutions, Microsoft

Going Beyond Follower Counts

This panel will delve into how brands can tap into the rich relationships digital creators have with engaged consumers in ways that are both accountable and effective.

When: 3:30 p.m.

Where: Twitter Stage

Speakers:
Moderator: Jim Louderback—general manager, VidCon

Kellie Hanson—social integration, T-Mobile

Sarah Herron—creator

David Lopez—creator

Tyler Vaught—head of creators, Twitter

Leave Room For Risk

In this session, join two leaders at Kraft Heinz as they reveal how a data-driven approach that has allowed the brand to be both cost-effective and open to taking risks.

When: 4:30 p.m.

Where: Microsoft Stage

Speakers:

Moderator: Catherine Roe—senior director of client partnerships, Oracle Data Cloud

Magen Hanrahan—VP of media and marketing services, Kraft Heinz Company

Michelle St. Jacques—head of US brand and R&D, The Kraft Heinz Company

Thursday, Oct 4

Blockchain and Advertising: How the Revolution Begins

Everyone is talking about blockchain, but most marketers are still struggling to grasp exactly how it’s going to change how they do business going forward. This panel will give attendees both the short- and long-term view on blockchain applications in marketing.

When: 10:15 a.m.

Where: IBM Watson Marketing Stage

Speakers:

Brian Wong—CEO and founder, Klip

Direct to Consumer Allstars

This panel of DTC all-stars will examine how their brands are learning from old-age tactics and using them to reinvent their actions.

When: 12:30 p.m.

Where: Realtor.com Stage

Speakers:
Michael A. Bassik—CEO, Yes and Company

Jeff Brooks—CMO, Casper

Arianne Perry—co-founder and CEO, Sweet Defeat

Henrik Werdelin—co-founder, BARK

The Evolution of the CMO

The coveted title of CMO has taken on new meanings for different organizations. How will the role evolve in the next year and what skills will be prioritized? Let’s discuss.

When: 3:30 p.m.

Where: Realtor.com Stage

Speakers:

Aditi Javeri Gokhale—CMO, Northwestern Mutual

Stephen Freitas—CMO, Outdoor Advertising Association of America

Ty Shay—CMO, Norton Consumer Business

Dara Treseder—CMO, GE Ventures

Report: Marketers, Agencies Disagree On Media Buy Priorities

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ID Comms has released its 2018 Global Media Trading Report—the seventh and final study as wave one in the 7Ts Global Research Project. The two-year study examines media behaviors of successful marketers across the world in seven “Ts”: Transparency, Talent, Training, Terms, Thinking, Technology and Trading.

When it comes to media trading, marketers agreed that while it’s easy to purchase cheaply, it’s more challenging to buy well. Cost-focused behavior, the respondents added, is somewhat led by media auditors and client requests for lower prices. Media trading must balance quality and price but the quality is more important, marketers said in the report. A majority of respondents—88 percent—agreed that advertisers who treat media as a quality buy rather than a commodity buy are at an advantage.

“We need to go from treating media as a commodity to be much more of a quality buy because agencies were just being incentivized to buy cheap media,” Stéphane Bérubé, CMO for Western Europe at L’Oréal, said in the report.

The disconnect between advertiser and agency priorities is apparent in ID Comms’ findings, particularly in what each group classified as the most indicator of successful media trading.

A majority of respondents classified “business results/ROI” as the most important indicator of successful media trading in 2018. However, 68 percent who did so were made of advertisers, compared to 32 percent of agency respondents.

The importance of financial transparency was especially disparate, with 91 percent naming it a top measurement of success compared to only nine percent from agencies.

Different opinions were also found between respondents in charge of procurement and marketers, especially when it comes to whether a media plan dictates the buy or vice versa.

Overall, participating marketing professionals agreed that traditional media auditing is less relevant in an age of digital auctions and hiring the best talent is a challenge shared by all.

Conducted over a two-week period in January and February, ID Comms received 130 responses from marketing, media and procurement professionals located in Europe (75 percent), the US (15 percent) and the remainder in other areas of the world.

Carnival Launches ‘OceanView’ App For Branded Travel Content

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Carnival Corporation has compiled its branded video content in one place with the launch of OceanView Mobile. The new app features over 150 full episodes of popular ocean travel TV shows and short-form videos with the goal of increasing cruise vacation awareness.

OceanView Mobile is available now for iOS and Android devices and will launch on the company’s website this October. The app offers Carnival Corporation a unique opportunity to inspire cruise line travel through education and entertainment.

All content on the app is free to view. Consumers can view full episodes of Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin, Vacation Creation, The Voyager with Josh Garcia and Good Spirits which also air on ABC, NBC, A&E and FYI, respectively. Carnival says that its three network shows consistently rank number one or number two in their time slots.

Short form content will also be available for viewing on the platform, including five-to-ten minute episodes of GO and Local Eyes. In addition to Carnival’s existing TV content, the brand will include video collections from its wide range of cruise line brands that include behind-the-scenes, ship attractions and new ship christening ceremonies and more.

“Our ability to extend consumer brand engagement from broadcast TV to all major video-on-demand platforms, all major over-the-top platforms and all major mobile platforms is unprecedented in the travel industry,” John Padgett, chief experience and innovation officer for Carnival Corporation said in a statement. “This allows us to showcase the extraordinary experiences available on cruise vacations to millions of potential guests, and to help them get excited about where they’ll go next, whenever they prefer.”

Carnival has not been shy about trying new things to inspire travelers to book a cruise. The brand frequently uses augmented and virtual reality both on and off-board its ships, integrates the Internet of Things and recently launched a touring blimp reminding consumers of its many US home ports.

North Face Launches Music Pop-Ups In The Name Of Exploration

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The North Face is expanding its brand message beyond extreme outdoor sports with a new campaign that likens exploration to trying something new. An initiative called “New Explorers” aims to inspire “exploration as a mindset” through a series of short films, pop-up music performances and a new Instagram community.

For the past 50 years, mountain sports has been The North Face’s brand identity. While they don’t intend to change this strategy, the brand can reach a wider audience by appealing to other forms of exploration like overcoming fears or being creative.

“Whether you’re a mountaineer or a musician, what connects us all as explorers is a shared mindset of curiosity paired with the courage to try something new,” said Tom Herbst, global vice president of marketing at The North Face in a press release. “This campaign will work to expand that spirit of exploration through different cultural touchpoints in music and art as well as our traditional mountain sports.”

The North Face is spreading the idea of exploration as a mindset through a series of short films that feature “New Explorers” on different walks of life. The series features rapper/producer Pi’erre Bourne, snowboarder Jess Kimura, filmmaker Jimmy Chin and activist Mikhail Martin, among others.

A series of pop-up concerts will take place throughout the fall in partnership with New York City musicians. Each musician, beginning with Pi’erre Bourne, will choose their venue and reflect on how that particular neighborhood contributed to their individual style. Each performance will have a theme of getting out of one’s own comfort zone.

The location of each concert will be a secret, but fans can receive hints and updates through a newly created Instagram page called The North Face City. The new Instagram account is intended to foster a community around exploration.

Three new spots will launch alongside the campaign, each examining the difference between the messages we receive from “curiosity,” “hesitation” and “exploration.” The brief videos each depict a situation in which someone embodies the explorer mindset—venturing out into the rain, camping on top of a mountain and traveling to a new place, all featuring The North Face products.

In addition to the new campaign, The North Face is tapping into nostalgia, as well. On September 26, the brand will re-release its 1996 Nuptse Jacket, which will be prominently worn throughout the “New Explorers” campaign.

Brands Unite To Encourage Voting, Form ‘Civic Culture Coalition’

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More than a dozen brands have joined forces to create The Civic Culture Coalition—a non-partisan group “powered by pop culture” that will encourage consumers to participate in the 2018 midterm elections and beyond.

Among the brands involved are Ad Council, AMC Theatres, Anonymous Content, ATTN:, AwesomenessTV, Bad Robot, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), DoSomething.org, Entertainment Industry Foundation, iHeartMedia, Lyft, SB Projects, TOMS, Tumblr, Univision Communications, VICE Media and more.

The Civic Culture Coalition’s first campaign is called “I am a voter,” offering tools and resources like registration portals and reminders. A website has been launched that helps anyone across the country register to vote and volunteer to help others do the same. In addition, a text message platform was introduced that allows Americans to get election updates, reminders, tools and events by texting VOTER to 26797.

“I am a voter” taps into young generations’ desire for individualism by using words that describe the person and not just the act.

“The campaign is designed to encourage Americans to establish a voter identity—’I am a voter,’ rather than ‘I vote’—and to celebrate voting as an expression of self rather than as simply a behavior,” said René Spellman, an executive with the CAA Foundation.

On September 25, various coalition companies will participate in a three-minute “media shutdown” and push the message “Register Now. Vote November 6.” According to The Civic Culture Coalition, three minutes is all the time it takes to register as a voter.

The Coalition teamed up with several designers and influencers to spread awareness on social media, as well as during New York Fashion Week and the Primetime Emmy Awards. Each participant was seen wearing “I am a voter” pins and shirts.

Digital influences will release content themed around “Register While You Wait” between now and National Voter Registration Day on September 25. The content will remind users to make sure they’re registered while they’re waiting for something else, like the bus, brewing coffee or during a commercial break.