Hendrick’s Gin Creates Immersive Experiences For The Senses

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Scotland-made Hendrick’s Gin is giving UK commuters a chance to stop and smell the roses. The gin company created an immersive experience by transforming London’s busiest station, King’s Cross St. Pancras Station, with scented, decorated posters that mimic the brand’s Victorian aesthetic.

Wallpaper murals in a light pastel colorway featuring ingredients such as rose and cucumber from the brand’s seasonal Midsummer Solstice gin cover the tunnel wrap for a garden party effect. On the floor of the tunnel’s entrance, the words, “Step into the delectable” are painted in large letters. The campaign will run until September, with future plans to implement the UK’s longest floor wrap and entrance archway. 

The brand’s experiential marketing efforts will continue at the inaugural Honda Celebration of Light in Vancouver in August. There, a branded 65-foot hot air balloon covered in images of cucumbers and roses, quintessential British garden staples, will take flight for two evenings on August 2 and 3. As the hot air balloon suspends in midair, an organ made of whole cucumbers—what Hendrick’s calls C.O.R.G.A.N. (Cucumber Organ of Remarkably Glorious Auditory Nirvana)—will play music in the Hendrick’s Gin air departure lounge. 

Open to all festival-goers, the lounge will feature music, entertainment and gin sampling. For a chance to experience the twinkling Vancouver sky via hot air balloon, fans must hold a Golden Ticket which they can enter to win two ways—either by visiting one of the gin’s carriers or onsite at the festival. Guests bearing a Golden Ticket will also win a one-on-one energy reading.

“The Hendrick’s Gin Portal of Peculiarity at the Honda Celebration of Light Downtown will be enchanting for the eyes, ears and taste buds. We look forward to elevating festival goers’ experience with our ocular and auditory spectacle in true Hendrick’s Gin fashion,” said Alvin P. Ramchurn, national brand ambassador, Hendrick’s Gin.

Jenny Wall Joins Nickelodean As CMO; S&T Bank Appoints Marketing Chief

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This week’s marketing moves include the appointment of Dana Wysinger to chief marketing officer at S&T Bank, the ouster of Charles Schwab CMO Andy Gill, the appointment of Claire Nance as head of marketing communications for Activision Blizzard Media, the promotion of Kathryn Frederick to chief marketing officer at Ticketmaster, the departure of the global CMO at McDonald’s, Nickelodeon naming Jenny Wall as CMO, Harrods’ chief marketing officer resigning from the role, Bill Kong joining Rover as chief marketing officer, Twitter appointing a new head of global business marketing and ed-tech company Ellucian appointing a new CMO.

S&T Bank Appoints Dana Wysinger CMO

S&T Bank, which operates in five northeastern US markets, has appointed Dana Wysinger to the role of chief marketing officer. Wysinger previously served in senior executive positions at Target Financial Services, Wells Fargo and SunTrust Bank.

In her new role for the full-service financial institution, Wysinger is tasked with developing strategies to enhance consumers’ cross-platform experience.

Jenny Wall Announced As New Nickelodeon CMO

Jenny Wall will join Nickelodeon as the network’s new chief marketing officer. 

According to Wall’s LinkedIn, she comes to Nickelodeon from Spotify-owned Gimlet Media. She also previously served as SVP and head of marketing at Hulu. 

As the new CMO, Wall will be responsible for all on and off-air consumer marketing, as well as brand creative and content launches across all of the network’s platforms. 

Brian Robbins, to whom Wall will report said about the new hire, “Jenny is a dynamic innovator who knows how to create cultural moments that connect content and audiences. As Nickelodeon focuses its efforts to expanding onto new platforms and building our audience, Jenny’s creative instincts and strategic planning will further add to our momentum.”

Charles Schwab CMO Exits Amid Corporate Reshuffle

Charles Schwab CMO Andy Gill is exiting his role this week amid “organizational restructuring.” Joining the departure is another top exec, EVP of investor services Terri Kallsen.

Gill has been with Charles Schwab for 16 years. His duties will be absorbed by Jonathan Craig, now senior executive vice president for investor services, advisor services, retirement plan services and marketing, until the conclusion of the restructuring is determined.

Activision Blizzard Media Nabs New Marketing Comms Lead

Claire Nance, formerly director of corporate communications at IPG Mediabrands’ firm Rerpise, has joined Activision Blizzard Media as head of marketing communications.

Activision Blizzard Media, in a job advertisement related to the position, noted that the role comes at a time when the video game company is “planning to launch advertising across the Activision Blizzard portfolio, including in esports.”

Ticketmaster Builds Out Marketing Team With New CMO

Ticketmaster is bolstering its marketing team with a trio of new promotions according to a press release from the company published earlier today.

Kathryn Frederick, who joined Ticketmaster in 2015 and previously served as SVP of growth and insights for the ticketing company, has been promoted to chief marketing officer.

Joining her on the marketing team in new Ticketmaster roles will be David Eisenberg as VP of partnership marketing and Andrew Samson as VP of brand marketing.

McDonald’s To Replace A Global CMO Role With SVPs

AdAge reported that McDonald’s global CMO, Silvia Lagnado, is leaving the company. Lagnado has been with the fast-food giant for four years and was responsible for developing a universal visual identity for McDonald’s 35,000 restaurants and spearheading a data project to better understand customers. 

No new global CMO will be named. Instead, the role will be split between two current McDonald’s employees: Colin Mitchell will be SVP of global marketing, and Bob Rupczynski will acquire the role of SVP of marketing technology.

Harrods Marketing Chief Steps Down

Harrods’ chief marketing officer, Amanda Hill, announced her decision to leave the position, effective November.

Hill joined the department store company, based in London, 18 months ago and has been credited with assembling an effective leadership team.

Harrods is currently looking for her replacement as she leaves to attend to family obligations.

Rover’s New CMO: Bill Kong

Rover.com, billed as “the world’s largest network of pet sitters and dog walkers,” has hired Bill Kong as chief marketing officer.

In a press release announcing the appointment, Rover emphasized Kong’s 20 plus years of experience in “product management and performance and brand marketing, with a strong emphasis on direct-to-consumer business.” 

Rover’s COO noted that Kong “brings a wealth of experience from across the technology and e-commerce sectors to the team at a pivotal moment.”

Kong previously served as chief growth officer at Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organic as well as chief digital marketing officer for Sears.com and Kmart.com.

Twitter Appoints Head Of Global Business Marketing

Gap Kim joins Twitter’s global business marketing team where he will work to grow the business and brand while improving the platform’s advertising capabilities.

Ellucian Names Chief Marketing Officer

Higher education software provider Ellucian named Asim Zaheer as chief marketing officer, according to a press release from the company. 

Zaheer will lead strategic marketing initiatives for Ellucian and is tasked with focusing on digital transformation and moving services to the cloud. He previously served as CMO and SVP at Hitachi Data Systems.

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

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, July 26th. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

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Brands Need To Perfect Omnichannel Strategy To Win Hearts And Wallets, Study Finds

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According to a new CMO Council study, “Critical Channels of Choice,” omnichannel is the preferred method of communication regardless of consumers’ generation, region or gender. In partnership with Pitney Bowes, the CMO Council surveyed 2,000 English-speaking global consumers—across GenZ, baby boomers, millennials, GenX and the silent generation—85 percent said they expect a blend of digital and physical engagement from brands. The CMO Council gathered feedback via an online study that explores consumers’ must-have channels of choice for communication, discovery, service, data and details the consequences of brands falling short of engagement promises.

Despite the prevalence of social media-based engagement and the rise of chatbots, the study finds that consumers expect brands to also be available on other channels, too, bucking the assumption that millennials and GenZ expect brands to communicate strictly via social. For example, 86 percent of consumers selected email as their top channel of choice, followed by a telephone number to call and having access to a live person.

Print mail is not dead

Consumers place a high value on convenience, which the study shows was the top attribute that kept 50 percent of consumers returning to a brand. That’s followed by reliability (45 percent) and speed (41 percent). Surprisingly, one out of every three consumers surveyed said they also expect direct mail to be part of their ideal communications mix. To deliver a highly satisfying experience, marketers should favor relevance through personalization over random acts of data application, and stop being creative for creativity’s sake.

“What is interesting is how wrong our assumptions about millennials and GenZ were. I think we all assume that because this group is digital natives..these aren’t cord cutters …they think cords are for charging, not connecting, [we wrongly expected that] traditional channels of engagement like printed mail would be out of their sphere of thought or influence. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. These are actually disruptors for younger generations,” said Liz Miller, senior vice president, marketing CMO Council.

Respect data privacy

While millennials and GenZ may give brands the impression that it’s acceptable for them to use their data however they please, the CMO Council study found that they want to share some personal data in exchange for highly personalized experiences. Across both age groups, 42 percent of respondents said they prefer to share select data and expect to have a say in where and how the data is used. For brands to gain consumer trust and a willingness to share personal data, the key is consistently demonstrating the value of contextual experiences across their audience’s preferred channels of engagement. 

“I also think it’s important to really understand and embrace this idea that data is not some taboo asset never to be shared. Nor is it an ‘open book.’ Instead, data is the consumer’s new currency. They give it to us in exchange for value. The exchange rate that determines how much value needs to be delivered is entirely dependent on the consumer and our track record in delivering trust,” Miller added.

Create seamless omnichannel experiences

Consumers need more than just optimal prices or products to remain true to a brand. The study found 84 percent cite the lack of connections between channels—for example, trouble-shooting a problem via one channel then jumping to a different channel to resume the conversation, to be a major source of frustration and one that could cause them to turn to a competitor. 

When seeking information about new opportunities to save or products to buy, more consumers are looking to video as part of the discovery mix. Fifty-six percent of GenZ noted that they want video to reflect the products they already own or are specifically interested in while 43 percent want the video to be interactive. The study also reinforced the fact that social exerts the greatest influence over younger audiences’ decision-making while GenX, boomers and the silent generation cite websites as holding the most sway.

Post-it Note Celebrates Back-To-School Season With Animated Ads And Collaborative App

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3M’s Post-it Brand launched a global campaign encouraging students to “Think Loud,” with five, 15-second video spots that spotlight how writing down ideas helps actualize them. The campaign was announced across the brand’s site and social channels ahead of the back to school season, and will extend to television in late July.

The series of animated spots feature students in real-life situations utilizing Post-it Notes for different purposes to help them reach their academic and extracurricular goals. In a spot that reminds consumers Post-it Notes aren’t just for studying, a student draws a cupid’s arrow on a Post-it Note that then transforms into a band of traveling Post-it Notes, making its way onto the desk of the student’s crush. Another spot shows a student stick a note in her locker that says, “Run for president.” When she shuts the locker door, the Post-it Notes multiply and come to life in the form of a life-size campaign mural that spells out, “Vote Zoe.”

One of the spots, yet to be released, ushers the brand into the digital device age. The spot will introduce the Post-it App, available on Apple devices and launching in late July for Android devices. The app allows users to capture more than 200 individual square Post-it Notes at a time with their mobile camera, provides the ability to add new digital notes to existing notes and lets you organize them by topic or on a grid. Making it easy to share ideas from multiple sessions, the app also gives users the option of uploading their notes to multiple applications such as Powerpoint, Excel, PDF, Dropbox and more.

Post-it Note’s “Think Loud” campaign is part of the brand’s ongoing efforts to engage consumers and promote 3M products via fresh and actionable content. In 2015, 3M repositioned targeted banner ads by turning them into Post-it Notes on which users could jot down information. Looking to attract millennials and GenZ, in 2018 Post-it Brand tapped pop singer Hailee Steinfeld for a back-to-school campaign urging Instagram users to join thousands of other students by writing their goals down to #MakeItStick. To date, 3M continuously delivers videos that educate consumers on its products for DIY projects through its 3M DIY web portal.

“The campaign was built upon this question: How many brilliant thoughts, world-changing ideas, spectacular inventions and important meetings never happen, just because we don’t get them out of our heads?” said Jennifer Stoltenow, brand communications manager of the Post-it Brand. “To set forth a new brand story on a global scale, we have created a campaign that encourages people not to keep things bottled up in their heads but, rather, to Think Loud, because when captured on Post-it® Notes, ideas become real.”

St. Ives, National Geographic Launch Experiential Campaign Promoting Nature As Stress Reliever

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St. Ives, the veteran skincare brand that rose to popularity for its cult favorite apricot face scrub, is rinsing off its outdated identity and layering on new strategies aimed at attracting millennials and GenZ. The company’s recent announcement of an experiential campaign called “Nature Reset,” reflects this new direction. Its marketing efforts promote awareness of nature as a powerful stress reliever and highlight the Swiss brand’s use of natural ingredients.

The brand created four informational video spots—one for each statistic from a survey conducted by St. Ives about stress and anxiety—to promote the findings that 15 minutes of nature lowers stress levels. The language of the campaign slogan appearing in each spot, “Turn up the glow,” is a clear indication that St. Ives is speaking to a younger audience.

Starting July 25, St. Ives will deploy a double-decker bus to cities across the US, giving fans a chance to experience “a much-needed dose of nature.” Consumers can hop atop the bus which will feature nature scapes inspired by ingredients in the brand’s face mists. The bus will make four stops in New York City from July 25-July 28 then continue its tour for three days in Chicago between August 2-4. Columbus and Philadelphia will also receive visits from the St. Ives bus from August 9-11 and August 16-17, respectively. 

As part of St. Ives’ ongoing commitment to help young women embrace the positive power of nature, the company also partnered with National Geographic on a social media contest. To enter, fans must post a photo snapped while spending time in nature. Consumers can submit from July 24-August 31 with the hashtags #StIvesNatGeoContest and #NatureReset, tagging both brands. Five winners will win a photo expedition for two with National Geographic to Yellowstone National Park. Additional tie-ins include a yearlong digital campaign on Instagram and the brand’s new site platform dedicated to wellness.

“We know that consumers stopped believing in ads years ago. They want two-way conversations, and this is another step in the journey of standing for something and contributing to consumers’ brands and values. We will, of course, support our hero products, but it’s critical for any brand today to be more than just products,” Sarah Irby, St. Ives’ director of US face care and fast beauty, told Glossy.

Acquired by Unilever in 2010, St. Ives is one of many heritage brands that is taking an ingredient-conscious approach to advertising. In early 2019, Johnson & Johnson’s Aveeno re-launched its range of hair care products to spotlight the use of natural farm-to-shower ingredients which include oats, chamomile and blackberries. Last year, Unilever unveiled a plant-based personal care range called Love Home and Planet that has since introduced a line of home care products.

Fast-Food Brands Are Beefing Up Faux Meat Marketing

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With the explosive growth of meat startups like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, quick service restaurants (QSRs) are increasingly beefing up their menus with plant-based burgers, sausages and more that look and taste like the real deal.

GenZ is, in part, shaping the trend and forcing brands to hop on the faux meat ferry full speed ahead. Market research firm Y-Pulse found that “plant-based menus” are one of the dining options that colleges’ and universities’ youngest students desire most. Brands like Burger King, Del Taco and Dunkin’ are all embracing the fake meat items and reimagining marketing strategies to reflect a commitment to plant-based options. 

While meatless burgers are in hot demand, some believe that brands’ marketing of fake meat is misleading. This year, Mississippi and Arkansas filed federal lawsuits to control how veggie-based alternatives are marketed, looking to ban the use of meat-related terminology to describe meatless menu items. Regardless, the food category is growing at lightning speed as global sales of plant-based meat is expected to exceed $5.2 billion by 2020, according to Allied Market Research.

Here’s a closer look at the approach brands are taking when it comes to marketing meatless alternatives to the masses.

Burger King

To celebrate the roll-out of Impossible WHOPPERS earlier this year, the brand launched an Impossible WHOPPER van that stopped at each new market with games, music and free merchandise. The fast-food chain decided to expand the meatless alternatives to all stores after its St. Louis sales rose 28 percent thanks to the Impossible option. In Sweden, Burger King introduced two plant-based options to its “50/50 Menu.” The brand said it would give customers either a meat sandwich or a plant-based one without telling them which in order to encourage fans to scan the sandwich box with the Burger King app and make a guess.

Del Taco

In April, Del Taco was the first Mexican-American chain to debut tacos made with Beyond Meat. The company launched a #MeatlessMonday promotion encouraging fans to buy two Beyond Tacos for four dollars using The Del Taco app.

Dunkin’

The beloved donut-coffee brand introduced the Beyond Sausage Breakfast Sandwich at select Dunkin’ restaurants in Manhattan with plans for a future national rollout. To promote the partnership, Dunkin’ published a short video spot on Instagram highlighting the amount of protein in each sandwich. Dunkin’ also held a tasting event at participating Manhattan restaurants.

Arby’s 

In a bizarre effort to simultaneously embrace and shun the trend, Arby’s released a video spot that shows its executive chef creating a turkey-based carrot. The “Marrot,” as Arby’s calls it, echoes the brand’s dedication to meat, as it has stated it will never offer fake meat products on its menu.  

Birds Eye

Popular British brand Birds Eye launched a $2.5 million marketing mass media campaign to spread the word about its new Green Cuisine range of meatless products. The brand, which is currently present in 75 percent of UK households, started raising awareness for its Green Cuisine via a television spot featuring vampires who attend a convention and accidentally eat meatless burgers but enjoy them.

White Castle

In late 2018, the legacy burger joint released the Impossible slider to New York, New Jersey and Chicago, marking its first foray into meat alternatives. After experiencing a shortage of Impossible Sliders, White Castle released BBQ Impossible Sliders. The savory sliders were promoted via a 10-second video spot showing cowboys express their amazement over the plant-based burgers.

Carl’s Jr.

The brand launched a Beyond Meat version of its Famous Star burger in January 2019. As part of its #CarlsSummer100 contest, the brand posted content highlighting the meatless burger on Instagram and prompted users to submit original content showcasing how they celebrate summer with Carl’s Jr.

For The First Time Ever, US Consumers Will Spend More Time On Their Smartphones Than Watching TV

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According to eMarketer’s “2019 Mobile Marketing Trends Roundup,” this year, for the first time in history, US consumers will spend more time using their mobile devices than watching TV. Not surprisingly, smartphones dominate as the device of choice.

Smartphones will lead as the source of media consumption by consumers, claims the report. However, the analysts from eMarketer forecast that their use will plateau by 2020. The researchers explain that the anxiety around the overuse of mobile devices is increasing, and that anxiety is expected to impact the number of hours that consumers spend with their devices.

The average US adult, this year, will spend 3 hours and 43 minutes on mobile devices, which is slightly more than 3 hours 35 minutes spent on TV. Also, US consumers will spend 2 hours 55 minutes on smartphones, which makes a 9-minute increase from 2018. 

“We’ve expected that mobile would overtake TV for a while, but seeing it happen is still surprising. As recently as 2014, the average US adult watched nearly 2 hours more TV than they spent on their phones,” said Yoram Wurmser, eMarketer principal analyst.

While smartphones continue to conquer the world, tablets are certainly losing in the battle. In 2017, daily time spent by an average US adult on a tablet was 1 hour 11 and this year it dipped to 1 hour 8 minutes. The researchers also predict this trend to continue through 2021. 

Consumers spend a good chunk of their time using apps rather than web browsers, typically, spending 2 hours 57 minutes in apps compared to as few as 26 minutes on a mobile browser, the roundup informs (to maximize app user lifetime, the researchers recommend to “leverage deep linking, encourage social sharing and drive new referrals and offer discounts”).  

The most popular activity among consumers within apps is tuning in to digital audio. According to Wurmser, “Digital audio apps continue to add minutes because people are streaming more music on their phones, and podcasts have taken off in popularity in the past few years.” The trend is followed by scrolling through feeds and chatting in social media platforms. 

Per the analysts, companies like Google and Apple have introduced screen time controls, but how useful they are in ultimately changing behavior is yet to be revealed. So what are some things that marketers can do today to maximize their advertising on mobile devices? One of the key strategies is understanding personalization. As pointed out by the roundup sponsor, Branch, “From desktop to mobile web to apps to tablets, users now have more connected devices than ever. Brands that can’t respond to their users’ needs for personalization across devices will lose loyalty–and revenue.” 

US Brands Leverage Alibaba’s Tmall Experiential Retail Center To Attract Chinese Consumers

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Tmall, Alibaba Group’s business-to-consumer (B2C) online marketplace, is launching an experiential retail center in Shanghai’s popular shopping mall, K11. Visitors can take part in exclusive pop-up activations, immersive theatrical plays and live-band performances. Brands such as Bobbi Brown, Oral-B, Abercrombie & Fitch, Make Up Forever and Ballantine’s are among the first to leverage the experiential pop-ups designed to appeal to Chinese consumers.

Vans kicked off the opening of Tmall’s experiential retail center with a two-week urban art exhibition celebrating street culture. Complementing the exhibition is a workshop where shoppers can partake in the process of designing their sneakers via screen printing.

Earlier this summer, VF Corp., the parent company of Vans, The North Face and Timberland, announced it will utilize Tmall’s data-driven product development and marketing initiatives to reach Chinese customers. VF was the first apparel company to work with Tmall’s Innovation Center (TMIC)—an end-to-service platform that tracks trend discovery, consumer research and post-launch performance—in 2017 when it launched. TMIC has since partnered with 800 brands including L’Oréal, Shiseido, Samsung, Unilever and P&G.

To gauge interest in its experiential retail center, Tmall will send invitations to its premium customers which will provide brands with insight on how to engage them offline. The Tmall Experience Center marks the first of many to open later this year.

“As a key destination for brand-building, Tmall needs to help brands connect their members with their physical stores and events and bring one-of-a-kind experiences to consumers. Brands might feel reluctant to expand traditional retail stores to smaller cities, but they are very open to adopting this pop-up approach,” said Liu Bo, general manager of Tmall and Taobao Marketing.

There’s no shortage of brands delivering experiences that transcend traditional retail experiences developed for Chinese consumers. In 2018, Porsche offered Tmall shoppers the chance to test-drive its cars at its experience center in Shanghai, what has become the luxury auto brand’s fastest-growing market. This year, Isareli beauty brand Ahava hosted a live-streamed sales event on Tmall broadcast from the Dead Sea. The result? Ahava sold out all 14,000 of its newly launched hydrating mud masks just one minute into the session on Tmall. By the time the day was over, Ahava had become Tmall’s top-selling brand across three categories including facial masks, lip balm and body lotion.

Coca-Cola Great Britain Launches Purpose-Driven Campaign To Support Kids’ Access to Sports Fields

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Coca-Cola Great Britain launched a purpose-driven campaign called “Ball Games Allowed” with football (soccer) charity StreetGames to fund players’ access to sports fields. The partnership comes after a study shows 50 percent of young people said it’s difficult to play in their local community because of playing restrictions in community spaces or no access to coaches. As a result, 30 percent of aspiring players must travel up to an hour away to find a place to play a game on a proper football field.

The findings on which the campaign is based show that 49 percent of those who are ages 16-25 said they have a “no ball games” sign near their home. Additionally, 86 percent of the same respondents said they would benefit from having football coaches in their community and 68 percent said their community would benefit from having safe places to play.

As part of the “Ball Games Allowed” initiative, Coca-Cola created two video spots—one from the perspective of players and one from coaches— to raise awareness about the challenges that young UK football players face in finding spaces to play and support from coaches. Both spots feature retired professional football player Jermaine Jenas, who openly shares how the sport took him away from “anything bad” and how his coaches shaped the person he became. As long as “no ball games” signs continue to exist, players will be stripped of aspiration and team building skills, Jenas notes. Between voiceovers from Jenas, other young football players are shown expressing the benefits of having a place to practice, namely staying away from crime and mischief. 

“The lack of football spaces and coaches restricts so many, but by unlocking more, we are giving more aspiring footballers the chance to thrive. ‘Ball Games Allowed’ will enable us to open up access to facilities in 20 communities, for hundreds of young people where the need is greatest and train over 300 coaches working in our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods,” said Jane Ashworth, StreetGames CEO.

In addition to the efforts to amplify safe spaces to play, Coca-Cola Great Britain pledged to donate $250,000 to StreetGames for playing fields and coaches. Donors will be entered for a chance to win tickets to hundreds of Premier League matches. The beverage brand has launched a new multi-brand on-pack promotion that will run until September 1 across packs of Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola zero sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Oasis, Sprite, and Dr Pepper. Coca-Cola Britain has been supporting StreetGames since 2010.

TIME Magazine Puts Sponsored Content On Moon Landing Issue Cover; Launches AR-VR App

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TIME Magazine launched an app combining augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), called Time Immersive app to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing. To promote the app, the magazine’s most recent cover shows an illustrated homage to the original 1968 cover of astronauts from different nations racing to the moon—this time adding space startups to the mix. 

An unexpected message also appears: “Brought to you by Jimmy Dean,” is printed in small type on the cover, marking the first time since 2014 that TIME put sponsored content on the magazine’s cover. Additionally, the ad on the underside of the front cover flap reads, “Celebrating 50 years of quality sausage.” 

In 2014, TIME broke industry taboo when it ran Verizon Wireless ads on the cover of TIME and Sports Illustrated, AdAge reported. The Verizon logo and the words “For best results use Verizon. See P. 23,” appeared on the TIME cover that highlighted saving premature babies. TIME’s recent decision to run an ad front-and-center on its cover, however, could mean more sponsored covers are in its future.

The first app experience, also sponsored by Jimmy Dean, “Landing on the Moon,” allows viewers to “experience a scientifically and historically accurate cinematic recreation of the Apollo 11 landing in photo-real 3D on any tabletop at home.” The activation will include spatial sound design and a voice-over by TIME’s Jeffrey Kluger. The magazine is also giving fans a teaser of the 3D experience as a mobile web AR experience. 

TIME’s app launch coincides with Jimmy Dean’s 50th anniversary which might explain the cover’s ad tie-in. The sausage brand is commemorating its milestone with an interactive timeline of the brand’s history on its website and two short video spots posted to its Twitter. One of the 15-second spots shows the celebratory scene that unfolded in the space control room when Apollo 11 landed. The camera then zooms in on one of the flight controllers who’s seen enjoying a Jimmy Dean sausage, and the spot ends with the narrator voicing, “50 years ago, something extraordinary happened: Jimmy Dean sausage first landed on our plates. Houston, we have a better breakfast.” 

Earlier this year, TIME announced two forthcoming immersive projects. “The March” will give audiences the chance to experience the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in a room-scale interactive VR. The second initiative, called “The ISS Experience,” will be an immersive documentary series filmed around the International Space Station.