Amazon Aims To Attract Fashionable Shoppers With Omnichannel Denim Festival

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Amazon’s fashion arm announced a four-day experiential festival in Berlin, “Destination Denim,” to highlight its extensive denim category, from October 24-27. After an exclusive launch party with fashion influencers and celebrities, the festival will be open for free to customers across Europe. There, consumers can take part in customization workshops, panels led by fashion experts and live performances. 

The omnichannel event will include activations both online and offline. “Destination Denim” will allow non-Berlin based shoppers to experience the festival through the Amazon website via event-specific products and interactive features such as playlists, tutorials and denim edits curated by fashion influencers. 

The festival will feature products from brands such as Levi’s Wrangler, 7 For All Mankind and G-Star in addition to exclusive products from Tommy Jeans and Amazon Essentials. A digital catwalk with 3D-view of garments will bring these products to life.

Attendees can also participate in a voice assistant-enabled styling experience powered by Amazon Alexa and shop from a capsule collection curated by German fashion influencers Leonie Hanne and Stefanie Giesinger. Amazon is also drawing on celebrity power as Rita Ora will host the festival launch party and Jorja Smith and Anne-Marie will put on live performances. 

Destination Denim marks Amazon’s first initiative focusing on brick-and-mortar operations with digital playing a supporting role. An omnichannel activation that fuses fashion and tech is part of the giant’s plan to attract a more fashionable segment of customers and become a top player in the US apparel industry. Amazon’s more than 100 million paying members have been fueling sales, allowing it to gain 1.5 percent of the apparel market in 2018. Earlier this year, Amazon introduced a series of limited-edition fashion collections designed in collaboration with influencers called “The Drop.” Fashion blogger and influencer Paola Alberdi, who boasts over a million Instagram followers, designed the first collection, which was only available for 30 hours to shoppers. Amazon says every piece was made to order in an effort to reduce waste.

Michael Scheiner Joins Tommy Hilfiger; Nationwide Names New CMO

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This week in marketing moves, Dennis McIntyre promoted to CMO at Stater Bros., Hulu taps Netflix’s Spencer Peeples as head of Film and Awards Marketing, Ramon Jones to succeed Terrance Williams as CMO at Nationwide, Tommy Hilfiger taps former marketing executive at Hollister Co. as chief marketing officer, Twitch snags mobile and social gaming company Zynga’s CMO and Kimberly-Clark chief marketing officer steps down.

Beyond Meat Taps Coca-Cola Marketing Veteran As CMO

Coca-Cola veteran Stuart Kronauge will join the vegan patty maker as chief marketing officer, Reuters reports. 

Kronauge formerly held the role of president Sparkling Brands and SVP of marketing at The Coca-Cola Company, where she spent over 20 years. Per Reuters, Kronauge is joining Beyond Meat in time when the company is expanding the sale of its plant-based meat burgers in retail stores and partnering with more restaurants to build on the consumer demand for vegan patties that taste, cook and look like real meat.

Stater Bros. Names New Chief Marketing Officer

Stater Bros. promoted Dennis McIntyre, who most recently served as the supermarket chain’s executive vice president of marketing, to executive vice president and chief marketing officer. 

McIntyre will assume the role starting November 4 and will continue to report to Stater Bros. CEO, Pete Van Helden. 

“As CMO, Dennis will work toward furthering and ensuring a cohesive brand identity. He will also be responsible for developing and leading an overarching marketing strategy across all areas of the company to meet the company’s business goals of sales and margin growth,” Van Helden said. 

Former Netflix Exec To Lead Film And Awards Marketing At Hulu

Spencer Peeples is leaving Netflix and joining Disney-controlled Hulu as VP, Film and Awards Marketing, effective November 11.

At Hulu, Peeples acquires a newly-created position where he will be responsible for leading Hulu’s awards campaigns and overseeing publicity and marketing campaigns for Hulu original films. 

Peeples will report to Hulu’s VP of Brand and Content Marketing, Ryan Crosby.

Marketing Executive Shifts At Nationwide 

According to a recent press release, Nationwide’s chief marketing officer Terrance Williams will leave the company in November and will be succeeded by Ramon Jones. 

Jones previously held several leadership roles at the company, including regional VP of Nationwide’s Western US operations, associate VP for the office of the chief executive officer, marketing leader of Nationwide’s Property Casualty businesses, and, most recently, he was financial services marketing leader.

In his new role, Jones will report to Nationwide’s chief executive officer, Kirt Walker. 

“Ramon is well-prepared to assume the role of chief marketing officer. During his nearly two decades at Nationwide, he has held numerous leadership roles in the business and in marketing that make him uniquely qualified to promote and protect the Nationwide brand and position him to drive further business success,” Walker said.

Tommy Hilfiger Welcomes A New CMO

Tommy Hilfiger Corp. appointed Michael Scheiner as the new chief marketing officer of Tommy Hilfiger Global, effective October 28.

Scheiner joins the company from Hollister Co., where he served as SVP global marketing for a year. Prior to that, he was VP marketing, digital and communications for Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids and Hollister.

In his new role, Scheiner will be in charge of leading the brand’s growth across digital and experiential platforms from Hilfiger’s global headquarters in Amsterdam. 

Twitch Taps Zynga’s Doug Scott As Marketing Exec 

Doug Scott is leaving the mobile and social gaming company Zynga to join Twitch as chief marketing officer, according to reports. 

Before Zynga, Scott was CMO of music startup BandPage and VP of marketing and revenue at mobile game publisher DeNA. He also worked for Electronic Arts and served on the board for Matrixx Initiatives and as an adviser for YouTube Music.

Twitch COO Sara Clemens said about Scott’s appointment: “Doug has deep experience extending brands into new markets across games and entertainment industries, making him the ideal fit to lead Twitch’s marketing strategy. As Twitch continues to grow, Doug will play an integral role in extending the brand beyond endemic audiences, supporting our incredible creators and expanding our presence in global markets.”

Angela Zepeda To Replace Dean Evans At Hyundai Motor America

Hyundai Motor America has named Angela Zepeda as its new chief marketing officer, effective immediately. This follows the former motor company’s CMO, Dean Evans, announcing his departure last week. 

Zepeda will lead all Hyundai’s marketing and advertising efforts in the U.S., such as the strategic direction, brand development, national and regional advertising, experiential marketing, digital and social media and brand partnerships. She will report to Hyundai Motor America COO Brian Smith. “It’s a great honor to be going in-house at Hyundai and I’m excited by the challenge of leading the marketing team during this transitional time for the automotive industry. Hyundai is a brand on an upward trajectory with sales growth that outpaces the industry, a revamped product lineup, and a laser focus on the customer experience,” Zepeda said in a press release.

Olga Cardona Named VP Administration And Marketing, Latin Music

Universal Music Publishing Group announced the promotion of Olga Cardona to vice president, administration and marketing, Latin Music. 

In her new role, Cardona will oversee administration and marketing in Latin America and will be in charge of driving increased exposure of UMPG’s Latin songwriters on social media channels. She will continue reporting to UMPG president for Latin America and U.S. Latin, Alexandra Lioutikoff. 

“With the global growth of Latin music, our ability to maximize opportunities and revenue for our Latin clients is greater than ever. Under Alexandra’s leadership, UMPG Latin has thrived and I’m so proud to reach this stage of my career as part of her team. I look forward to creating new opportunities for our songwriters while working closely with our global team,” Cardona said in a press release shared with AList. 

Kimberly-Clark CMO To Leave The Company

Kimberly-Clark’s CMO, Giusy Buonfantino, announced that effective November 1, she will no longer be with the company, Adweek reports. 

After Buonfantino’s departure, Kimberly-Clark’s global marketing capabilities team will report to Alison Lewis, who joined the company in June after six years as CMO of Johnson & Johnson.

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, October 25. 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 

Chief Marketing Officer ThirdLoveSan Francisco, CA
Vice President, Film MarketingNew York UniversityBrooklyn, NY
Chief Communications And Marketing OfficerUC San DiegoSan Diego, CA
Senior Vice President Of MarketingClear Channel OutdoorNew York, NY
SVP–Creative MarketingWalt Disney TelevisionBurbank, CA
Vice President, Marketing Int’l International Distribution And ProductionsSony Pictures Entertainment Inc.Culver City, CA

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

Twitter Q3 Earnings Show Drop In Sales, Earnings Per Share

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This week, Twitter gets hit with a drop in sales and earnings per share, Snapchat introduces a developer tool that lets brands and publishers share web content and LinkedIn reports strong revenue growth.

Twitter Q3 Earnings Show Drop In Sales And Earnings Per Share

According to TechCrunch, ad tech glitches caused Twitter to miss big on revenues and earnings per share (EPS).

Why it matters: Analysts predicted Twitter’s EPS to come in at 20 cents per share, which is far greater than what Q3 earnings show. 

The details: Revenues for Q3 reached $824 million and EPS $0.05. Twitter attributed the drop to revenue product issues, bugs in its Mobile Application Promotion (MAP) product which impacted the ability to target ads and issues with its ad tech personalization. The platform’s monetizable daily active users, however, increased from 124 million a year prior to 145 million.

Snapchat Introduces Creative Kit For Sharing Web Content To App

The developer tool lets brands and publishers share web content. 

Why it matters: Integrations with third-party apps give marketers a chance to reach a broader audience and boost web traffic outside the app.

The details: The “Creative Kit for Web” lets brands add a “Share to Snapchat” button to a mobile or desktop site and the resulting shared snaps will feature a branded sticker or GIF as well as a link to drive traffic to related content on a site. While using Snapchat, visitors to those sites will be able to scan a snap code with a smartphone camera to share then a link with friends and followers. 

LinkedIn FY20 Q1 Earnings See Increased Revenue And Sessions

Microsoft reported earnings for its first fiscal quarter of 2020 including LinkedIn highlights.

Why it matters: The platform has been delivering solid double-digit growth over the last several quarters and chances are the trend will continue with its latest introduction of real-life networking events.

The details: LinkedIn revenue grew 25 percent and sessions increased 22 percent year-over-year as engagement reached record levels. Marketing solutions continued to be the platform’s fastest-growing segment, up 44 percent YOY.

Snapchat’s Latest Performance Updates Show Increases In Users And Revenue 

Snapchat revealed that its audience grew by seven million from Q2 to Q3.  

Why it matters: An increased average revenue per user (ARPU) reflects that Snapchat’s business efforts are improving and that its capitalizing on its ability to maintain audience interest. Still, the platform’s “Rest of the World” users are not as profitable as those in other markets, reflecting Snapchat’s need to incur more technical costs to support those users.

The details: The update notes that Snapchat is being used by 210 million people every day, up from 203 million in the previous quarter. The increase is in part attributed to the “Rest of the World” category with Snapchat’s re-designed Android app which has gained traction in India.

Snapchat also improved profitability with a 50 percent year-on-year increase to $446 million. Its overall ARPU also increased by 33 percent to $2.12. Total daily time spent watching the platform’s “Discover” content has increased 40 percent year-over-year.

Instagram Removes All Augmented Reality Filters That Promote Cosmetic Surgery

BBC reports that the move comes amid concerns that cosmetics surgery filters on the platform’s stories harm people’s mental health. 

Why it matters: The move to ban cosmetic surgery filters is in line with its overall effort to promote wellbeing and recent anti-bullying “Restrict” feature.

The details: Story filters that make users look like they’ve had fillers, lip injections or a facelift will be banned. The decision comes after the app announced in August that users would be able to create their own custom face filters on stories. The result was many popular filters that mimicked the effects of extreme cosmetic surgery. 

Instagram Adds Option To Categorize IGTV Videos

According to Social Media Today, Instagram’s new ‘Series’ option will enable creators to segment videos into dedicated collections.

Why it matters: The feature is influenced by Snapchat’s original shows and docuseries which have been gaining momentum through repeat viewership. 

The details: Instagram will allow creators to group their IGTV videos and also notify viewers when there are new episodes via an on-screen tab that viewers can tap. The IGTV ‘Series’ option will help influencers better brand their content and encourage return viewers.

YouTube Adds Virtual ‘Beauty Try-On’ In Beta To Masthead And Trueview Discovery Ads

Google’s artificial reality (AR) feature, Beauty Try-On—which lets viewers virtually try on makeup using their front-facing smartphone cameras while following along with YouTube creators’ tutorials—is now available to brands globally. 

Why it matters: YouTube’s AR beauty experience will allow advertisers an opportunity to showcase their brands in an engaging way via YouTube’s home feed across devices.  

The details: Google first made “Beauty Try-On” available through an alpha with Google’s in-house branded content platform, FameBit. Now consumers will be able to browse, virtually try on makeup and shop the products directly via the mobile Masthead (via the YouTube homepage)and Trueview discovery ads while watching a tutorial. NARS has reached over 20 million people to date in the US, UK, Canada and Australia with the feature. 

Instagram Testing Feature That Would Cluster Accounts To Make Them Manageable 

According to Engadget, an app sleuther has learned that Instagram is testing a feature that would group followers into categories to make them easier to manage.

Why it matters: This would help followers focus their feed on people who they care about and in turn lure them back to the platform even when follow lists become cluttered. 

The details: The feature would let users see followers they “least interacted with” and “most shown in feed” to help users determine who to unfollow.

Facebook Marketers Increase Video Media Budgets In Q3

Mobile Marketer reported that per a study from Nanigans, Facebook advertisers boosted their video budgets 24 percent in Q3 from a year prior, the third consecutive quarter that video spend more than doubled image adspend. 

Why it matters: The rise in video budgets indicates marketers’ efforts in engaging users with more emotionally compelling content, an important strategy for direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands that are equipped to fulfill direct orders and app marketers looking to drive downloads.

The details: In addition to overall video budgets increasing, cost-per-click (CPC) rates for video ads rose 31 percent during the period while click-through rates (CTR) for video decreased 28 percent. Still, the rise in video spending shows that marketers saw a positive return from video ads. Facebook advertisers also spent more on dynamic ads, 98 percent in Q3 from a year earlier.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, October 25. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Honda Tells Real Customer Stories In New Safety Campaign

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Honda embraces the power of emotional storytelling in its new brand campaign “Safety for Everyone” and releases a series of stories narrated by real Honda customers who were involved in major car accidents, but were saved by the cars’ high safety performance.

The stories featured in the new social video initiative are taken from social media posts and letters that were sent to Honda from customers. For example, one of the stories used in the campaign was shared on Facebook by the customer, Nicole Hart, who in April 2019, reached for a tissue while driving her 2018 HR-V and drifted into oncoming traffic.  

 “I am grateful to those who designed and engineered my Honda HR-V. The amount of consideration Honda puts into the safety of each and every vehicle they put on the road makes all the difference,” she shared. “Not only did I have a guardian angel the day I crashed, but I had a Honda.”

The initiative aims to promote Honda’s safety features, including a cloud-based connected car system–HondaLink; HondaLink Assist, which is an additional new feature available on HR-V EX and above, that helps request emergency assistance for drivers, as well as Honda’s front passenger airbag technology. 

“The Safety for Everyone Customer Stories” campaign builds on the central safety themes from the video spot that launched in September.  

Also, as a part of the ongoing campaign, the company will release additional videos in the “Safety for Everyone Customer Stories” series in the coming weeks, offering on-screen interviews with family members impacted by the safety and well-being of a Honda customer who suffered collisions.

“Safety for Everyone represents Honda’s unique approach to vehicle safety and vision for a collision-free mobile society where its customers and everyone sharing the road–pedestrians, motorcycle riders, cyclists and occupants of other vehicles–can safely and confidently enjoy the freedom of mobility. With nearly 40,000 lives lost each year in the United States due to motor vehicle crashes, Honda is committed to developing and deploying advanced passive safety and active safety systems that help protect passengers in a wider variety of collision scenarios, such as the recently announced new front passenger airbag technology designed by Honda engineers,” the company said in a press release shared with AList.  

The Cost Of Consumer Attention In Our Cluttered Digital Landscape

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Originally published at AW360 by Sean McCaffrey.

We’re asking consumers to apply their minds at moments where that isn’t possible.

Can I have your actual attention? To read this, you’ll have to sacrifice part of your mind to process what I want to say, so I better get it right or you won’t come back again.

This is the basic transaction we’re making with consumers every day, and it’s easy for us to forget how hard it can be to focus. Right now, you’ve probably considered leaving this article to check that latest Twitter notification or Instagram story update. Some of you already have.

When we break through, it works. When it doesn’t, consumers move on.

That cost is tremendous when taken in total, millions of dollars every day are lost due to viewability issues (Forrester Research found that U.S. marketers wasted as much as $7.4 billion on digital display ads alone last year, 56 percent of those from ads that were either fraudulent or unviewable inventory).

It’s our responsibility to figure out what went wrong—why the message wasn’t right, how the creative could be stronger, why the targeting was off, or how to tell if it’s humans or bots who are watching. Fair enough, our daily challenge as marketers is figuring out how to optimize everything and adapt accordingly.

That’s also why capital-a Attention is creeping back into marketing narratives. Targeting and measurement today are better than ever. Sponsored content looks more like original programming than advertising. DNA-testing giant Ancestry moonlights as a partner for the show Who Do You Think You Are?, returning to NBC after a seven-year hiatus to help celebrities uncover their family histories. We’re so good at these things, yet when campaign metrics and conversions don’t meet expectations, Attention becomes the next factor to test.

It’s very difficult to find moments to reach consumers when they aren’t distracted. We think of true engagement as being deeply engrossed in original programming, binging The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel for a few hours, but 45 percent of viewers often or always use devices while watching TV.

Even the best original programming faces the same challenge brand campaigns do. What good is a great campaign if it’s delivered in a way that the intended recipient isn’t capable of paying attention?

We need to seriously consider Attention as the new engagement and targeting. So, if great content is the “What” we capture consumer attention with, perhaps we also seriously consider where and when they pay attention and give consideration the most?

According to a study GSTV commissioned with Mastercard, consumers are +3.7x more attentive to advertising when on the go. Given that consumers also check their phones 52 times a day advertisers should start addressing viewer attention by reaching them when they aren’t in their homes juggling screens.

Tune out is inevitable, and where brands win the game of Attention is being where their consumers are, leaning on the strengths of a diverse omnichannel strategy to entertain and inform consumers as their attention wanes from screen to screen. GSTV is a measurable solution to help solve the fight for attention. In fact, we have the Attention of 93 million captive adults 18+ every month, for an undistracted 3-5 minutes, in a 1:1 engagement while they fuel up their vehicles—at a natural pause point in their day. GSTV’s reach is a compliment to TV buys, boosting campaign reach and engaging consumers on days we know they are spending more money.

With content more engaging than ever, and distraction at an all time high, Attention is a vital ingredient to accelerating consumers along their journey. Meeting consumers in the right place, with the right messaging and during the right time in their day is a winning Attention formula. Advertisers who understand this and figure out how to get their message across to a captive and broad audience leveraging data and targeting, rise above and win.

Chipotle’s Digital Success And Partnership With Sparkfly

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During this episode of “Marketing Today,” I interview Catherine Tabor, founder and CEO of Sparkfly and Nicole West, vice president of digital strategy and product with Chipotle. Chipotle partnered with Sparkfly in 2017 to implement a promotions management platform that streamlined the flow of data to their systems. As a result of the partnership, Chipotle has been able to develop an ecosystem with incredible growth. 

West discusses her years at Chipotle and the company’s growth during that time. She notes that growth has occurred in teams, tools and processes that combine to execute their strategy successfully. “Customers are craving a frictionless, digital experience. The more simple and engaging, the better,” she said. “The things that haven’t changed are just as important. Chipotle remains a purpose-driven company, focused on delivering excellent customer experience and providing the best real ingredients prepared by hand every day.”

Tabor describes Sparkfly’s focus from the beginning as being an “advocate of the brand.” Their goal was to put together a closed-loop attribution platform that connected “in-real-time” merchant POS with 3rd party partners. The goal was “to help brands be successful and understand the performance of the programs they are running,” she told us.

Highlights from this week’s “Marketing Today”:

  • Nicole shares Chipotle’s growth and digital strategy. (02:31)
  • What was Chipotle trying to solve with their digital and marketing efforts? (04:49) 
  • What are the considerations for bringing on a new service provider or partner? (06:10)
  • What was it about Sparkfly that “sparked” your partnership? (07:06) 
  • Catherine shares the “spark” for Sparkfly. (08:25) 
  • The “glue” that holds together numerous activities. (10:25) 
  • What makes Sparkfly stand out? (11:58) 
  • Nicole shares about the “ally” mentality of Sparkfly. (12:37) 
  • The programs possible at Chipotle due to the partnership with Sparkfly. (14:00) 
  • Why Chipotle stands out as a “digital leader” in the industry. (15:41)  
  • Advice for top-level marketers. (17:40)  
  • Nicole’s past experiences that defined her as a person. (19:47) 
  • Catherine’s past experiences that defined her as a person. (21:42) 
  • What advice would Nicole give her younger self? (24:13) 
  • What advice would Catherine give her younger self? (24:35)  
  • Brands, companies or causes to take notice of. (25:25) 
  • Nicole’s vision for the future of marketing. (27:06)
  • Catherine’s vision for the future of marketing. (27:49)

Alan B. Hart is the creator and host of “Marketing Today with Alan Hart,” a weekly podcast where he interviews leading global marketing professionals and business leaders. Alan advises leading executives and marketing teams on opportunities around brand, customer experience, innovation and growth. He has consulted with Fortune 100 companies, but he is an entrepreneur at his core, having founded or served as an executive for nine startups.

Miller Lite Encourages Consumers To Swap Screen Time For ‘Miller Time’

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Miller Lite is going dark on its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and asking consumers to unfollow the company’s social channels as a part of its new marketing campaign. The brand is reenvisioning “Miller Time” for today’s generation of drinkers, offering a free beer to those who choose to spend time sharing a beer with friends rather than scrolling through their feeds online.

“With this new campaign, we’re championing in-person, genuine connections over social media followers. We know that today’s generation of new drinkers will spend more than five years of their lifetime on social media, and yet are only meeting up with their close friends less than a few times a month. By reintroducing Miller Time, we want to remind them that while social media is great, it’s no replacement for hanging out in-person over a Miller Lite,” said Anup Shah, VP Miller Family of Brands. 

To participate, consumers need to text “UNFOLLOW” to the number provided on the company’s site with an attached screenshot confirming that they unfollowed Miller Lite social media channel. 

“We understand it’s risky for a brand today to say that we want you to unfollow us on social media, when it’s one of the many ways we stay in touch with beer drinkers,” Shah said. “But we value those in-person connections and are committed to inspiring people to do the same, even if that means losing a few followers along the way.”

Also, as a part of the campaign, Miller Lite presented a television spot, called “Followers,”  during Game 1 of the MLB World Series. “A few friends are better than a few thousand followers. Here is to the original social media,” the spot’s slogan says.  

Online Shoppers’ Purchasing Habits Are Fragmenting Conversion Funnels

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Amazon is dominant at every stage of US consumers’ purchase journey and search engines are more important for research purposes than purchasing itself, according to a report from ClickZ and Catalyst. The “Understanding Today’s Online Shoppers reflects the fact that new technology and various new shopping platforms have caused conversion funnels to become less streamlined.

The data suggests that now web users discover a brand on one channel, compare it with other options on a second and purchase it through a third, making the buyer’s journey fragmented and less predictable. The report explores the shopping behavior of three groups of online shoppers—low spenders, medium spenders and high spenders. 

Across the board, ecommerce is the channel that more consumers use to discover, research, compare and purchase. Shoppers utilize search engines more than 30 percent of the time when researching price, followed by 20 percent for reviews.  

Amazon is the preferred purchasing channel of low and medium spenders as 75 percent of respondents use Amazon both for brand discovery and product purchase. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said they visited Amazon to research, compare and purchase goods, compared to 50 percent last year. Marketers looking to engage shoppers at every aspect of the journey should note that Amazon is not just a shopping platform but also a research engine, eliminating the need to shop or research elsewhere.

The report found that high spenders, 89 percent of which are male, most frequently use social media and shop online and use a more diverse array of channels compared to their lower-spending counterparts. For example, it’s expected their use of visual channels will increase by 74 percent and voice by 30 percent in the coming years. All high spender respondents said that they saw a product on social media then researched it more via search channels. For low spenders, that same number drops by half.

While conversion funnels become increasingly fragmented, one thing remains the same: search is one of the most important marketing channels. Over half (57 percent) of respondents said they use search engines to discover new products. Amazon’s wealth of products and detailed reviews, however, is thought to be skewing results, as consumers are using it as a search engine to discover products. To keep up with the changing role of search, brands should optimize for branded queries and curate a strategy for Amazon that encompasses all stages of the purchase strategy. 

Findings are based on answers from 511 US shoppers from a range of backgrounds spanning all employment types, education levels and household incomes. 

Mattel, Airbnb Create Malibu Barbie Dreamhouse For One-Time Stay

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Airbnb listed a life-size Malibu Barbie Dreamhouse for rent, for a one-time, two-night stay, in honor of Barbie’s 60th anniversary. The ocean-front dream house is available for booking for guests beginning on October 23 for $60 per night. 

A stay at the Barbie Dreamhouse includes various activations for guests that showcase Barbie’s entrepreneurial spirit and appreciation for underrepresented career paths. The Airbnb experience will include a one-on-one fencing session with fencing medalist Ibtihaj Muhammad and a meet-and-greet with celebrity hairstylist Jen Atkin as well as hair makeovers courtesy of Atkin’s Mane Addicts Creator Collective. Guests will also be treated to an interactive cooking lesson with Malibu Seaside Chef’s owner and a behind-the-scenes tour of Columbia Memorial Space Center with aerospace engineer and pilot Jill Meyers.

The two bed-two bath mansion is decorated in signature Barbie style with pops of Barbie-pink finishes across the infinity pool, waterslide, personal cinema, sport court, walk-in closet, hobby studio and fully stocked kitchen. A stay is guaranteed to the first fan who reserves when booking opens at 11 a.m. PDT on October 23. The one-time stay will take place from October 27-29. 

As part of the activation, Airbnb is donating to the Barbie Dream Gap Project GoFundMe initiative, an ongoing global effort to give girls the resources and support they need to pursue their passions in life. The Dream Gap Project Fund is based in research that starting at age five, many girls begin to develop limiting self-beliefs. The company established the initiative earlier this year with $250,000. Around the same time, Mattel kicked off a global campaign to commemorate Barbie’s 60th anniversary, enlisting 20 influential women and partnering with organizations that inspire young girls to follow their dreams.

US Digital Ad Revenues Increase, Growth Projected For AR And CTV

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US digital advertising revenues reached $58 billion—a 17 percent increase year-over-year—during the first six months of 2019, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) “Internet Advertising Revenue Report.” Though the growth makes it the highest spend in history for the first half of the year, digital is beginning to show signs of maturing.

The data shows an uptick in revenues across the board. Internet ad revenues in the US increased seven percent from $28 billion in the first quarter of 2019 to $30 billion in the second quarter. Mobile ad revenues, which make up 70 percent of total internet ad revenues, totaled $40 billion in the second quarter of 2019 compared to $31 billion in the first quarter. Audio adspend is also rising with the emergence of smart speakers, up 30 percent YOY to a total of $1.2 billion for the first half of 2019.

Smartphone ownership and social media is nearing saturation, pushing the industry to focus on new channels for growth such as connected television (CTV), augmented reality (AR) and 5G.

The report notes that marketers must evolve their strategies alongside technological advancements, particularly immersive media. Respondents cite AR ads as having the ability to foster an emotional connection, leading to increased brand recall, positive brand associations and sometimes, increased brand awareness. Connected device usage is also gaining traction, broadening marketers’ opportunity for contextual targeting. However, as marketers foster one-to-one marketing and develop personalized ads, they should remain transparent with consumers about data value exchange. 

Advertisers still rely on Nielsen to measure households for linear television but seek a congruent measurement across linear television and digital video. Despite the fragmentation of cross-channel measurement, marketers are investing more in over-the-top (OTT) content and CTV as viewers are shifting their behavior towards CTV.

The report also notes that the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) will stifle innovation and force brands to redirect resources that comply with these privacy regulations.

Report findings are based on a quantitative web survey commissioned by the IAB and conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).