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
AdAgereported 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.
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.
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.
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, 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.
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.
Miami ~ it’s the last day to come see us. look for the Impossible Whopper van (kinda looks like this⬇️) at: 🔹Lincoln Road @ Meridien (9-12 pm) 🔹Whopper Bar @ 1101 Washington Ave (2-6pm) pic.twitter.com/nmrZZWKhRU
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Bud Light shook Twitter with its recent announcement that it is offering free beer to “any alien that makes it out” from the “Storm Area 51” raid. The beer company has promised to debut We Come In Peace, an Area 51-themed limited edition label in time for the spoof “Storm Area 51” event, which is scheduled for September 20.
Not surprisingly, just like the parody Facebook account, “Storm Area 51,” created by California resident, Matty Roberts, Bud Light’s tweet went viral, and has been retweeted more than 51,000 times, according to Marketing Dive. Considering that more than 1 million people have already RSVP’d to the spoof raid, Bud Light is certainly making a clever and bold move by stealing some hype from the social media moment.
The initiative provides an unscripted opportunity for the beer company to engage with younger audiences, such as millenials and the older segment of Gen Z’ers (of drinking age) on Twitter, where the parody of a parody campaign has been well received.
To avoid (any more) controversy, Bud Light made it clear that it’s not planning on sponsoring the event, as the U.S. Air Force has already issued a (real) warning for people who may not have been clued in that it’s a joke.
“We’d like to be the first brand to formally announce that we will not be sponsoring the Area 51 raid,” the company said in another tweet.
And yet, Bud Lights puts itself at risk because Area 51 is a military area and there is no guarantee things won’t get ugly if people who RSVP’d to a joke, actually show up. After all, police this week had to shut down an Adidas and Arizona pop-up in New York City due to safety concerns—though that was a real event. Even so, seasoned marketers should have anticipated the crowds.
Other brands that used “Storm Area 51” in their marketing efforts include Burger King, Kool-Aid and Oreo.
This week’s marketing shifts include Kia Motors America filling their head marketer role, departures at Foxtel’s Kayo streaming service, the appointment of a CMO at Varsity Tutors, a newly appointed EVP and CMO at Advance Auto Parts, a former Visa and PepsiCo marketer Shiv Singh joining DTC health tech company Eargo as chief marketing officer, Fox News Media seeing the return of Jason Klarman as EVP of marketing, Lincoln Center tapping Leah C. Johnson as chief communications and marketing officer, Sesame Workshop naming a new CMO, Carnival Cruise Line Australia’s director of marketing departing from the role and Kraft Heinz’s former CMO finding a new CEO role.
Kia Motors America Brings On New Marketing Director
Kia Motors America has found a replacement for exiting head marketer Saad Chehab, according to Auto News.
Former Mazda North America marketing VP Russell Wager joins the Korean automaker to lead all marketing activities, effective immediately. Wager’s six-year tenure at Mazda coincided with a U.S. sales boom of 8.4% for the company. He’ll report to Kia Motors America COO Michael Cole in his new position.
Kayo Loses Chief Sales And Marketing Officer
Kayo, a recently launched sports streaming service from Foxtel, has lost its chief sales and marketing officer, Mumbrellareports. This comes immediately after the departure of Foxtel’s content marketing director.
Carly Loder, who was elevated to CMO in February of last year, previously served as director of marketing communications at Fox Sports. In a statement from Kayo’s spokesperson, the company noted that they are “in the process of identifying the right marketing capability to lead the next phase of growth at Kayo Sports.”
Varsity Tutors Names Chief Marketing Officer
Varsity Tutors announced the appointment of their new CMO, the former chief marketing officer at Dollar Shave Club, Adam Weber.
Weber has been a brand-builder for over 14 years and joins the St. Louis-based live learning platform amid several changes, including the appointment of a new chief technology officer.
The announcement for these new hires noted that “these strategic additions are Varsity Tutors’ latest move to continue bolstering its presence in the edtech space, including the recent acquisition of Los Angeles-based Veritas Prep.”
Advance Auto Parts Names New EVP And CMO
Jason McDonell is slated to join Advance Auto Parts as their new executive vice president and chief marketing officer, effective July 29th.
McDonell most recently served as president and GM for PepsiCo Foods Canada, where he led the company’s “Crash the Super Bowl” digital crowdsourcing campaign.
In a press release announcing his new position at the automotive aftermarket parts provider, McDonell’s responsibilities include “all marketing activities across the Advance family of brands, including Advance, Carquest, Worldpac and Autopart International.”
Former Visa, PepsiCo Marketer Joins DTC Startup
DTC health tech startup Eargo announced the hiring of Shiv Singh as chief marketing officer today.
Singh formerly served as SVP, global head of innovation, go-to-market and SVP, global head of digital & marketing transformation at Visa, Inc. He was also previously the global head of digital at PepsiCo Inc.
In his previous role at Visa, Singh oversaw the launch of Visa.com while activating sponsorships with the Olympics and NFL. At PepsiCo, he oversaw the company’s digital media and marketing campaigns. He joins Eargo alongside CFO Adam Laponis and VP of software engineering, Fernando Cruz.
Jason Klarman Tapped By Fox News Media As Marketing EVP
Jason Klarman, who was part of the team that launched the Fox News Channel in 1996, is returning to Fox News Media as EVP of marketing.
The Wrap reports that Klarman will oversee brand strategy and marketing for properties including FNC, Fox Business Network, Fox News Digital, Fox News Radio, Fox News Headlines 24/7, Fox News podcasts and the direct-to-consumer subscription streaming service Fox Nation.
In his time away from Fox News Media, he oversaw marketing for USA Cable and Bravo Media, serving as CMO for Fullscreen Media as well.
Lincoln Center Names Leah C. Johnson To New Chief Marketing Role
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced the appointment of Leah C. Johnson to the new role of chief communications and marketing officer. In this position, Johnson will be tasked with “uniting LCPA’s strategic communication and marketing functions,” reportsBroadway World.
She joins the LCPA after founding LCJ Solutions, a strategic communications firm. Her previous tenure also included SVP of corporate affairs at Citigroup, Inc, VP of corporate communications for Standard and Poor’s and numerous board titles at the Museum of the City of New York, Board of New York Public Radio and The Dalton School.
Samantha Maltin Joins Sesame Workshop As CMO
Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind the award-winning show “Sesame Street,” has brought on Samantha Maltin as chief marketing officer.
Maltin held previous positions in brand marketing roles, most recently at Schireson, a data consulting firm, as well at A+E Networks where she led marketing for the History channel and oversaw a network rebrand. She then ran A+E’s Corporate Marketing & Innovation team. Prior to that, Maltin spent 15 years in various roles at Viacom/Nickelodeon.
Ex-Kraft Heinz CMO Is Now Health Supplement CEO
Eduardo Luz, the former Kraft Heinz CMO, has a new chief executive position at health supplement brand 8Greens. As reported by The Drum, Luz’s departure from Kraft Heinz came at a “tumultuous period” for the company.
Carnival Cruise Line Australia Marketer Departs
Jayne Andrews, Carnival Cruise Line Australia’s director of marketing, will be stepping down at the end of August to pursue her next professional endeavor.
In an interview with CMO, Andrews noted her impetus for seeking out a new position. “After five-and-a-half years, I knew I needed a new adventure, new brand or brands to build. I haven’t secured my next role yet, but I wanted to be transparent with my team here, give them an extended time to find a new Jayne.”
“There is never a good time to leave an awesome role, but I knew if I didn’t bite the bullet, I would never do it,” Andrews said.
Editor’s Note:Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, July 19th. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.
With Q2 2019 now behind us, it’s time to analyze what worked, what didn’t and look ahead to new trends in the world of social media. Summer is off to a hot start. Twitter announces several new updates and publishes “Are Marketers Missing Customer Signals On Social?” blog post; Instagram tweaks its account disable policy, Youtube allows its users to seamlessly switch between audio and music videos and engagement on LinkedIn is exploding.
Twitter Publishes “Are Marketers Missing Customer Signals On Social?”
Twitter shared a blog post featuring Diana Helander, head of marketing for the Twitter Developer Platform, speaking about the importance of social listening as part of an extended Marketing Disrupted podcast.
Why it matters: Per the blog post, “In our data-driven world, marketers need to think more about the nature of social conversations and not just look at raw social data.”
The details: Helander chatted with Marketing Disrupted podcast hosts Brent Chaters and Amber Mac about the importance of social listening, and the role Twitter Data can play in helping marketers solve problems.
“It’s important for brands to start listening,” Helander says. “Brands can help identify something newsworthy, or if needed, remediate an issue. But that’s just a first step. Following on from that is active engagement with those audiences, whether it’s for brand voice, marketing campaigns or customer service—engaging in that conversation and doing so in an authentic way,” she said.
Twitter Addresses Conversation Gaps, Tries Out New Icons
Also, this week, Twitter rolled out several updates, including testing new icons for more clarification in reply streams and trying to resolve conversation gaps, created by hidden tweets.
Why it matters: These new updates aim to improve conversation flows on the platform, which should help support higher and more meaningful engagement.
The details: Twitter rolled out a new feature that will use icons instead of words to indicate conversational contributors. In addition, the social media company is fixing the issue with too many “This Tweet is unavailable” notices in conversations, which occur due to deleted or protected Tweets, or muted keywords. In the following weeks, the users will start noticing more context on each notice, explaining why Tweets are unavailable.
Instagram Tweaks Its Account Disable Policy
The company announced a change to their account disable policy in a blog post.
Why it matters: Per Instagram, “[the] changes will help quickly detect and remove accounts that repeatedly violate our policies.”
The details: With the new policy, in addition to removing accounts with a certain percentage of violating content, the Instagram team will remove accounts with a certain number of violations within a window of time to enforce the policies more consistently and hold people accountable for the content they post on Instagram.
A new notification process is being introduced as well, to help the users better understand if their account is at risk of being disabled. This notification will also allow users to appeal content that has been deleted.
The policy change might be linked to the recent tragedy, related to the death of 17-year-old Bianca Devis, whose photos were posted on Instagram after she was murdered.
YouTube Users Can Now Switch Between Audio And Music Videos
Youtube will allow users to seamlessly switch between audio and music videos.
Why it matters: Being able to switch between the media with more ease should allow for a more seamless experience for users and provide a better way for brands and broadcasters to interact with users.
The details: YouTube users will notice a new video button at the top of the screen when they start listening to a song, and by clicking it, they can instantly start watching the music video.
The new feature simplifies the process of enjoying audio and music and according to YouTube:
“[Makes discovering] new music videos is easier than ever before. From recent mega-hits to deep cuts, if a song has a video, YouTube Music will surface a video button so switching between audio and visuals is just one click away.
YouTube Music has perfectly time-matched over five million official music videos to their respective audio tracks, so no matter when or how often you flip back and forth between the two, you won’t miss a beat.
When you flip from video to song, say goodbye to the other sounds that go with the music video — like those long introductions — and enjoy the song as it was intended.
Not into music videos? We’ve got you covered. To stick to songs 100 [percent] of the time, visit your settings and turn off the music video option by toggling “Don’t play music videos” to the “on” position.”
LinkedIn Engagement Is On The Rise
According to Microsoft’s FY19 Q4 results update, LinkedIn’s parent company, the career-focused social media platform, grew sessions and revenues.
Why it matters: These numbers indicate the presence of a significant and highly engaged audience on the platform.
The details: Highlights from the report include LinkedIn revenue increasing by 25 percent ($371 million) and LinkedIn sessions growing by 22 percent.
Instagram Expands “Hide Likes” Testing To More Regions
Despite the users’ mixed feelings about “Hide Likes,” Instagram seems to be serious about its intent to launch the feature and expands the testing to additional regions, including Australia.
Why it matters: The company claims it’s trying to make sure that followers concentrate on meaningful content rather than its popularity and like count.
The details: The feature that hides the total number of likes and video views is currently testing in Canada and has now expanded to Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Japan and New Zealand. As part of the trial, users can see how many likes a photo received, but followers won’t see the numbers, and you can’t see how many likes other peoples’ photos received. Business accounts will still be able to access engagement metrics.
Twitter “LiveCut” Video Editing and Publishing Tool
Twitter terminates SnappyTV live video editing tool, and replaces it with “LiveCut,” integrated into Twitter’s Media Studio.
Why it matters: “LiveCut” allows publishers to create, monetize and share videos of live broadcasts on Twitter.
The details: To start using “LiveCut,” publishers need to obtain access to Twitter’s Media Studio, which is provided via Twitter Partner manager.
Guides and tips on using “LiveCut” can be found here.
Liverpool Football Club is a video publisher who, among some others, already participated in Twitter’s LiveCut beta program. And here’s what Adam Hulme, head of social media for Liverpool FC had to say about the new tool, “It was great to be able to share this incredible occasion with our fans all over the world in real time. The club utilized Twitter’s LiveCut tool to capture and deliver short, shareable, memorable, and now iconic clips within a matter of minutes, and with ease.”
TikTok Spotted Testing A “Discover Tab”
Jane Manchun Wong spotted TikTok working on a “Discover Tab” feature.
Why it matters: “Discover Tab” will likely replace “Search” function at some point in the future and make it easier for TikTok users to discover new content based on their interests and preferences while providing a more convenient way to interact.
The details: Besides “Discover Tab,” TikTok is also working on a tool that will help the users to quickly send videos to friends and link a TikTok profile to Google and Facebook accounts.
Facebook Allows UK Users To Report Scam Ads
Facebook has launched a tool for its UK users, which allows them to report ads they suspect might be scams.
Why it matters: The new consumer safety feature will help to create a more credible environment on the platform, as well as improve brand safety amid persistent data privacy complaints about the platform.
The details: To use the tool, users can click the three dots in the top-right corner of each ad on the platform, select “Report ad,” choose “Misleading or scam ad” and then “Send a detailed scam report.” A dedicated internal ops team at Facebook is said to review reports and remove scam ads.
Facebook To Debut WhatsApp Payments In India
Also, Bloombergreported that Facebook had finished an audit of related data practices and is close to rolling out WhatsUp payment service in India.
Why it matters: WhatsUp payment service has the potential to open up a new and thriving user base in India for brands, as WhatsApp has an extremely large user base on the subcontinent, around 300 million. Arnav Gupta, an analyst who tracks digital payments at Forrester Research said on the matter, “Everybody from eight to 80 years old in India are clued into WhatsApp, giving it phenomenal reach. Besides, peer-to-peer businesses like MakeMyTrip and BookMyShow, which are already using WhatsApp, will find it very easy to route payment transactions through the messaging app.”
The details: Per Bloomberg, the payments service has been in beta mode in India since early last year for a million users, but the national rollout has been postponed, partially due to government regulations. To launch the service, WhatsApp is required to use a third-party auditor to verify that all data involved in payments will be stored on servers only in India. The company is getting ready to submit the report for approval to India’s banking regulator, the Reserve Bank of India.
Twitter Launches New Follower Listings In Notifications
The company announced the rollout of an easy-to-use format that alerts users to new followers.
Just got a new follower? Starting today, we’ll show their profile in your notifications. Wanna follow them back? Just tap that follow back, girl. pic.twitter.com/VlFTiV15ea
Why it matters: The new feature makes it more efficient to manage new follows and follow back, without having to take extra steps of clicking-through to the profile of that person to hit the “follow” button.
The details: The feature will include a larger profile panel within “Notifications” tab and allow users to follow back directly from the alert that someone is now following them.
We Are Social Details Social Media Use In 2019
Hootsuite and We Are Social published a new report, revealing how people are using the internet and social media in 2019. Facebook remains the most widely used platform and video continues to expand. The reports are available for the U.S. , UK, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Australia, Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Why it matters: The research provides insight into the global and national use of social media, and how marketers can best reach social audiences.
The details:
45 percent of the world’s population, or 3.5 billion people, are now social media users
59 percent of social media users are aged 13 and above
93 percent of them, or 4 billion people watch online video content, with vlogs attracting 2 billion viewers
Snapchat’s audience increased to 369 million, with the platform’s advertising audience jumping by 19 percent in the past three months
Facebook is still most popular among teenagers with 113.3 users and potential reach of advertising on the platforms being aged 13 to 17
Facebook Spotted Testing ‘Suggested Moderators’
Social media expert Matt Navarra noticed the company testing a new feature for group administration.
Why it matters: ‘Suggested Moderators‘ is targeted to group members which Facebook’s system identifies as engaged users who may be able to help manage their online communities.
The details: The new option will make a recommendation on group members as potential moderators based on their involvement, frequency and interactions within the particular group. Right now the test is in limited beta.
NEW! Facebook is testing a ‘Suggested Moderators’ feature for Groups*
It will assess a group member’s level and type of activity and engagement within the group to make suggestions.
According to Gizmodo, Google started testing a social networking app, aiming to bring people closer “offline,” based on their activities and interests.
Why it matters: If (finally) successful, Google might join social media giants and offer another useful advertising platform. However, it is too early to tell if the app will be popular with audiences.
The details: The app, created by Google’s Area 120 unit, is called Shoelace. It provides suggestions every day on nearby happenings that give people a reason to meet up and the activities range from “Spin vinyl on vintage decks” to “Play ping pong at a modern lounge with full bar” and more.
“The whole premise of Shoelace is to tie people together based on their interests—like two laces on a shoe. We do so through activities—which are fittingly called ‘Loops.'”
Shoelace is available on the latest versions of Android and Apple’s iOS and requires an active Google account to sign into the app.
Facebook Hires A Former Vine General Manager
Jason Toff, a former Vine GM of two years will join Facebook’s new division–NPE Team as a product management director.
Why it matters: This move is likely related to Facebook’s ambition to compete with TikTok and create a successful video sharing platform.
The details: After going after TikTok already and failing with Lasso, Facebook might be hoping to reapproach the initiative with the new talent. And Toff seems to be a perfect fit for the job, as according to his LinkedIn, he not only spent two years at Vine, but also worked for other competitors. He served as director of product management at Twitter and a partner at Google’s Area 120.
Snap Is After Chinese Advertisers
TechCrunchreported that Snap and Baidu, a Chinese website and search engine, recently renewed their sales partnership.
Why it matters: Companies that purchase media through Baidu are guaranteed access to all forms of advertising in Snap’s videos, real-time selfie effects, overlays and more, and therefore, can reach young and extremely dedicated audiences, TechCrunch reports.
The details: Sheng Hu, head of U.S. strategy and partnership at Baidu’s Global Business Unit said, “Our partnership with Snap Inc. provides Chinese companies new avenues to expand their businesses through Snapchat advertising. We look forward to connecting with marketing executives in China and beyond on behalf of Snap to discuss the benefits of these advertising solutions.”
WhatsApp, Telegram Suffer From Security Flaws
Researchers from Symantec found flaws that could make it possible for potential hackers to change images and audio files in the apps.
Why it matters: Per Symantec, although secure messaging apps are an important tool for individuals, politicians and companies who wish to keep their conversations private and protected from surveillance, the apps themselves are still not immune to hacks.
The details: The four main threats of Media File Jacking attacks are image manipulation, payment manipulation, audio message spoofing and fake news.
To ensure that media files are kept safe from hackers, Symantec recommends the following:
“Validate the integrity of files: Store in a metadata file a hash value for each received media file before writing it to the disk. Then, confirm that the file has not been changed (i.e. the hash is the same) before the media file is loaded by the app in the relevant chat portion for users to see. This step can help developers validate that files were not manipulated before they are loaded. This approach balances between the security (protection against Media File Jacking attacks) and functionality (e.g., supporting third party backup apps) needs of the IM apps.
Internal storage: If possible, store media files in a non-public directory, such as internal storage. This is a measure some IM apps have chosen.
Encryption: Strive to encrypt sensitive files, as is usually done for text messages in modern IM solutions. This measure, as well as the previous one, will better protect files from exposure and manipulation. The downside is that other apps, such as photo backup apps, won’t be able to easily access these files.”
Snapchat Tests New Binge-Watch Friendly Feature
Snapchat is reportedly testing a new feature, similar to the Netflix home page.
Why it matters: The new “Shows” section feature will have a special section for shows, separate from the Discover page, which will make it easier for the viewers to binge-watch.
The details: With the test, which was recently spotted in the app, an additional swipe over from the Discover page brings up a hidden “Shows” section. A Snapchat spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that the company is testing the “Shows” section feature, but it’s not yet clear if or when it will become widely available.
Twitch Still Beats YouTube Live, Facebook Gaming And Microsoft’s Mixer In Life-Streaming
Per a new report from StreamElements, Twitch still had its second-biggest quarter to date, capturing more than 70 percent of total hours watched across all live streaming platforms.
Why it matters: These numbers indicate that Twitch is attracting a growing and engaged audience.
The details: According to the StreamElements report, Twitch viewers live-streamed a total of 2.72+ billion hours in Q2, or 72.2 percent of all live hours watched. To compare, viewers live-streamed 735.54 million hours on YouTube Live (19.5 percent), 197.76 million on Facebook Gaming (5.3 percent) and just 112.29 million hours (3 percent) on Mixer. The researchers also found that the majority (almost 75 percent) of Twitch’s viewership still came from people tuning in to the top 5,000 channels. Also, out of the 2.7 billion hours watched in Q2, these top 5,000 channels drove 2 billion of the hours watched.
Influencer Marketing Spend Grows By 83 Percent Year-Over-Year
Influencer marketing measurement company, Instascreener, reported an 83 percent year-over-year increase in influencer marketing spend.
Why it matters: Despite the complaints around ineffective measurement, fake followers and influencer fraud, there is still a large demand for influencers. For example, brands such as Fashion Nova invested $5.5 million into influencers and vodka brand Ciroc spent $3.4 million in the second quarter of this year.
The details: Per the report, Q2 of 2019 was the largest quarter yet for influencer marketing, with brands spending a total of $442 million, which is up by 18 percent, $69 million, compared to Q2 2018. $314 million of the total spend was spent on Instagram. Although, it is important to mention that a total of $58 million reached fake followers.
Twitter Rolls Out The New Version Of Twitter.com
Twitter is officially rolling out the redesigned version of Twitter.com, VentureBeatreported.
Why it matters: According to VentureBeat, the redesign is Twitter’s attempt to bring new features and functionality to users.
The details: On the front end, the redesign means a faster and more personalized experience. On the back end, that means serving the right experience based on the user and device.
Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, July 19th. 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.
