Woolworths Group Creates CMO Role; Kia America Marketing VP Leaves

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This week’s executive shifts include Woolworths Group appointing its first CMO, the departure of Kia Motors America’s VP of marketing communications, Reuters naming its first chief marketing officer, Green Growth Brands tapping former Victoria’s Secret CMO as its new marketing chief, Senté appointing a CMO and Beam Suntory creating a new marketing position altogether. Meanwhile, there is a chief marketing officer for Beats, Wendy’s promotes from within for its international president and CMO roles and Helen Keller Services names a new CEO, formerly of Goodwill.

Woolworths Group Appoints First CMO

Andrew Hicks has been appointed to the newly created role of CMO for Woolworths Group, Australia’s largest supermarket chain, reports AdNews. As he takes on the new responsibilities, driving changes across all the brand’s lines, he’ll continue to oversee marketing for Woolworths Food Group and Supermarkets. Previous to that, he held the position of GM of Woolworths Liquor Group.

Group CEO Brad Banducci, whom Hicks will report to, told AdNews: “Given Andrew’s marketing experience across many aspects of our Group over the last few years, he is well placed to drive the next horizon of our brand and marketing agenda.”

Hicks will be tasked with growing consumer touchpoints for the brand while retaining a consistent experience, beginning immediately.

Kia’s US Marketing Chief Steps Down

Saad Chehab is leaving his position as VP of marketing communications for Kia Motors America—that’s according to an internal memo obtained by Automotive News. 

While noting that Chehab is stepping down to relocate to an area closer to his children, the memo also states that he is “beyond proud of what [the] team has accomplished.”

According to Automotive News, Chehab saw a number of strategic resets for the automotive maker’s Super Bowl presence, “moving away from goofy, celebrity-focused ads in favor of a more inspirational touch for its Telluride crossover spot.”

Chehab has not yet announced his new employer.

Reuters Names First Chief Marketing Officer

Reuters has named Josh London its first chief marketing officer effective immediately. London joins the company from IDG Communications, where he served as global chief marketing officer.

In his new role, London will be responsible for “all aspects” of marketing to include product, field and brand marketing.

“Josh is a respected and accomplished marketing leader with a strong history of building brand awareness and driving commercial success,” said Reuters president Michael Friedenberg. “His breadth of expertise and experience will add significant value to our team as we work to reset, modernize and grow our organization.”

Former Victoria’s Secret CMO Finds New Home With Green Growth Brands

Cannabis and CBD brand Green Growth Brands has appointed Jann Parish to the role of chief marketing officer. Parish most recently served as CMO for Victoria’s Secret for a year before exiting in October 2018. She has held a number of marketing leadership roles in the fashion retail space including Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.

“As GGB continues rapid expansion in both the CBD and MSO segments, we are delighted to be bringing Jann, a proven consumer marketing expert, onboard,” said Peter Horvath, CEO of Green Growth Brands in a release. “Jann is a master at positioning brands to resonate with consumers. As we scale our portfolio of brands, I am confident that under her leadership we will be differentiated from the competition.  We are so pleased to welcome Jann to the team.”

Senté Welcomes New Chief Marketing Officer

Adelle Walker has joined skincare brand Senté as chief marketing officer. Walker brings over 15 years of dermatology and aesthetics brand experience to the role, including US commercial and global marketing positions at Allergan, SkinMedica and Syneron Candela.

“Adelle has an incredible track record of challenging the status quo and turning insights into new opportunities and markets,” said Laurent Combredet, president and chief executive officer of Senté. “Adelle is a tremendous addition to Senté and I look forward to partnering with her as we further build Senté position in the exciting physician-dispensed skin care market.”

Beam Suntory Eliminates CMO Role, Hires ‘President of Brands’

Alcohol marketer Beam Suntory has restructured its team following the exit of its CMO for Uber. The traditional role of chief marketing officer has been eliminated and replaced by Jessica Spence as its first president of brands. Spence joins the company after serving seven years as executive VP and chief commercial officer of Carlsberg.

Spence will have “end to end” oversight over Beam Suntory’s Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Hornitos tequila and Effen vodka brands, including P&L responsibilities.

This week’s executive shifts include a chief marketing officer for Beats, Wendy’s promotes from within for CMO roles and Helen Keller Services names a new CEO, formerly of Goodwill. 

Beats Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Chris Thorne has been appointed chief marketing officer of Apple’s Beats headphone brand. He joins the brand with over 15 years of marketing and business experience, including a CMO role at The Honest Company and global vice president of marketing, media and mobile at Electronic Arts (EA).

In his new role as CMO, Thorne will oversee global marketing efforts related to customer acquisition, engagement and loyalty. 

“It’s an exciting time at Beats,” said Beats president Luke Wood in a release. “With our highest quality product portfolio to date, our team continues to grow rapidly across the globe. In his career, Chris has shouldered an extensive roster of brands that amplify his invaluable experience in marketing, business management, brand growth and creative development. I’m thrilled we have found a marketing leader who will continue to drive Beats as an industry changemaker and look forward to working closely with him.”

Wendy’s Promotes CMO to International President; Brand Marketing VP to CMO

Wendy’s appointed a new chief marketing officer from within its ranks. Carl Loredo, vice president of brand marketing, has been promoted to chief marketing officer. Loredo held this position since 2016.

Prior to Wendy’s, Loredo served as vice president of The Marketing Arm, where he worked on consumer products such as Bud Light, Dannon Yogurt, Lay’s, L’Oréal and Ruffles.

“For the last three and a half years, Carl has been a champion of our brand and mission, driving forward Wendy’s brand voice and the authentic connections we make with our customers,” said newly promoted US president and chief commercial officer Kurt Kane, to whom Loredo will report. “I have no doubt that Carl will continue to push Wendy’s marketing to new heights in his elevated role.”

Helen Keller Services Taps Goodwill CMO For President, CEO Position

Kimberly Zimmer has joined Helen Keller Services as president and CEO after 11 years as chief marketing officer and senior vice president for global affairs at Goodwill Industries International. Prior to Goodwill, Zimmer served in a number of roles at organizations devoted to assisting the visually impaired including National Industries for the Blind and Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind.

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, June 28. 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 OfficerSharkNinjaNeedham, MA
Vice President, Film MarketingNew York UniversityBrooklyn, NY
Chief, Marketing And Communications OfficerSCRRA/MetrolinkLos Angeles, CA
Vice President, Marketing
Houlihan Lokey
Los Angeles, CA
Vice President, Marketing AnalyticsSiriusXMNew York, NY
Vice President of MarketingBelkinPlaya Vista, CA

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

Operational And Budget Shortcomings Prevent Brands From Meeting Customers’ Needs, Study Finds

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Today, consumers seek more localized and personalized shopping experiences that are relevant to their cultural and behavioral context, yet 73 percent of global marketers feel, “only partially prepared” to meet those expectations—this according to CMO Council’s report, “Reshaping Global Engagement Operations: Optimizing the Resonance and Relevance of Localized Marketing Initiatives.”

The CMO Council surveyed 350 global marketing leaders on their marketing operations for a closer look at the pros and cons of centralized and decentralized operational structures. The data suggests that these structures may be driving a wedge between brand and customer, and is a major factor in marketers’ inability to execute local, global and omnichannel campaigns in a timely manner.

As a result of gaps across marketing structures and strategies, brands are missing the mark and leaving opportunity (and money) on the table. Unfortunately, 77 percent of respondents said they believe they’re “not reaching the full revenue potential of today’s connected customer.”

In order to develop a truly relevant, profitable relationship with customers, brands are focused on improving engagement strategies as 51 percent said driving growth is a primary strategic focus. Nevertheless, marketers aren’t confident about delivering these initiatives—a mere 10 percent feel confident they’ll reach their strategic goals for 2019 with their organization’s current capabilities. 

When asked what stands between strategy and success, 59 percent of marketers considered budget limitations their top issue, followed by a shift in senior leadership priorities. Beyond these organizational shortcomings, however, strategies aren’t fulfilling customers’ three major demands, which includes data security, privacy and accountability. Only 20 percent said their organizations are prepared to meet the aforementioned needs. This finding reflects the fact that some brands are willing to lose customer trust and engagement in the name of efficiency and effectiveness. 

Fifty-seven percent of respondents said that the lack of localized intelligence (due to accurate tools and analysis) had a negative impact on their ability to execute successful campaigns.

As for operational structures, marketers are grappling with the fact that completely going one way or another—totally centralized or totally decentralized—has led to deficiencies. “Structures of extremes result in outcomes of extremes: organizations are either highly efficient or they are highly connected to the customer,” the report says. On that same note, 42 percent of marketers admit that centralization means that strategies and campaigns are often out of touch with the local customer. Where centralized companies admit leaving the customer behind, decentralized companies exchange customer proximity for efficiency. The advantage that decentralized structures have over centralized ones is that highly localized units can leverage local skills and talent.

Neither operational structure, the data suggests, is optimal for reaching and capturing a brand’s targeted audience. The solution to bridging the gap between consumer and brand is adopting a hybrid model that merges the benefits of each structure, namely adopting a heightened understanding of the customer, optimizing spend as well as more prudent decision making.

Chief Growth Officers Are Growth Catalysts, According To New Study

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A new report from Singular, a marketing intelligence provider, called “Chief Growth Officer 2019: The state of the CGO” explores the role of the chief growth officer (CGO). According to the research, companies are beginning to designate leaders as CGOs to catalyze growth from marketing initiatives and help drive profit. CGO-led brands, the data suggests, are using artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and scientific marketing at significantly higher rates than other companies.

Singular surveyed 700 marketers at companies with over $151 billion in combined annual sales and found that 14 percent of companies currently have a CGO while 29 percent have a VP, director or head of growth. 

The findings indicate there are significant differences between companies that prioritize growth and those that don’t. A main point of difference is the importance growth-oriented organizations place on digital and mobile. Seventy-seven percent of CGO-led organizations said “apps are revenue generators and customer value creators,” indicating that these companies are more likely to utilize tools that unify data and generate intelligent insights to drive growth. Those same organizations tend to have marketing departments twice the size of those without CGOs.

Another key differentiator between companies with and without CGOs is how they use and interpret data. Fifty-six percent of CGO-led companies said their top need is the “ability to connect user-level data with aggregate spending data.” Companies without CGOs said their top need is to spend less time exporting data into Excel for analysis. A focus on granularity allows for companies to understand what’s creating good and bad results, then tweak the initiative accordingly.

“We’re beyond data-driven marketing now. Marketers have too much data to manage already. To drive scientific marketing, they need the insights for growth that are hidden inside the data,” says Singular CEO Gadi Eliashiv.

CGO-driven organizations are also 24 percent more likely to invest in AI and machine learning insights that would drive return on investment (ROI). Additionally, 65 percent of companies with CGOs are more likely to invest in new marketing technologies. On the other hand, companies that don’t have a CGO are much more likely to have fewer marketing technology tools.

The findings also point to the fact that companies with a CGO are more committed to new skills training as 59 percent of them said they planned to double down on skill development.

The rise of the CGO marks a shift towards scientific marketing and the path to what Forrester considers “analytics mastery,” the report notes. The bottom line: CGO-led companies that utilize analytics tools to improve campaigns via results measurement and spend optimization are in a better position to drive growth and profit than those that don’t.

Report: Digital Ad Spend To Reach $520 Billion By 2023, Led by Google And Amazon

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Total spend on digital advertising will reach $520 billion by 2023 compared to $294 billion in 2019. That’s according to a study conducted by Juniper Research, “Future Digital Advertising: Artificial Intelligence & Advertising Fraud 2019-2023.”

The predicted annual growth of 15 percent over the next five years will be a result of highly targeted artificial intelligence (AI)-based programmatic advertising and digital ads that include in-app, digital out-of-home (OOH) and over-the-top (OTT) television content. 

Amazon, whose ad revenues are expected to reach $40 billion in 2023, will see a growth of 470 percent from its 2018 ad revenues—per Juniper. The data reflects the fact that Amazon will capture eight percent of global digital ad spend by 2023. To drive that growth, Amazon will leverage its massive cache of consumer retail data, which is a major benefit to advertisers and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. Moreover, Amazon plans to heavily invest in machine learning to offer efficient targeting to advertisers and win over users from Google and Facebook.

Juniper’s findings also give a glimpse into Google’s ad revenue trajectory—by 2023, its ad revenues will exceed $230 billion. The research expects Google’s global market share of digital ad spend to fall one percent over the next four years as competing platforms such as Amazon and Baidu grow at a fast pace.

According to an eMarketer report, the combined share of Google and Facebook duopoly will drop in 2019 despite their revenue growth, while Amazon continues to take share from all players. Amazon’s share of the US digital ad market, eMarketer predicted, will swell to about nine percent in 2019.

Securing return on ad spend means companies must utilize contextual advertising traffic and machine learning. As a result, the data shows, 75 percent of global online and mobile ads are forecast to be delivered via AI-based programmatic advertising by 2023.

“Giving algorithms access to the vast amounts of data generated by advertising traffic, including purchasing habits, user buckets and geographical location, is critical to enabling advertisers to secure a return on their ad spend,” noted the report’s author Sam Barker.

Given Juniper’s findings, could Amazon finally be maturing? Interestingly, its 2019 first-quarter earnings offer insight into how that could be plausible. The results show that the company’s advertising revenue growth slowed, with revenues totaling $2.7 billion, compared to $3 billion the previous quarter and a consistent YoY growth in the past four quarters.

“Queer City,” Interactive Exhibit Honoring Stonewall Uprising Comes To NY In Partnership With WarnerMedia, P&G And BMW

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WarnerMedia, in partnership with BMW of North America and Procter & Gamble, is holding a one-day, 5,000 square-foot interactive exhibit called “Queer City: A CNN Experience.” The exhibit is a celebration of Pride month and the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, a confrontation between police and LGBT patrons of the bar in Greenwich Village.

Open to the public on June 27 at the Hudson Mercantile in New York, the exhibit illustrates what life was like for a queer person in New York City from 1940 through today. Nearly 300 artifacts will be on display to commemorate these human experiences throughout the decades, including personal photos and home videos, clothing, letters and journals, as well as historic Stonewall ephemera.

“We are proud to mark this important day with an experience that brings to life the real, human side of the LGBTQIA+ rights movement, beyond just the headlines. This partnership is more than just a one-day event; it’s about telling the story of the queer community and the people who have helped build it, along with their personal and intimate struggles and triumphs, throughout history,” said Michal Shapira, SVP content partnerships and Courageous Studios, WarnerMedia ad sales.

At the official WorldPride event, a 25-minute documentary, Out of the Shadows, will air during content breaks in the screening room. The film, produced by Courageous Studios and Procter & Gamble, shares the story of brave Procter & Gamble employees who persevered in the face of prejudice and hate in their fight for LGBTQIA+ rights within the company. Alongside CNN.com, Procter & Gamble will run additional promotion of the film. 

“Their journey highlights how far we’ve come, but there is still more work to be done for equality. That is why P&G is partnering with Great Big Story to tell their story, so others can learn from our past to make a better future where everyone is valued, and everyone is included,” said Procter & Gamble chief diversity and inclusion officer Shelly McNamara. 

The exhibit will also include a screening room featuring films about WorldPride, Stonewall, and the history of marriage equality. Artifacts from each of the films will also be on display.

Attendees can enjoy a photo booth that is meant to encourage public displays of affection for all couples—an act that was at one time illegal for LGBTQIA. BMW, the photo booth’s sponsor, plans to run a spot across CNN linear, digital and social—developed with Courageous—commemorating the progress made by the LGBTQIA+ community over the past 50 years. 

Is “Direct-To-Consumer” A Bad Word?

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The term “direct-to-consumer marketing” once conjured pictures of direct mail, billboards and late-night infomercials. Fast forward to today, where disruptor brands have found a match with “DTC,” approaching the tired model in new, fresh ways.

Still, the term “direct-to-consumer marketing,” has a dubious past and it’s one that can be difficult to shake off. So who’s excited to be part of the direct-to-consumer renaissance, and what’s the verdict on the loaded term?

From Unsavory To Sophisticated

Cheesy infomercials with actors hawking products that would quickly break upon arrival (no COD) used to rule the world of direct-to-consumer marketing. For decades, top-tier brands stayed far away from the term DTC. Today, the model has shifted from infomercials to Instagram posts and personalized podcast ads in place of commercial breaks. John Harrobin, CMO of audiobook app Audible, says the DTC landscape has changed and has evolved beyond its unsavory roots. He doesn’t mind being associated with the term, citing the shift to digital as a primary driver of the DTC revolution and, in essence, its own rebranding. “Sure, [there are negative connotations] if people think of DTC as Ginsu knife infomercials circa 1980,” Harrobin said with a laugh. DTC has proven to be a driver of innovation because it starts with an empathetic mindset–what are the needs of the customers, what are their current pain points–and building solutions that address those needs without being encumbered by legacy business models.

“DTC has proven to be a driver of innovation because it starts with an empathetic mindset–what are the needs of the customers, what are their current pain points– and building solutions that address those needs without being encumbered by legacy business models”

“I think premium digital services have changed what direct-to-consumer means.

Suzanne Grimes, president of Westwood One and executive vice president of corporate marketing at Cumulus Media, talked about the evolution of DTC marketing from its unsavory history to a sophisticated approach that today’s disruptor brands have been eager to adopt.

“In my early days in media, DTC meant something that was very bottom of the barrel, unsophisticated marketing,” Grimes said. “It was unsavory brands looking to reach consumers, considered the lowest tier of marketers, whether right or wrong. Today it’s the polar opposite—those DTC brands are seen as real innovators doing what more traditional companies are looking to do, as well. It’s fascinating how the paradigm has shifted.”

The paradigm is shifting not just for disruptor brands, Grimes said, but also for traditional powerhouse brands that only recently would not have considered including DTC in their marketing spend.

A recent report from IAB pointed out the growing changes in the DTC market and its effects on both emerging and established brands. Gillette, for example, still the leading razor provider in the U.S., is losing its share of the market to disruptor brands that rely on DTC marketing.

According to the IAB report, Gillette’s share of the men’s razor market fell from 70 percent in 2010 to 54 percent in 2016. Much of that loss is attributed to emerging competitors such as DollarShaveClub and Harry’s, both online razor companies that rely heavily on DTC to reach consumers.

Combined, those two brands increased their share of the market from 7.2 percent in 2015 to 12.2 percent in 2016.

Grimes said that, in opposition to years past when traditional advertisers stayed far away from the DTC approach, major brands are now asking themselves whether they should jump on the DTC train. Traditional brands, she said, are working to find a place in the rapidly growing DTC field, where startups and disruptor brands rule.

“It’s fascinating how the paradigm has shifted”

“At what point will brand advertisers—old fashioned brands—find that that context, that medium and environment will be effective for them and enter the DTC market?” Grimes said. “I suspect that’s coming fairly soon.”

Even for startup companies, where the DTC space provides a world of opportunities to reach new consumers, some do have some trouble with the “direct-to-consumer” term. However, the trouble isn’t that it’s associated with a low-brow past. Rather, it’s because DTC has gone from a marketing category to a category of companies altogether, even if DTC is one of the only things a group of brands have in common.

Ben Witte, Founder & CEO of Recess, a beverage company that sells canned CBD-infused sparkling water, doesn’t mind the term being applied to the way Recess markets itself to consumers. However, he says that the term can be limiting as Recess is pigeonholed with other DTC brands.

“I like the term ‘direct-to-consumer marketing,’” Witte said, “But sometimes we get lumped into these companies like Away and Warby Parker that only sell through their own retail channel, when we have an omnichannel approach.”

In that way, Witte said, the perceptions around the DTC label can sometimes be restrictive. However, Witte has a different idea of what “direct-to-consumer” means to him and his brand, a far cry from its humble beginnings.

“Direct-to-consumer is about having a conversation with our community that enables and omnichannel distribution strategy,” Witte said. “The distinction between us and many other brands is that the Instagram is of equal importance as the drink itself. These things work together.”

He’s fully engaged with the DTC model, interacting directly with consumers largely through social media, and says that, with DTC at the center of Recess’ marketing model, they “haven’t spent a dollar on outside advertising.”

“Direct-to-consumer is about having a conversation with our community that enables and omnichannel distribution strategy”

Harrobin, who has embraced both the DTC model and the term at Audible, predicts DTC will become even more personalized in the future. That personalization is easy to adopt in the world of DTC, smoothly changing and tweaking campaigns as podcast hosts ad lib for companies and social media marketers create new posts each day.

“I’d bet on more one-to-one interactions between brands and customers that will lead to better understanding of customers and companies better able to provide a valuable experience,” Harrobin said. “More conversations and deeper engagement through omnichannel strategies that will strengthen relationships with customers.” As more brands move into the DTC space, the term “direct-to-consumer marketing” is shedding its former reputation. Disruptor brands are leaning into the term, forecasting DTC as central to the future of brand marketing.

“[DTC] is content, commerce, experience all working together,” Witte said. “I think that’s the future.”

The Complete Cannes Lions 2019 Grand Prix Award Winners List

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Au revoir, France and another Cannes Lions festival, and bravo Cannes Lions 2019 Grand Prix winners.

AList is happy to announce this year’s victors who competed in the race of communication, delivery and creativity and arrived first at the finish line.

Health

Health and Wellness

ThisAbles–McCann Tel Aviv for IKEA

Pharma

Breath Of Life–McCann Health Shanghai for GSK Glaxosmithkline

Communication

Design

Creatability–Google Creative Lab New York for Google

Film

The Truth Is Worth It:Rigor–DROGA5 New York for The New York Times

Mobile

The Whopper Detour–FCB New York for Burger King

Outdoor

Dream Crazy–Wieden+Kennedy Portland for Nike

Print And Publishing

The Blank Edition–Impact BBDO Dubai for Vogue

Radio And Audio

Westworld: The Maze–3601 New York for HBO

Titanium

The Whopper Detour–FCB New York for Burger King

Craft

Digital Craft

Address The Future–Virtue Copenhagen for Carlings

Film Craft

The Truth Is Worth It:Resolve–Final Cut New York for The New York Times

Industry Craft

Just Do It At The Church–Momentum Worldwide New York for Nike

Experience

Brand Experience And Activation

Changing The Game–McCann New York for Microsoft

Creative ecommerce

DO Black-The Carbon Limit Credit Card–RBK Communication Stockholm for Doconomy

Entertainment

Entertainment

5B–UM Studios New York for Johnson & Johnson

Music

This Is America–Doomsday Entertainment Los Angeles for Childish Gambino

Sport

Dream Crazy–Wieden+Kennedy Portland for Nike

Innovation

Innovation

See Sound–Area 23, An FCB Health Network Company New York

Reach

Creative Data

Go Back To Africa–FCB/SIX Toronto for Black & Abroad

Creative Strategy

The E.V.A. Initiative–Forsman & Bodenfors for Volvo

Direct

The Whopper Detour–FCB New York for Burger King

Media

Air Max Graffiti Stores–AKQA Sao Paulo for Nike

PR

The Tampon Book: A Book Against Tax Discrimination–Schilz & Friends Berlin for The Female Company

Social And Influencer

Keeping Fortnite Fresh–VMLY&R Kansas City for Wendy’s

Good

Good

Generation Lockdown–McCann New York for March For Our Lives

Glass

The Last Ever Issue–VMLY&R Poland Warsaw for Gazeta. Pl/Mastercard/BNP Paribas

Sustainable Development

An Post-Address Point–Wunderman Thompson Dublin for An Post

Impact

Creative Effectiveness

Black Supermarket–Marcel Paris for Carerefour

“Most Have No Idea How Much Of A Runway They Have,” How CEOs Really See The CMO

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There has never been a better time to be a marketer, but as a new study from McKinsey shows, CMOs and CEOs need to become a lot better at communicating ideas, collaborating and explaining the value of their work.

“Marketing’s moment is now,” Jason Heller, Mckinsey’s global lead for digital marketing told a busy room at Cannes Lions. “More so than ever before, the CMO is one of the most important members of the C-suite, and thanks to new technology, marketers now have the opportunity to power growth across an entire organization.”

Heller and his partner Biljana Cvetanovski were at the festival to present the findings of a new study that looked into the perception of CMOs held by the other members of the boardroom and, perhaps, more importantly, what CEOs are currently thinking and expecting from chief marketing officers.

With a focus on growth, the good news is that CEOs need and want more from their marketing departments than ever before. As business becomes ever more multi-channel and multi-focused, CMOs, with their grasp of creativity, innovation, insights and technology, have become engines of growth for many companies. But, the study asked, “how many out there are up to the challenge?”

“77 percent of CEOs now believe that marketing is delivering on their company’s growth agenda,” said Cventanovski. “Obviously, that means that one in four CEOs still don’t see their marketing department as a key area of returns for their businesses, but nevertheless that represents a significant change in thinking.”

In short, marketers need to think differently about their value to an organization.

“This means that marketing is no longer being seen as a particular set of skills, but as something more vital for commercial success,” explained Heller, picking up the story. “CEOs now are looking for their marketing departments to be the organizers of growth, partnering with the right departments to make things happen and driving through new initiatives. In many ways, the CMO’s role is evolving into an operational and well as a strategic role.”

However, while the relationship between CEOs and CMOs are becoming rosier, all is not well between marketing departments and their colleagues. The same study showed most CFOs remain extremely skeptical of the work that CMOs do. Over 40 percent of the financial executives questioned in McKinsey’s research told them that they wouldn’t consider protecting marketing budgets in a time of cost-cutting. It’s an unfortunate statistic, as countless studies have shown how ringfencing marketing budgets can play a significant part in helping companies maintain market share while times are tight.

The other member of the C-suite that is traditionally wary of the CMO is the chief human resource officer (CHRO), although not for any philosophical reasons. “We found that most of the time the CHRO and CMO’s poor relationship stems from not spending enough time together” explained Heller during the seminar. “We’d strongly advise that you start having coffee with the CHRO, because as marketing departments are becoming more dependent on these ‘whole-brain’ talents who can blend a super-analytical approach to insights and an innovative, creative outlook. You need to work with your HR department to be able to identify these people and create cultures and environments where they can thrive.”

So what, according to McKinsey, makes a successful CMO in the eyes of the boardroom? The study looked into the attributes and behavior of over 1500 senior-level marketers, and have come up with roughly three archetypes of the average CMO—the unifier, the friend and the loner.

The study found that only 24 percent of top-level marketers fit into the unifiers category, making them the smallest group, but definitely the most well-rounded. Unifiers can combine excellent communication and administrative skills with an ability to reach out to other members of the board. Mostly they focus on measurement and are adept at translating these metrics into what it means for revenue and business performance. As such, they often build true partnerships with other departments and are seen by their peers as crucial members of c-suite, able to contribute and lead critical strategic discussions.

On the opposite end of the scale, McKinsey has identified another 24 percent of marketers as being in the loner archetype. A foil to the unifiers, these CMOs are only interested in short-term activities, and consequently, most of the other heads of departments see them more as ‘doers’ than collaborators. “Most CEOs look at loners as real custodians of the brand,” said Cvetanovski. “They are seen as implementers of strategy and are not really involved in shaping what that strategy is.”

Last, and by far the largest group is the friend. With the study finding that 49 percent of CMOs fit into this archetype, they represent a kind of halfway house between the two other groups on the scale. And they tend to keep close relationships with one or two other members of the board. Usually, they are seen as responsible for top-line growth and manage and optimize a business’s various channels. The study found that friend’s departments were also quite small with very few capabilities, so they are seen as just another customer when it comes to data, insights or technology.

As you’ve no doubt realized by now, marketers who fit into the unifier role are typically the most effective. As the purpose of marketing becomes ever more integrated into operational activities, brand experiences and partnerships, the CMO who can build relationships and alliances across an organization has a winning skill. Unsurprisingly, McKinsey’s study found that particularly high growth companies were significantly more likely to have a unifier-like marketing executive at the helm.

“In fast-growing companies, more often than not, the CEO was the biggest champion of the marketing department,” Heller told the seminar. “Typically, there is a great line of communication between marketing and the chief executive, and there is real ambition on both sides—successful companies encourage their marketers to be brave and take risks.”

In return, unifier CMOs can make CEOs lives easier by clearly showing the business case of all marketing activity. They can digest a diverse range of views and information and distill it into a clear narrative that clearly explains the benefits and risks of their work. Unifier CMO’s can understand the entire customer journey like no-one else in the C-suite and their reward is that they’re allowed better and deeper oversight over a company’s strategy and operations.

Luckily, most marketers can easily adopt the trappings of a unifier CMO. “Most of you have the skills already,” said Cvetanovsk. “We’ve found that just adopting an innovative and collaborative mindset is one of the best ways to bake in success. You have to learn how to create and nurture partnerships.”

The CFO, for example, is typically the biggest critic, and we’ve shown that almost half of CFOs can’t really justify the value of the marketing department, but that just means that CMOs need to work with the CFO. If you make them a part owner of the marketing agenda, really plan and implement projects with them in the room, then you’ll also find that CFO will have a much harder time cutting a program that they are also personally invested in.

“Another thing you can do is to be best friends with the CHRO,” added Heller. “If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that you need a diverse range of talents to succeed, yet 82 percent of Fortune 500 companies feel they don’t hire the best people and a third of all unifier CMOs said that they weren’t happy with the talent they had in their departments.” Getting and keeping talent is clearly very important. The only way we’re going to fix that is to work closely with HR managers out there.

However, perhaps the most critical factors most marketers lack is a combination of confidence and belief. One of the stand-out insights from McKinsey’s report is that despite marketing departments being called on to be a real engine of growth, most CMOs still have no idea of the amount of runway they have to do things. The report showed that not only do senior marketers need to get better at working with the other members of the board, they also need to get better at sticking to their guns and making clear, concise business cases for their decisions.

“Ironically, it’s something we have to look at like a communication problem,” said Cvetanovski in her summary comments. “Our challenge to the entire C-suite is this: how can you embrace marketing? How can you collaborate better? How can you make sure your CMO is empowered to act as a Unifier.”

Johnson & Johnson Restructures, Bids Farewell To CMO

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This week’s executive shifts include a new business model for Johnson & Johnson that no longer requires a CMO, Metlife Australia welcomes a new marketing chief, S’well quenches its thirst for marketing leadership with a chief marketing officer, the World Surf League appoints a CMO, Evo names a head of North America marketing, The Topps Company appoints a vice president and head of global partnerships/integrated marketing, Carrot fights smoking with a new VP of marketing, Under Armour announces a new vice president of global sports marketing, Amify hires a CMO and Checkers & Rally’s new marketing chief. In addition, there’s a new head of marketing for Netflix in Japan, Cholula’s new CEO and chief marketing officer, PayPal says goodbye to its marketing director, Christopher & Banks welcomes a new SVP/CMO, National Western Life names a new EVP/CMO, Let’s Get Checked hires a chief marketing officer, Warner Music Asia promotes for three senior marketing roles, United Artists Releasing bids farewell to its marketing president, Ericsson promotes from within for senior marketer roles, Sony Music promotes three marketing executives and SoundCloud promotes its COO to company president.

Johnson & Johnson Global CMO Departs Under New Business Model

Alison Lewis, Johnson & Johnson’s global chief marketing officer, exits the company after five-and-a-half years. Lewis joined the consumer packaged goods giant from Coca-Cola where she served as vice president of strategic marketing for its North America Group.

Lewis was the first to hold Johnson & Johnson’s CMO role, which was made redundant under the company’s newly revamped business model. As such, there are no immediate plans for a replacement.

“After five years as the chief marketing officer of J&J, I am ready to pass responsibility to a marketing organization that is agile, close to the consumer and one that possesses a contemporary skill set that will help the consumer business grow in this rapidly changing environment,” Lewis wrote in a statement.

Metlife Australia Creates New Role Following CMO Exit

Metlife Australia announced the departure of chief marketing officer Jeremy Simmons and the creation of a new role—chief customer and marketing officer. The position will be filled by current chief distribution officer Chesne Stafford.

“Chesne has built our distribution strategy and led the growth that’s resulted in Metlife being third in the group market,” wrote Metlife CEO Richard Nunn. “This new role is an opportunity to apply her skills and experience in distribution with a customer lens. We need someone always championing our customers, and making sure we’re creating experiences that meet their needs and expectations.”

S’well Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Beverage container brand S’well names Josh Dean to the position of chief marketing officer.

Dean joins the brand from underwear and apparel brand Tommy John where he served as chief marketing officer. The award-winning marketer was recently honored as one of AdAge’s 40 under 40.

“This is a pivotal time in S’well’s brand story as we continue to innovate and launch new products into new categories, including vacuum-insulated food containers in summer 2019,” said S’well CEO Sarah Kauss. “Josh’s full spectrum of experience will be invaluable in activating comprehensive marketing and campaign strategies that drive S’well forward into the future.”

World Surf League Names Nike Veteran Chief Marketing Officer

The World Surf League (WSL) has hired Pri Shumate as its chief marketing officer. Shumate comes to the WSL after 17 years at Nike, where she most recently served as vice president of global brand marketing and CMO of the surf apparel division, Hurley from 2016-2017.

“There’s never been a better moment or opportunity to share what makes surfing so special with the world,” said Shumate in a release. “I’ve approached every role I’ve ever had from the perspective of the consumer, in this case, the athletes, fans and people who love surfing, both the sport and culture.”

The Topps Company Names VP, Global Partnership And Integrated Marketing Head

Stephen Chriss has joined The Topps Company, the brand best known for creating sports cards, as vice president and global head of partnerships and Integrated marketing. Chriss joins the organization after nearly 20 years in food marketing, including Mondelēz International.

In his new role, Chriss will oversee key partner relationships and manage marketing activation strategies across the Topps brand.

“We are thrilled to have Stephen join the Topps team as he brings a wealth of experience connecting consumers to brands through creative and innovative marketing solutions,” said Michael Brandstaedter, president and CEO of Topps in a release.  “Stephen’s passion and expertise will further advance our partnerships and enhance our programming across the global organization.”

Carrot Names Senior Vice President Of Marketing

Digital health company Carrot Inc. announced the appointment of Kristin Russel as Senior vice president of marketing. Russel joins the company from Humana’s subsidiary Transcend Insights, where she served as VP of marketing. She was recently named one of Becker’s top 100 women in healthcare.

In this new role, Russel will lead Carrot’s marketing initiatives for the Pivot solution, designed to help consumers quit smoking.

“We are excited to extend our focus beyond product development, clinical trial work and regulatory clearance into this next phase of commercialization and growth,” said David Utley, MD, Carrot’s founder, president and CEO in a release. “With the addition of [chief revenue officer Laurie Zaugg] and Kristin, we round out our commercial team and garner immediate value as we further position Carrot to deliver on its promise of transforming the market for smoking cessation by helping millions of people quit smoking at scale.

Evo Appoints Head Of North America Marketing

Rebecca Heard will be Evo’s head of North America marketing effective July 30. Heard joins the retailer from Lululemon, where she served as director of digital marketing and most recently, VP of CRM and digital marketing. Prior to Lululemon, Heard was the marketing manager for Apple Music.

Under Armour Taps Former Red Bull Exec For Sports Marketing

Athletic apparel giant Under Armour has expanded its vice president of global sports marketing role and hired Sean Eggert for the position. Eggert joins the sports apparel brand from Red Bull, where he served as vice president of sports marketing.

Eggert replaces Ryan Kuehl, who exited Under Armour in December.

“Sean’s strong track record of global leadership, highly successful activations and direct experience integrating consumer insights into purpose-driven sports marketing strategies is a welcome addition to the Under Armour team,” the brands’s CMO Alessandro de Pestel said in a statement. “As we work to connect even more deeply with our consumers through compelling engagements and powerful experiences, his expertise will play an instrumental role in our global expansion of the Under Armour brand.”

Amify Finds CMO In Former Procter & Gamble Marketer

Amazon retail solution firm Amify has appointed Andy Cipra to the position of chief marketing officer. Cipra brings several decades of experience to the role including vice president and interim CMO for Dish Network and marketing roles for Procter & Gamble.

In his new position, Cipra will lead Amify’s HQ2 in Cincinnati, positioned near Amazon’s planned CVG Prime Air Hub.

“We are thrilled to welcome Andy Cipra to the Amify team,” said Ethan McAfee, founder and CEO of Amify. “Andy’s marketing expertise and success as a brand builder map perfectly to our business development goals and ambitious growth strategy. With his marketing leadership onboard, Amify is well positioned to be the number one Amazon brand partner in the world.”

Checkers & Rally’s Names Chief Marketing Officer

Drive-thru burger franchise Checkers & Rally’s has named Dwayne Chambers as its new chief marketing officer. Chambers most recently served as CMO for P.F. Chang’s. His resume includes more than 32 years of experience working with restaurant franchisees and national restaurant brands including Sonic, Red Robin, Krispy Kreme, Fuddruckers & Koo Koo Roo and Noodles & Company.

“We selected Dwayne after a thorough and extensive search of the very best CMO talent in our industry,” said Rick Silva, CEO of Checkers & Rally’s in a release. “Dwayne is an experienced marketing leader whose strategic brand-building efforts have produced year-over-year of same-store sales growth for leading restaurant brands.”

Netflix Appoints Head Of Marketing, Japan

Dan Inamoto has joined Netflix as head of marketing for Japan. He joins the streaming media giant from the BBC where he served as managing director of global news.

“I cannot be more excited to embark on a new journey as Head of Marketing in Japan for Netflix,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “We are still a fledgling brand in Japan, and I’m looking forward to expanding our presence here to ‘spark joy’!”

Cholula Appoints CEO, Chief Marketing Officer

Cholula announced the appointment of Maura Mottolese as chief executive officer and Miguel Leal as chief marketing officer.

Mottolese joins the hot sauce brand from Tate’s Bake Shop, where she served as CEO for three years before it was acquired by Mondelez International, Inc. Prior to Tate’s Bake Shop, Mottolese served as president of The Switch Beverage Company and held a number of marketing and branding roles for companies including Cadbury Beverages, Labatt USA, Snapple Beverages Group and Cadbury Schweppes.

“I have tremendous respect for Cholula’s authenticity and heritage, and I see enormous potential for growth in the years to come,” said Mottolese in a statement. “I look forward to working alongside the exceptional leadership team we have assembled to realize the significant opportunity inherent in this unique and iconic brand.”

Chief marketing officer Miguel Leal most recently served as executive vice president and head of marketing at KIND, as well as brand manager of Lay’s at Frito-Lay North America. His experience also includes leadership roles at Diamond Foods, Dannon Company and founder of Select Product Group LP, a food service paper goods company now owned by Georgia-Pacific LLC.

PayPal Marketing Director Accepts CMO Role At OFX

Elaine Herlihy, PayPal’s marketing director, has exited the company and will now serve as the chief marketing officer for foreign exchange and payments company OFX.

PayPal head of business marketing, Vanessa Lennon, will take Herlihy’s position in the interim while the company searches for a replacement.

Herlihy joined PayPal in 2016, having previously served a number of roles at Westpac, BT Financial Group and Thomas Reuters.

Christopher & Banks Names Senior Vice President, CMO

Specialty women’s apparel retailer Christopher & Banks Corporation named Rachel Endrizzi as senior vice president, chief marketing officer effective June 19.

Endrizzi joins the company after serving 15 years at Regis, where she most recently held the position of chief marketing officer. She brings more than 20 years of marketing experience to her new role, having worked with brands such as Polaris, Tresemme/Alberto-Culver and Famous Footwear.

“Rachel is a seasoned marketing executive with extensive experience in brand positioning and development, CRM, and loyalty as well as mobile and digital marketing,” said Keri L. Jones, president and CEO of Christopher and Banks. “We are excited to have Rachel join our team given her outstanding leadership capabilities and her proven track record of driving traffic and customer engagement.”

National Western Life Hires New Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer

Chad J. Tope has joined National Western Life as executive vice president and chief marketing officer.

Tope joins the stock life insurance company from Voya Financial, where he served as president of distribution for annuities and individual life. Prior to that, Tope worked for ING for 23 years.

“National Western Life conducted a very thorough search for an industry-leading executive with extensive experience in all aspects of life and annuity product distribution,” said Ross R. Moody, chairman of the Board, president and CEO of National Western Life Group, Inc. “Chad’s extensive experience is a perfect match for our desire to strategically build and expand our product sales.”

Let’s Get Checked Welcomes Chief Marketing Officer

Following a $30 million series B funding round, home health testing kit brand Let’s Get Checked made expanded its C-suite with a number of executive hires including Simon Dunne as chief marketing officer.

Dunne joins Let’s Get Checked from popular UK bingo brand Broadway Gaming, Ltd, where he served as CMO.

In his new role, Dunne will be tasked with fostering brand awareness and performance marketing.

Warner Music Asia Promotes, Recruits For Senior Marketing Roles

Warner Music Asia has promoted Brayden Crossley to the new role of senior vice president of marketing for Greater China and South East Asia. Darren Ho joins the label as senior vice president of marketing strategy, brand and business for Greater China and South East Asia.

Crossley joined Warner Music Australia in 2017, where he served as regional marketing director of South East Asia and Greater China.

Ho’s experience includes work for various advertising agencies including Hogarth Worldwide and Ogilvy and Mather. In his new role at Warner Asia, Ho will lead efforts to boost audience engagement across digital and social channels.

“These moves place three incredibly talented executives in key positions across our business,” said Warner Music Asia president Simon Robson in a statement. “We want to be the most influential music company in Asia, the first choice for artists and brand partners with unparalleled expertise at reaching fans. These appointments will help us achieve that ambition.”

United Artists Releasing Bids Goodbye To Marketing President

David Kaminow, president of marketing at United Artists Releasing, is leaving the company to raise his daughters and grieve the loss of his mother, according to a memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

“After much consideration, I have made one of the hardest decisions ever, and that is to step down from my post,” wrote Kaminow. “Everyone always tells you that life is too short, and while the recent realization of this has been heartbreaking, I see the value more than ever in taking the time to be with my family.”     

United Artists Releasing (UAR) was formed in February between Annapurna Pictures and MGM to handle the release of the companies’ theatrical titles. Prior to UAR, Kaminow served as the head of marketing for Annapurna and president of worldwide strategic marketing and research for Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Ericsson Promotes For Senior Marketing Role

Global communications service provider Ericsson has promoted Stella Medlicott to the role of senior vice president and head of group function marketing and corporate relations. Medlicott has also been made a member of Ericsson’s executive team.

Medlicott is currently vice president of marketing and communications and government and industry relations within Ericsson’s Market Area Europe and Latin America regions. She replaces Helena Norrman, who will leave the company by the end of June.

Sony Music Nashville Promotes Three Senior Directors Of Marketing

Sony Music Nashville has promoted three marketing executives—Paige Altone, Liz Cost and Jennifer Way to senior directors of marketing.

Altone joined Sony in 2016 and was promoted to director of marketing in 2018. Cost was initially hired in 2017 and was also promoted to director of marketing last year. Way was hired as director of marketing in 2016.

All three will be responsible for the strategy, development and execution of targeted marketing campaigns, as well as consumption growth for the company’s artist roster.

SoundCloud Promotes Michael Weissman To President

SoundCloud chief operating officer Michael Weissman has been promoted to president of the company.

Weissman joined the brand in 2017 and was “instrumental” in SoundCloud’s revenue growth, according to a release.

In his new role as president, Weissman will oversee SoundCloud’s subscription and advertising businesses, as marketing and content licensing, business growth and strategy.

“Mike is a proven leader whose strong business acumen and passion for the SoundCloud mission have been critical to helping us grow the world’s largest two-sided ecosystem of audio creators and passionate fans driving what’s next in music and audio,” said SoundCloud CEO Kerry Trainor. “Mike’s leadership will be invaluable as we accelerate into our next phase of growth, and continue to provide the most comprehensive tools for creators to build their careers first on SoundCloud.”

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, June 21. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies 

Chief Marketing OfficerStila CosmeticsNew York, NY
Vice President, Film MarketingWarner Bros.Burbank, CA
Chief Marketing OfficerThirdLoveSan Francisco, CA
SVP, Chief Marketing Officer
Hearst MagazinesNew York, NY
Vice President of Marketingsbe Entertainment GroupLos Angeles, CA
Vice President of MarketingBelkinPlaya Vista, CA

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

Ads Come To TikTok; Instagram Extends “Stories” Shelflife

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This week wraps up with Instagram adding new features and Facebook and TikTok leading in overall app downloads in May. Also, Amazon acquires Bebo and shuts down Spark, Facebook confirms its plans to roll out a digital wallet, TikTok user spending grows 500 percent year-over-year, Pinterest revamps its partner program to third-party shopping tech and beauty brands are trying on YouTube’s AT.

Stay tuned for more news.

Marketers Anticipate Ads On TikTok

Director of TikTok’s U.S. marketing, Stephane Henrich, was in demand at Cannes Lions 2019, answering questions about the TikTok app and the potentials of its use in advertising and marketing initiatives, Fast Company reports.

Why it matters: In a time when social media giants like Facebooks and YouTube are in hot water almost daily about privacy, and with the app’s user base reaching more than a billion, TikTok is an exceptionally desirable platform for marketers.

The details: At the moment, TikTok doesn’t offer paid advertising. However, some big brands and organizations (Chipotle and the UN included) have signed up for advertising on TikTok and are now in the process of creating content. They signed up as individual users, not official advertisers, though. Henrich also noted that although select agencies are beta testing TikTok’s ad-tools platform, for now, these agencies are simply serving as a liaison between brands and TikTok’s community of creators.

Facebook And TikTok Lead The Pack In App Downloads In May

According to app download ranking from Sensor Tower, in May, Facebook was still the most downloaded app, with TikTok and Snapchat right behind.

Why it matters: Despite privacy concerns and misinformation problems, the Facebook user base continues to grow.

The details: Per the ranking, Facebook was downloaded 60.6 million times and the most new Facebook installs during May were in India (24 percent of total downloads), Indonesia (12 percent) and Brazil (eight percent).

TikTok saw 56 million installments with the majority of downloads coming from India (57 percent) and China (eight percent).

Snapchat, Instagram and a video sharing app Likee also made it to “Top five” in the ranking.

Instagram Is Testing “Suggestions For You” In Direct Messages

Instagram confirmed to Mashable that it is testing the “Suggestions For You” feature in direct messages.

Why it matters: This feature might make brands’ content more discoverable based on the users’ interest and boost engagement and ad dollars.

The details: “We’re always working on ways to improve your experience on Instagram and bring you closer to the people and things you love,” an Instagram spokesperson told Mashable.

Instagram Will Extend Stories Shelflife

Instagram is reportedly launching a new update to Stories, which will allow users to keep all content created in Stories for seven days.

Why it matters: This means that now it’s possible to take and collect photos and videos and select the best options to edit, schedule and post to Stories later, and allow for longer follower engagement.

The details:“Take as many photos and videos as you like, then post your favorites later” the Instagram description said.

Amazon Display Ads Benefit Channels Other Than Amazon

According to “ROI Genome, The New Omnichannel” report from Analytic Partners, 70 to 90 percent of the impact from Amazon display ads drives sales in channels other than Amazon.

Why it matters: Per the report, between 10 and 60 percent of the impact of search ads on Amazon occurs beyond the platform. Therefore, the researchers recommend brands that rely on Amazon for sales to throw their forces on search efforts on Amazon. They also recommend that brands with large offline sales should consider increasing their use of the platform’s display ads to drive purchase across multiple online and offline channels.  

The details: According to the report, brands should do the following to leverage Amazon for omnichannel success.

“Use a balance of online and offline media to drive growth

  • All media has omnichannel impact
  • Online media drives brick & mortar sales
  • Offline media drives online sales

Leverage brick & mortar presence to boost online business

  • Where relevant, physical locations and in-store efforts help drive incremental sales both offline and online

Utilize Amazon advertising for growth beyond Amazon

  • Prioritize Amazon Search (AMS) for businesses heavily reliant on Amazon as a sales channel
  • Complement AMS with Amazon Display for businesses with large offline sales

Break down any organizational silos to address today’s omnichannel world

  • Plan cross-functionally and measure impacts holistically to drive the greatest business impact and growth”

MAC Cosmetics Allows Customers To Try On Lipstick In AR

Cosmetic brands Mac and Guirlein take advantage of YouTube’s new mobile formats to provide more immersive ways for consumers to engage with products.

Why it matters: As more people shop online and via smartphone (both at home and on-the-go), AR has become a key marketing tool for cosmetic brands.

The details: MAC cosmetics, owned by Estée Lauder, recently partnered with YouTube’s branded content studio, FameBit, and now offers virtual try-ons for a variety of lipstick shades. Meanwhile, LVMH’s Guerlain is using Google Swirl for a more 3-D display experience.

AList shares YouTube AR

Twitter Removes Option For Tagging Precise Location

Twitter announced in a tweet that the option for precise location tagging will be removed from the platform.

Why it matters: Removing the precise location feature from the platform might weaken its ability to track important location data prized by advertisers.

The details: As explained by Twitter, “Most people don’t tag their precise location in Tweets, so we’re removing this ability to simplify your Tweeting experience. You’ll still be able to tag your precise location in Tweets through our updated camera. It’s helpful when sharing on-the-ground moments.”

Facebook To Launch A New Wallet For Its Cryptocurrency

Facebook confirmed plans to roll out a digital wallet for its new digital currency.

Why it matters: According to Facebook, Calibra, a newly formed Facebook subsidiary, will provide financial services, allowing people access and participate in the Libra network. The first product Calibra will introduce is a digital wallet for Libra.

The details: The wallet will be available in Messenger, WhatsApp and as a separate app. It is expected to be launched in 2020.

With Calibra, the users will be able to instantly send money globally to almost anyone who owns a smartphone. With time, the company hopes to add other services for individual users and businesses, such as bill payment and contactless payments.

“For many people around the world, even basic financial services are still out of reach: almost half of the adults in the world don’t have an active bank account and those numbers are worse in developing countries and even worse for women. The cost of that exclusion is high—approximately 70 percent of small businesses in developing countries lack access to credit and $25 billion is lost by migrants every year through remittance fees,” Facebook said in a blog post.

Twitch Aims To Boost Its Esports Efforts With Bebo Acquirement

TechCrunch reported that Amazon’s streaming video platform, Twitch, recently acquired Bebo, one of the first platforms that allowed the users to share media with their friends.

Why it matters: Amazon and Bebo will be working on building out Twitch’s esports business, and specifically Twitch Rivals–a series of competitive events for Twitch streamers and viewers.

The details: Per TechCrunch, Twitch paid less than $25 million for Bebo earlier in June, after beating out at least one other bidder, Discord. The Bebo team is now busy working on Twitch Rivals, in the effort to keep adding more features while growing the userbase, with the primary focus on esports.

Amazon Spark Shuts Down After Two Years In Business

Spark, the two-year-old competitor to Instagram and Pinterest, was confirmed to be shut down by its parent company, Amazon.

Why it matters: Although Amazon shuttered the platform, it’s using what it learned from experimenting with Spark and the discovery tool “Interesting Finds” in a new social-inspired product called #FoundItOnAmazon.
“We’ve changed the name to #FoundItOnAmazon to reflect the tag that influencers are using on social media to share their great finds with others. #FoundItOnAmazon is currently available to all Amazon App customers and a large portion of desktop customers as well,” a spokesperson told The Verge.

The details: Spark updates were removed from Amazon’s notifications section.

The reason for the shutdown is not completely known, but could be that Spark wasn’t well adopted, TechCrunch reported. Also, after Spark’s shutdown, Amazon’s navigation has been simplified again and was turned into a clutter-free “hamburger” menu.

Major Companies Are Backing Facebook’s Cryptocurrency

Uber, Visa, Paypal, Booking.com and other major companies are backing Libra–Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Wall Street Journal reported.

Why it matters: Facebook has billions of users around the globe, and the influence to direct them to the crypto-network. This will address the scale problem which previously prevented other companies from launching and running successful cryptocurrencies. With Libra, there is a possibility that cryptocurrency payments will finally become mainstream.

The details: The companies that are participating, such as Uber, Visa, Paypal, Booking.com, Stripe and others, will invest approximately $10 million in Libra and support the launch of the cryptocurrency in 2020. Per WSJ, Libra will not be directly controlled by Facebook and members of the consortium. However, the larger network of “nodes” will be created, and some member companies will help to verify and track transactions.  

Pinterest Unlocks More Shopping Experiences On The Platform

Pinterest announced in a blog post that the company is adding a new partner category for third-party tech providers to facilitate shopping experiences.

Why it matters: “People often talk about shopping and ad-supported mechanisms together, but shopping transcends advertising. Commerce can be a paid shopping experience or it can be organic,” Michael Akkerman, the global head of Pinterest’s partnerships program told Ad Exchanger.

The details: According to Pinterest, the newly launched specialty of “Shopping” partners includes:

  • “Platform partners like WooCommerce and Square Online Store which allow businesses to set up e-commerce sites and experiences
  • Feed management providers like Feedonomics, Productsup, and GoDataFeed which manage and optimize product inventory feeds for businesses bringing their product catalogs to Pinterest
  • Shoppable experience platforms like Shoppable, MikMak, Jebbit, Drizly, and Basketful, connecting products within a Pin with the retailers that can fulfill orders and make it easier to shop
  • Tag management providers including PixelYourSite and Tealium which track closed-loop measurement of online shopping conversions and sales”

Facebooks Aims To Make Public Comments More Meaningful

Facebook shared some updates on how the company ranks public comments.

Why it matters: Comments and engagement are necessary for organic reach within social media algorithms and Facebook attempts to help its users to know how to encourage more engagement by responding to “quality and relevant” comments on the feed.

The details: Here are the signals Facebook incorporated:

  • “Integrity signals: We want people to see safe and authentic comments. If a comment violates our Community Standards, we remove it. We also take into account other signals, like engagement-bait, to address the integrity of information and improve the quality of comments people see.
  • What people tell us they want to see in comments: We’ve been using more surveys to help us understand the types of comments people want to see, so we can rank those higher.
  • How people interact with comments: This includes signals including whether people like, react to, or reply to a comment.
  • What the poster controls: People can moderate the comments on their post by hiding, deleting, or engaging with comments. Ranking is on by default for Pages and people with a lot of followers, but Pages and people with a lot of followers can choose to turn off comment ranking. People who don’t have as many followers will not have comment ranking turned on automatically since there are less comments overall, but any person can decide to enable comment ranking by going to their settings.”

More details can be found here.

TikTok’s In-App Sales Are Skyrocketing

According to app analytics firm Sensor Tower, TikTok, the social video app boosted its in-app sales 500 percent to $9 million worldwide in May, compared to last year.

Why it matters: Marketers who buy ad placements will reach a massive userbase on TikTok.

The details: According to the study, most of the spending came from iOS users in China at $5.9 million, or 65 percent. U.S. customers of the App Store and Google Play spent $2 million in the video-sharing app and customers in India (who make up the lion’s share of TikTok’s user base) spent far less at $45,000.

Also, TikTok was downloaded 56 million times worldwide in May, which is a 27 percent gain from April, but 21 percent less than the 70.8 million downloads the social media app saw in January. Per Sensor Tower estimations, TikTok has been downloaded a total of 1.2 billion times, and its in-app purchases have reached $97.4 million.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, June 21. 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