Hoegaarden Paying Spring Breakers To ‘Slow Down’ And Visit Belgium

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Belgian beer band Hoegaarden is asking consumers to relax this Spring Break, drawing a parallel between a slower pace of life and the brand’s double fermentation process. As motivation, the brewery will send four consumers to its home town and pay them to enjoy the sights.

Between April 17-22, consumers who are at least 25 years old and available to travel between May 11-15 can enter via a microsite. The “Slowed Down Spring Break Package” will give two winners and their guests travel and accommodations to Hoegaarden, Belgium, along with $1,445 to spend.

The number “1145” is significant because it is the year in which Hoegaarden was founded. Unlike its fellow Anheiser-Busch brand, Bud Light, Hoegaarden really was brewed and consumed in Medieval times.

Hoegaarden’s Slowed Down Spring Break Package is in line with how much some Americans are willing to spend. According to a 2019 survey by Nerdwallet, one in three Americans will pay for a Spring Break trip with a credit card this year and plan to charge, on average, $1,308.30.

Hoegaarden cites a 2018 study by Offers.com that indicates half of the respondents (aged 18-34) plan on taking Spring Break, but 65 percent of them did not plan on slowing down and relaxing.

The brewer likens the idea of slowing down to its brewing process in which the beer “rests” for two weeks after the traditional brewing process is finished.

“In our quaint village in Belgium, you’ll find an overflow of green spaces, charming cafes, and of course, our famous wheat beer,” says the brand on its microsite. “Here, life moves a little slower, beer is brewed a little longer, and we prioritize conversation over WiFi connection.”

AB InBev reported revenue growth of 4.8 percent in 2018. The company is releasing low and non-alcoholic options for Budweiser and Hoegaarden, especially in India where alcohol has been banned near highways and taxed heavily.

Despite being the largest brewer in the world, AB InBev is not immune to a downturn in sales. According to Nielsen, 2018 in-store dollar sales for beer were down 0.1 percent YoY. This is, in part, to changing tastes among young consumers, who are growing fond of craft beers and hard alcohol.

Stillwell Partners’ Matt Scheckner: “Africa, In Many Ways, Is A Vital Engine For The Future”

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Stillwell Partner’s managing partner Matt Scheckner spoke with AList about the upcoming Africa expansion to Advertising Week. Scheckner, an Advertising Week co-founder, spoke about how he approaches a new expansion and what attendees can expect to see in Johannesburg later this year.

Advertising Week Africa will take place from October 28 to 31 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Confirmed speakers include Enver Groenewald CMO of Unilever Africa, Andrea Quaye, CMO of ABInBev Africa and Mzamo Masito, CMO of Google Africa.

Can you take me through the process of developing the idea to bring Advertising Week to Africa?

We started in New York in 2004. The world was completely different then: Facebook was only on the Harvard campus, we were a couple of years away from the iPhone, years away from YouTube. As Advertising Week has grown over the years; we’re now our seventh year in London, we launched in Tokyo four years ago, we just finished our second year in Mexico City, and are heading into our second year in Sydney. What’ve we found is that the challenges in areas of opportunity all around the world are quite similar.

Everybody is wrestling with technologically driven disruption; everybody is wrestling with the evolution of how consumers consume media—which affects everything else in our industry. Africa, in many ways, is a vital engine for the future. It’s the only continent that’s still growing. We started this conversation about three years ago. Advertising Week has grown organically, so there is no big machine behind this thing.

Very often, things begin with the conversation, “Hey, would you ever think about this? Would you ever think about that?” I’m like, “I don’t know, maybe.”

I got an email from some folks from Africa at Republicom, about three years ago. They came to see us in New York in 2016, and we started talking. I was intrigued by the idea of going to Africa. The first cut of our analysis was where we should go within Africa? Do we go to Lagos, Nigeria (our team is mostly Nigerian) and then we got to South Africa. Within South Africa, we thought about Cape Town or Johannesburg. We looked at all of them. Cape Town is a beautiful city and possibly would have been the easiest. But, Johannesburg is the center of the business for the African continent. Our industry has a big presence there, and that’s creative media, technology, marketing, the whole continuum across the entire eco-system. [Advertising Week’s] processes are very slow and very deliberate. We started the conversations in 2016. There is nothing like Advertising Week on the continent, anywhere. Critically, our platform is the only one in the world that has this heft that is built for young people. That’s a big part of the equation overall and will be for Africa.

How is Advertising Week looking to affect the industry in South Africa?

We are looking to make an impact not only on the continent but also by leveraging the Advertising Week platform to tell the story about what’s going on there, like female entrepreneurs in Kenya. There are incredible stories of innovation that are going on there. We are going to be able to help to move the needle and change perception on what the continent is, what South Africa is, what Johannesburg is. We are going to do our event at the center of the city in Johannesburg.

What have you learned from previous expansions that helped to navigate the planning this time around?

For the trees to grow, you have to plant seeds locally. It has to feel like it came from the earth over there. Early on we created an advisory council for Africa that is comprised of leaders across all the sectors. The head of Unilever for the African continent, Dawn [Rowlands] from Dentsu Aegis Sub Sahara, so we’ve got a good group. We have the local knowledge. I think the environment that we are choosing is a part of that; that we are building real connections to the community right from the beginning. We are going to feature the best of the continent and [bring people from the US] not unlike what we did when we went to Australia the first year. I’m really excited. Because it really has a genuine higher purpose.

Can you talk about some of the themes that Advertising Week Africa will explore?

Very purposefully, we look across the whole thought leadership program in Advertising Week, all of it, and there is never a singular theme. That’s purposeful. We hand-curate a program every time.

[Advertising Week Africa’s program] will be reflective of two things: one is called the “timely,” and those would be largely technology-driven areas like AI, blockchain, data, it might be an issue where the definition has changed over the years. Trust used to mean “Can you trust your advertiser?” The new definition of trust is all around data and privacy, and it’s a much more complex issue. Let’s call that all the stuff that’s “timely,” and then there is all the stuff that’s “timeless” like [creative] challenges and storytelling. We have a lot of content at Advertising Week around broader issues like social impact, mental health, wellness and pay equity.

I like that as Advertising Week as it’s grown, has become a place that all those types of conversations can take place, and you’ll see much focus on the talent around the African startup and technology community and giving them a global platform. I think it’ll start with young people and talent, in this case, and you’ll also see a lot around broader social impact issues.

We’re going to be working with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. Our commitment to areas of social impact and what the Nelson Mandela Foundation is all about dovetail nicely. We met with them when we were there in December and those discussions are going to bare a lot of fruit. We are excited to work with them, not just in Africa, but globally.

Hostess Hires CMO; Ad Council Appointments

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This week’s executive shifts include CMOs for Hostess, Vasa Fitness, Oscar Health, Hearst Autos, XFL, The Webster, Regis, Conde Nast Italia and Yolt, as well as senior marketing appointments at Epic Records and Organigram.

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

Ex-Ferrera Candy Marketer Joins Hostess As CMO

Hostess hired Chad Lusk as the company’s chief marketing officer. Lusk was previously CMO of the Chamberlain Group, and prior to that spent three years in the same position at the Ferrera Candy Company.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to work with the Hostess leadership team, associates, agency partners and customers to continue to elevate an already iconic brand that enjoys a special emotional connection with consumers,” said Lusk in a statement. “As Hostess celebrates its 100th birthday and looks ahead to its next century, we see tremendous potential to further invest in and leverage consumer insights, robust innovation capabilities and targeted marketing to build on the momentum and drive our next exciting phase of growth.”

Ad Council Appoints New Members

The Ad Council has appointed new members to its board of directors and leadership council. Some notable names added to the board of directors include, NFL chief marketing officer Tim Ellis, Target chief marketing officer Rick Gomez, Citi chief brand officer Carla Hassan.

Those added to the Ad Council Leadership Council include Minjae Ormes, chief marketing officer at Visible, (who we just interviewed here).

See the full list of appointments here.

Condé Nast Italia Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Condé Nast Italia promoted Francesca Airoldi to the position of chief marketing officer. She was most recently Condé Nast Italia’s general manager of sales & marketing.

Vasa Fitness Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Vasa Fitness appointed Mindi Bridges as the company’s chief marketing officer. Bridges previously held senior marketing roles at In-Shape Health Clubs, Treasury Wine Estates and Abercrombie & Fitch.

“Joining VASA is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Bridges said in a statement. “VASA has such a great story and the idea of bringing that story to life in a way that current and future members can connect to is important to me. I’m excited to work for a brand with such a positive focus – to make fitness accessible and give everyone an opportunity to be part of a supportive and uplifting fitness community.”

Hearst Autos Hires Chief Marketing Officer

Hearst Autos, the publisher of Car and Driver and Road & Track, hired Michelle Panzer for the chief marketing officer position. Panzer comes to Hearst Autos after spending the last five years at Say Media as SVP strategic marketing communications, head of digital publishing.

Prior to that, Panzer was executive director of communications, brand marketing at Condé Nast. Panzer also “held several executive roles in the marketing of feature films and award campaigns for Hollywood studios” according to a statement from Hearst.

NFL’s San Francisco 49ers Name Chief Marketing Officer

NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers named Alex Chang to the position of chief marketing officer. Chang was head of partnership marketing and head of sports marketing over the course of three years at Samsung Electronics America.

Before Samsung, Chang was a VP at agencies Wasserman and IMG, and spent 12 years at American Express working his way up to vice president of sports and entertainment marketing.

“Our leadership team was strengthened today with the addition of Alex Chang,” said 49ers president Al Guido in a statement. “His combined experience and track record for successfully growing global brands, sparking innovation, and driving business development make him uniquely qualified to serve as our chief marketing officer as we continue to elevate and evolve our franchise. We look forward to Alex’s leadership and insight as we continue to uncover new and exciting ways to engage and grow the Faithful fanbase.”

Oscar Health Hires Chief Marketing Officer

Oscar Health hired Ivan Wicksteed as the company’s chief marketing officer. Wicksteed was most recently a founding partner at FNDR and Proven Skin Care.

Prior to that, he spent years at chief marketing officer at Cole Haan and then Old Navy.

“We are thrilled to welcome Ivan to Oscar. Ivan’s ability to leverage two key components of successful marketing — creative and analytics — will make him an important contributor to Oscar’s growth. Ivan will be a critical leader at Oscar as we work to build a brand that our consumers can trust as their health care partner,” said Mario Schlosser, Oscar CEO and co-founder in a statement.

Regis Hires CMO From 72andSunny

Regis named James Townsend as the company’s chief marketing officer. Townsend spent the last nine years at marketing agency 72andSunny, most recently the position of chief development officer and also an agency partner.

According a press release from Regis, Townsend “oversaw transformational campaigns and marketing strategies for clients such as Samsung, Smirnoff, Cheerios.”

Hugh Sawyer, Regis’ president and CEO, said in a statement, “A key element of our multi-year transformational strategy is to elevate the visibility of our franchise and company-owned salons as we continue to differentiate our core brands. James has been a leader in designing and implementing disruptive, successful marketing campaigns on behalf of his clients around the globe. I am confident that he will bring an intense focus on the customer while leveraging our new business technologies and the capabilities of our franchise partners to accelerate the growth of our business.”

Yolt Names New Chief Marketing Officer

Yolt hired Cristel Lee Leeds as the company chief marketing officer. She leaves the same position at Nutmeg, and also held the CMO role at WWF Australia and OneDome.

According to a press release, Leeds will be responsible for “leading the brand’s growth in key global consumer markets by overseeing the strategic planning, development and execution of Yolt’s marketing and customer initiatives for all its B2C and B2B activities. “

Epic Records Hires VP Brand Marketing

Epic Records hired John Kirkpatrick as the company’s vice president of brand marketing. Kirkpatrick is a veteran marketer who was most recently chief marketing officer at VR entertainment company The Void—and previously held the same role at both PTTOW! and Hot Topic.

Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone told Billboard“John is a true marketing visionary. He has been responsible for countless game-changing partnerships that not only amplify the influence of talent, but also set the pace for culture. He will be a cornerstone of Epic Records’ continued cultural expansion and no doubt accelerate our efforts as a lifestyle leader. It’s an honor to welcome him.”

XFL Names Chief Marketing Officer

The second coming of Vince MacMahon’s XFL hired Jordan Schlachter as the company’s chief marketing and commercial officer. Schlachter was previously the president of THINK450 and chief marketing officer of the NBA Players Association.

Schlachter was also a previously a marketing VP at iHeartMedia, MTV Networks and the New York Knicks basketball franchise.

Millennial Esports Promotes Chief Marketing Officer

Millennial Esports announced the company’s chief marketing officer, Darren Cox, was promoted to president and will join the corporation’s board of directors. Cox has been with the company since 2017 and was previously the head of brand at Nissan.

“We are confident that, with his unmatched database, decades of motorsport experience, and well-earned reputation as The Godfather of Esports Racing, Darren is the perfect fit to take this company forward,” said Millennial Esports’ CEO Steve Shoemaker in a statement.

The Webster Hires Former Stella McCartney CMO

The Webster, a luxury fashion brand, hired Stephane Jaspar as the company’s chief brand officer. Jaspar was previously chief marketing officer at Stella McCartney for over 15 years. He stepped down from that position in early March.

“I am very excited to join [founder] Laure [Heriard] and [CEO] Laurent [Malecase] as well as rest of the incredible team at The Webster,” said Jaspar in a statement. “I am looking forward to helping drive and communicate the brand’s vision and collaborate with all the amazing brands and talent curated by The Webster, to inspire and welcome new consumers into our community in the US and abroad.”

Cannabis Retailer Promotes For SVP Marketing

Organigram named Ray Gracewood as the company’s senior vice president of marketing and communications. Gracewood has been with the company since 2016, serving as chief commercial officer. Previously he spent over a decade as director of marketing, maritimes at Moosehead Breweries.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, April 12. 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
Chief Marketing OfficerMoog Music GroupAsheville, NC
Vice President, Marketing Strategy Saks Fifth AvenueNew York, NY
VP, Brand MarketingCarl’s Jr.Franklin, TN
Head of MarketingUberLondon, UK
VP Marketing AnalyticsDISNEYNew York, NY

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

Facebook’s Brand Safety Controls; Pinterest’s New Conversion Features

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Our weekly social media news roundup helps marketers to stay on top of every social platform’s latest updates, insights, campaigns and more.

Facebook Updates Brand Safety Controls 

Facebook announced this week the launch of new safety controls and ad tools updates to protect advertisers. 

Why it matters: These measures are taken to prevent ads from appearing in undesired areas and within unwanted contexts. 

The details: The three new options will now be available to advertisers, including “Limited Inventory” (which offers maximum protection, like the opt-in category exclusions available today); “Standard Inventory” (which provides moderate protection and is the default choice when placing ads); and “Full Inventory” (which selects minimal protection and ads may be delivered to all eligible content). 

And the updated controls offered by Facebook will include comprehensive transparency controls, which allow to see where ads may appear before and after running a campaign; block lists to prevent ads from delivering on specific publishers; and brand safety certification for third-party partners which will help advertisers manage preferences at scale. 

Pinterest Adds New Conversion Features, Expands Video Offering

On Thursday, Pinterest introduced two new advertising option: “Conversion Optimization” and “Promoted Video for Conversions.”

Why it matters: Pinterest is providing a way for advertisers to reach their marketing goals with better optimization of their ad reach.

The details: According to the company’s press release, conversion optimization improves Promoted Pins for specific consumer actions, rather than just clicks. And advertisers can now choose conversions as a campaign objective to encourage a call to action (online checkouts, increased signups or stronger leads). 

A few brands have already tried using conversion optimization. “Gravity Blankets,” for example, reportedly achieved a 2x increase in sales and a 58 percent lower cost per acquisition. “Flaviar” saw 409 percent more traffic and an 8x increase in leads from October 2018 compared to the month before when testing conversion optimization. 

Facebook To Replace Publishing Tools With Creator Studio

On Thursday Facebook was spotted working on some important changes in its Publishing Tools features. 

Why it matters: Publishing tools is a helpful instrument for marketers and the changes made within it should improve the process of advertising on Facebook.

The details: According to security researcher, Jane Munchun Wong, Facebook will soon “deprecate the Post section in Publishing Tools and replace it with Creator Studio.”

LinkedIn Bursts With Fake Profiles 

Digiday reported this week that LinkedIn has a significant fake-profile problem. 

Why it matters: Managing numerous requests from fake profiles takes away from LinkedIn’s value to the users.

The details: Digiday spoke with several executives, who confirmed that although LinkedIn is a valuable tool for their professions, the amount of spam they receive regularly is frustrating. 

The networking site for the professional community, with 575 million registered members in August 2018, unfortunately, is bursting with profiles that are missing photos or have fake profile photos, and people with confusing job titles working at non-existing companies. And even though LinkedIn has worked on the improvements, such as introducing video and more sophisticated ad tools, the site still lacks authenticity and at the moment, we don’t know how many profiles on the platform are fake. 

Paul Rockwell, LinkedIn’s head of trust and safety, told Digiday in an email, “Fake accounts are a violation of our terms of service and we take action against them. When we identify bad actors, we take appropriate action, which often includes a permanent restriction from LinkedIn. We use a variety of automated techniques, coupled with human reviewers and member reporting, to keep our members safe from all types of bad actors and abuse. If members encounter something that makes them uncomfortable, suspect someone might not be representing themselves honestly or see inappropriate behavior like harassment or inaccurate content, we ask that they report it to us immediately and know that they can always block another member or remove a connection.”

YouTube To Introduce Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Programs

Bloomberg reported that YouTube is exploring the development of “choose-your-own-adventure” shows.

Why it matters: The storytelling format used most recently by Netflix, famously with Bandersnatch, draws more engagement and can potentially increase viewership and ad sales for the platform.

The details: Racing in the competition with Netflix, which already creates interactive shows for kids and adults and has the technology that remembers the choices users make over the course of a story, YouTube is trying to move in the same direction. 

“We now have amazing new tools and opportunities to create and tell multilayered and interactive stories,” Susanne Daniels, YouTube’s head of original programming, said in a statement for Bloomberg. “Ben [Relles, who oversees unscripted programs] has an intuitive and experienced understanding of how the platform can enhance content, making him the perfect choice to develop this exciting new division.”

US Retailers Are Testing Shoppable Ads On TikTok 

Social media platform TikTok is experimenting with ad offerings in the US, Adweek reported.

Why it matters: TikTok provides a perfect opportunity for marketers to get a better understanding of how Gen Z shops. 

The details: TikTok offers two types of ads at the moment: in-feed video ads and full-page ads. In-feed ads appear between user-generated content and full-page ads appear when the users first open the app.

Hollister is currently running in-feed video ads on TikTok. The brand encourages users to shop while discovering the content on the platform. When the users tap on the “shop now” button, they are being taken to a microsite to browse and shop without leaving the app.

“TikTok has been on our radar for a little while, and this opportunity opened up a couple of weeks ago to try it,” said Michael Scheiner, senior vice president of marketing at Hollister. “At this point, it’s really more about that test and learn. But so far, we’re pretty excited about the results that we’re seeing.”

Pinterest User Base Is Growing Healthy Ahead Of IPO 

This week, Pinterest released some updated data on platform usage, which confirmed its healthy growth.  

Why it matters: Going public doesn’t seem to affect the platform’s user base and it still remains a desirable place for brands to reach consumers.

The details: Pinterest is still behind Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in terms of user base, but it now has 265 million monthly active users, up from the 250 million that it reported back in September. According to the report, “Pinterest is ahead of Snapchat, but behind Twitter, Instagram and of course Facebook. As opposed to Twitter and Snapchat however, Pinterest’s user base is still growing at a decent pace. In the past year alone, the company added 51 million monthly active users, mainly thanks to strong international growth.”

Conde Nast Has 28 Shows On Snapchat And This Number Will Grow 

Accordingto Digiday, even though Condé Nast had previously pulled some channels from Snapchat, the media giant remains on the platform and has plans to add more series to the app in the future. 

Why it matters: “Our audience is primarily a younger consumer. We have a shelf life of our reader, so we’re always after the younger audience. Snapchat probably more so than any other brand in the building makes sense for us,” said Carrie Marks, associate director of audience development and social media at Teen Vogue.

The details: In December 2018, Condé Nast reached more than 39 million unique viewers across the 23 shows it had live. Teen Vogue and Self were the two channels maintained on Snapchat by Condé Nast. Currently, Teen Vogue publishes two editions per week. The content is pulled from the site, for the most part, but is specifically repackaged for the app. 

“Our relationship with [Snap] has progressed, shifted and adapted over time, and I think it’s adapted in a positive away for us and them. We had taken some original channels down and are making an effort of taking existing IP and optimizing for the Snap platform. While we do have 28 shows that run on Snap, we didn’t haphazardly select them,” said Oren Katzeff, president of Condé Nast Entertainment.

Pew: U.S. Adults Still Using Social Media Despite Safety Concerns

Pew Research surveypublished on Wednesday shows that despite the news about abusive data practices and misinformation on social media, a share of  U.S. adults on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest remains mostly unchanged since last year. 

Why it matters: The numbers show that the users are willing to give up privacy and the ‘iron core” information for the ability to be a part of the social media community.

The details: The survey found that the share of U.S. adults on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest hasn’t changed significantly since 2016. Around 69 percent of U.S. adults say they still use Facebook, 28 percent visit Pinterest and 22 percent use Twitter. Instagram is the only platform that saw some gains in that time period, growing from 32 percent to 37 percent.

KFC Virtual Influencer Colonel Is Stealing Influencers’ Thunder 

KFC’s new social media campaign employs computer-generated character, Colonel, to promote their famous fried chicken. 

Why it matters: KFC is doing an impressive job using AI in their marketing campaign to engage with Gen Z audiences and makes us wonder if computer-generated characters pose a threat to real-life influencers in the long run.

The details: This fake/real Instagram persona possesses all the attributes of a successful influencer and deals with brands like Dr Pepper, Old Spice and TurboTax. He also has an inspirational tattoo on his abdomen that says “Secret Recipe For Success” to encourage his followers to live their lives to the fullest and aesthetically beautiful photos featuring him “connecting to nature.”

The campaign will run through April 22 and will see the Colonel traveling the world on his private jet via the KFC Instagram account. His exploits can be found through the #SecretRecipeForSuccess hashtag.

British Cosmetic Brand Lush Turns Away From Social Media 

Lush Cosmetics announced this week that the company will be closing several of their UK social media accounts. 

Why it matters: This incident once again proves that brands and marketers are “tired of fighting with algorithms” and refuse to “pay to appear” in the social media users’ feeds, as Lush said in their Twitter post. 

The details:The account name will close on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, including Lush Kitchen, Lush Times, Lush Life, Soapbox and Gorilla. The company asked the customers to contact them by email, phone, or via its website.

“We don’t want to limit ourselves to holding conversations in one place, we want social to be placed back in the hands of our communities – from our founders to our friends,” Lush said in a statement for BBC. 

Social channels for Lush North America, however, will remain active.

Study Finds Instagram Ads Presented As Friends’ Post Still Gain More Trust Than Targeted Ads

The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications study discovered that although deceptive, ads that imitate friends’ posts are more tolerated among Instagram users than traditional ads. 

Why it matters: This means that companies have better chances of selling their product if they create more authentic advertising. 

The details: The study, which will be published in May in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, included 482 Instagram users from the Netherlands. The participants were exposed to three types of posts: posts from friends, ads that looked like posts from friends and traditional ads. Posts from friends evoked the best reaction, followed by the ads that imitated posts from friends.

 “These posts were viewed more positively because they are seen as more credible (than traditional ads), and people are more likely to make comparisons between themselves and the person in the post,” said Benjamin Johnson, an assistant professor of advertising in the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications who led the study.”

Gen Z  Says Snapchat Is Their Favorite, But Not The Most Used App 

A semi-annual survey of 8,000 teens, conducted by Piper Jaffray, gathered data on Gen Z’s favorite and most utilized social media platforms.

Why it matters: The survey showed that Gen Z (still) loves Snapchat the most, but barely.

The details: Among 13- to 24-year-olds in the US, UK, France, Canada, and Australia, Snapchat (41 percent) is still leading, but only a few percentage points ahead of Instagram (35 percent).

YouGov Poll Shows Americans In Favor Of Social Media Regulation

According to the latest Economist/YouGov poll, 33 percent of Americans want the government to regulate social media companies’ use of personal data.

Why it matters:The misuse of social media users’ personal data seems to be so out of control that many believe it should become a matter of government concern. 

The details: The poll showed that majorities of both, Democrats and Republicans, want to see more regulations of personal data use by social media companies. Thirty-three percent of the respondents said that the government should regulate political ads on social media and 48 percent said social media companies will be biased in applying rules around political advertising.

The UK Government Will Hold Social Media Companies Liable For Harmful Content

On Monday, the UK government announced it will hold social media companies personally liable for harmful content present on their platforms.

Why it matters: The proposed policies aim to restore trust and safe environment on social media platforms, and the companies risk to face serious punishments if they do not comply. 

“Online companies must start taking responsibility for their platforms, and help restore public trust in this technology,” Prime Minister Theresa May said.

The details: The Online Harms White Paper published by the government, outlined the violations. They included the spread of violent content, suicide encouragement, disinformation, cyber-bullying, terrorist content, child sexual exploitation and abusive content. These will apply to social media platforms, file hosting sites, chat forums, messaging services and search engines. There was also a call for an independent regulator to be chosen to enforce the rules.

Marketers Are Satisfied With Twitter’s Attempts To Stop Hate On The Platform

According to a report by Digiday, Twitter ranks eighth out of 13 platforms when being rated on brand safety.

Why it matters: Marketers say that even as Twitter still faces regular brand-safety issues, they see progress in the company’s attempts to remove hateful content and make the platform safe, especially for more risk-averse brands. 

The details: Twitter allows brands access to working with a curated list of more than 200 publishers to buy pre-roll ads or other sponsorships. This is especially important for companies that are more vulnerable to hateful content. For brands that are more risk-averse, Twitter allows blacklisting accounts that left harmful comments about the brand, which removes them from the targeting group for an ad. Twitter also is testing a comment moderation on organic posts feature.

Reddit COO Jen Wong Talks About Brand Safety 

Digiday also spoke with Reddit’s COO Jen Wong about brand safety, monetization strategies and the platform’s relationships with publishers. 

Why it matters: Wong talks in-depth about many pain-points of marketers, such as brand safety measurements in relation to user-generated content–as well as Reddit’s move toward ad monetization.

The details: When asked about brand safety, Wong said that Reddit has all the mechanisms for brands, including white-listing, black-listing and targeting. Recently, the company has been busy improving its advertising platform with cost-per-click bidding, video advertising and app installation ads to compete for marketers’ attention that’s been focused on Google and Facebook. However, the main goal of Reddit, according to Wong, is to stand out from the pack of social media giants.

“Ultimately, we want to make something that’s very differentiated. We’re very clear on where that opportunity is, but where we are is mid-flight. For the past year, we’ve focused on parity and getting those basic aspects of the marketplace down,” Wong said.

Influencers Escape Big Social Media 

Fast Company reported on Monday that over 350 influencers with a collective following of 3.5 billion are turning away from popular social media sites in favor of a platform called Escapex, which provides them with their own personal apps.

Why it matters: This seems to be part of a bigger trend of the users seeking smaller, more private groups to communicate online.

The details: There are a few reasons why the influencers escape social media giants. They are looking to free their audiences from specific social media algorithms and diversifying their monetization efforts away from sponsored content and ad posts.

And when it comes to their followers, they no longer want feeds, they want more intimate communication in messaging, small groups and even separate apps, such as those Escapex provides for a small monthly fee. They also want fewer privacy violations and more transparency.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 12. 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.

Visible CMO Minjae Ormes: “One Thing That We Don’t Talk About Enough Is That You Need To Feel Safe To Fail Fast”

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Minaje Ormes is the chief marketing officer at phone service disruptor Visible. The company uses Verizon’s network and an all-digital platform, plus low-prices, and emphasizes transparency. Ormes came to the company after almost seven years at YouTube, and throughout her time there was the company’s head of global media and later global head of partner marketing.

We sat down with Ormes to talk about starting a brand marketing plan from scratch and how she handles the visibility that comes with the chief marketing officer role.

Can you talk about taking a fully digital product into a physical space?

I think about this kind of like building a relationship with people, whether it’s new friends you make or new colleagues. Increasingly, how we connect and how we communicate with each other are through digital and social channels, but at the end of the day, there is a person behind it, which is why we wanted to experiment with showing up in someone’s life in the physical, tangible way. 

What’s the hardest part of marketing a brand from scratch?

To build momentum from 0 to a 100—on top of the value proposition and the product itself that we’re selling—which is the $40/month, unlimited everything on Verizon’s network, the product offering itself is so strong that it completely stands on its own—when we are introducing a new brand with it, we have to think about, how do you show up in a way that is unexpected, intriguing and getting somebody to notice you, frankly, because there is so much going on now out there. For us to ask someone’s permission to notice us, check us out, maybe even try us out as a member, we know it’s not an easy task. We wanted to make sure that we make that introduction as easy and as simple as possible.

As a leader and a boss, how do you take your hands off the wheel and allow your team to do what they need to do?

I’m self-aware enough to recognize that I’m good at what I do because I can see the big picture, but I care about the details, because, it’s all in the details. I started to realize in the past few years—my years at YouTube and now, here at Visible—for me to be the best I can be and be there for my team to empower and enable them to do what they need to do every day, we need first to set some parameters.

Especially in this business, where we are training to be a disruptor brand, we are trying to learn the rules so that we can break them. [We find] clear alignment around the goals and objectives, and we are trying to do—leaving that communication channel open not just to pass information back and forth but be honest with each other about what can we do better. Therefore, the way I think about team building is that every single person on my team is a better expert at what they are doing than I am. Because then they get to do their part and contribute to a bigger picture. It doesn’t make sense for me to try to do every single thing. My job is to set the vision and the parameters and let people do what they are here to do.

And, finding what works often involves making mistakes.

Yes. Because we are all so conditioned, especially in corporate culture, to be perfect and never make mistakes. To never own up to it because it’s a sign of weakness. Whereas in high-growth and innovation culture, it’s the exact opposite of what you need to do. You need to try a bunch of stuff out, fail fast and learn. But, one thing that we don’t talk about enough is that you need to feel safe to fail fast, so creating the culture in the environment from the very beginning, and not losing sight of it as you grow, is incredibly important.

Do you primarily do most of your marketing in-house, or do you also have an agency that you work with?

It takes a village, so I have a team in-house who manages our brand voice, the social and how we think about staying closer to the product and the customer service element of it. But, we also work with creative and media agencies and think about how we’d want to show up out there, how can we leverage their creative but also, the buying power of the media agency to holistically think about where and how we show up. I believe that it’s not just about creating cool TV spots, but it’s about where you buy your media that speaks as a brand.

How important is social in marketing Visible?

For us, the premise of the business pushes us to be 100 percent social and digitally-focused all the time. Even coming from environments like YouTube—some brands were using YouTube better than YouTube was.

Because our entire member journey from finding out about us to signing up for service and handling relationships with us is all digital—we have to double-down on [social] and for people to feel like there is somebody human behind that.

Can you talk about the importance of visibility in a CMO? Do you find that difficult or is it something you settled into?

Yes, it’s going to be a constant work in progress, frankly. I’m 39, I’m turning 40 this year, and I feel like this is the first time in my life that I’ve felt so “me,” which is cool. It took a long time because growing up in Korea; there were very singular expectations about what success looked like. And even here in the States, there was more flexibility and cultural acceptance; still, the definition of success and leadership seemed pretty singular.

I had to think about, well, “I want to succeed here, but I’m not like this other person that they’re showing as a model; how do I find my voice, but still be perceived as a successful person.” That took a lot of work, but I feel like I walked away with the gift that nobody can take from me. It is a gift to be able to be “me” and being in a professional environment, where [Visible’s] values are very closely aligned with mine, and I have no doubts about why I’m here and what I’m here to do and how I am showing up every single day.

Does the visibility thing come easily? No. But once I figured out what my passion points are—to be able to talk about how I got here and my career journey and what challenges I ran into, how I got through it, maybe, someday, that’ll help somebody else—it all became much easier.

I ask that question because I’m always interested in a marketer’s journey, coming from different sectors like business, technology, PR, marketing and so on.

If you told me 20 years ago that I’d be in marketing, I’d be like, “Ah, you’re joking,” because I don’t like talking about myself, I don’t like being in the limelight, and I can’t possibly sell something I don’t believe in. A lot of times in your career you’ve got to do that and you learn something about yourself. The way that I ended up in marketing is the storytelling aspect of it.

I went to film school. I wanted to be a producer and find people’s stories and one of the projects I worked on at Tribeca film festival was funding underserved voices, like women, people of color, and that stuck with me because it also spoke to my personal experience of having been an immigrant [moving here] in my teens. In retrospect, all of this makes sense, but from there, looking forward, I couldn’t have told you [I would end up in marketing].

Can you talk about the accountability of a head marketer to justify budgets.

Marketing departments exist to help the business grow. I take that responsibility very seriously, in terms of everything that we do, that’s a part of setting the right goals and north star so that we all know that we are serving that goal of business growth. But I also know that I can’t do this alone. For a business like this to grow, growth doesn’t mean go out and buy more advertising; growth means you have to build that experience and put equity back into the product, and the customer service experience.

What I’m selling out here has to match up in the delivery of that experience of what we have. I take my role in two parts, it’s about standing up a brand and how we talk and show up in the world, but it’s also about how you infuse that spirit of the brand into our product and the customer service experience. Our agents are the brand; our product experience is the brand, so that’s incredibly important to me to be able to influence the whole business.

You had a ‘transparent’ music box at SXSW, in which attendees could record their own song. What was the core message of that activation?

It’s a transparent box and as you can see in our ad copy to our products, the offering is pretty straight-forward, and that’s what we want it to be. That speaks to the kind of relationship we want to have with customers. The second thing is of course [goes] back to the fundamentals of our product offering, because switching your phone service isn’t actually a light decision—you’ve got to think about it, you’ve had something for a long time, or maybe you’re a part of a family plan, or tied to somebody else’s account, you’ve got to pay your phone off—there are a lot of things that are in the way.

We want you to notice us and be intrigued enough and have the shared experience with something you already care about, which in this case in the background of SXSW. It’s the music that you walk away with [creating] a bit of a different emotional experience. It’s not just a transactional element of, “We are trying to sell you something, and it’s all about the dollar sign.” It’s a great package and we want to be something more.

Snap’s Partner Summit Aftermath; Twitter’s New Labels

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Our weekly social media news roundup helps marketers to stay on top of every social platform’s latest updates, insights, campaigns and more.

Everything You Need To Know From Snap’s Partner Summit

On Thursday, Snapchat held its first Partner Summit in Los Angeles, announcing a myriad of new tools, features and additions to the app.

Why it matters: The new additions will provide an opportunity for the developers to use Snap’s technology with more convenience, collaborate, create more engaging content and advertise more effectively.

The details: Here are the main announcements:

  1. Snap Games

Snap Games can be now launched right from the Chat bar, allowing the users to instantly play together. Snap Games six new titles include Bitmoji Party, Tiny Royale, Snake Squad, C.A.T.S. Drift Race, Zombie Rescue Squad, Alphabear Hustle.

  1. New Snaps Originals

The new Snap’s Originals genres include span docuseries and scripted, comedies and teen dramas. Here are the titles of a few: Two Sides, Can’t Talk Now, Sneakerheads, Commanders, Denton’s Death Date, While Black, BuzzFeed’s daily afternoon show, Dead of Night, Compton Dreams and Stranded with Sam and Colby.

  1. The Future Of Lenses

Lens Studio update includes more templates for augmented reality creators, such as Landmarkers, which enables creators to develop Lenses that transform the world’s landmarks in real-time.

  1. Plug In To Snap Kit

The new Snap Kit experiences will include App Stories, Creative Kit, Bitmoji kit and most importantly, Ad Kit, which allows developers to access Snap’s Audience Network and use Snap ads.

Twitter Tries Out New Labels To Make Tweet Responses More Clear

Twitter shared in a tweet this week a new update to tweet labels to clarify who’s tweeting at whom.

Why it matters: This new addition will allow Twitter users to better distinguish responses and therefore, make the communication on the app easier and more engaging.

The details: “We want it to be easy to follow and join conversations on Twitter. We’re testing out labels on replies: author mentioned and following. If you see them, let us know what you think!” the tweet said.

Online Predators Is A Continuous Problem On TikTok

According to BBC, hundreds of sexually explicit comments have been found on TikTok videos posted by children (as young as nine years old), but the app is so far failing to suspend the predators’ accounts.

Why it matters: Hostile environment might ruin the app’s reputation and make both users and brands turn away from the app.

The details: The company is working hard on deleting the sexual messages directed at children, however, most users who posted these messages were able to remain on the platform. TikTok says that child protection is an “industry wide-challenge” and that promoting a “safe and positive app environment” remains the company’s top priority.

England’s Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield told BBC that she will be requesting a meeting with TikTok to discuss the findings of the BBC’s investigation.

“I want children to be able to enjoy everything that the app can offer, but we need to make sure that those responsibilities are taken seriously,” she said.

Snap Introduces ‘Audience Network’ To Bring Snap Ads To Third-Party Apps

On Thursday, at their Partner Summit, Snap announced a new offering, which will integrate ads within third-party apps.

Why it matters: Audience Network will enable developers to run vertical video ads directly from Snapchat within their apps.

The details: Audience Network will launch later in 2019 in the US, first on Apple devices. And Snap is currently accepting applications to join the network. Snap will take a portion of the ad revenue as third-parties pull ads as they need.

Snapchat To Discuss Gaming Platform, Stories At The First Partner Summit

According to AdAge, Snapchat will discuss expanding access to its camera and AI features at its first Snap Partner Summit in Los Angeles.

Why it matters: This move should provide an opportunity for more app developers to get a better understanding of Snap’s proprietary technology and open more ways for further collaboration. (In 2018, Snap worked with a number of developers, including Tinder, Twitch, Giphy, Postmates and Pandora. At the moment, Tinder is working to integrate Snapchat Stories into its app, AdAge reported.)

The details: Snapchat CEO, Evan Spiegel, and co-founder, Bobby Murphy, will take the stage on Thursday and outline the company’s priorities for the year. Some of the features and updates to be discussed at the summit on Thursday are camera improvements, games, livestreaming video and Snap’s Spectacles.

Marketers Are Boosting Influencer Budgets In 2019

Linqia recently published a new report which aids the belief that influencer content outperforms brand-created content.

Why it matters: The report reinstates the importance of the value of using influencer marketing.

The details: According to the report, which focused primarily on how agencies are planning to employ influencer marketing this year, 57 percent said that the content created by influencers outperforms brand-created content when repurposed in other marketing channels. In fact, 18 percent of the respondents said they believe that it “greatly outperforms” brand-created content.

Twitter Allows Violation Appeals Within The App

On Wednesday, Twitter announced the release of a new feature, which will allow the app users to directly appeal the tweets that violate Twitter’s rules.

Why it matters: The new feature will speed up the process of recovering accounts, for good and bad, we predict.

“We move quickly to enforce our rules, but sometimes we don’t have the full context and can make mistakes. To fix that, we added a way for people to appeal our decision in the app and have been able to get back to people 60% faster than before,” the company’s tweet said.

The details: Until now, Twitter users would have to fill out an online form to appeal Twitter’s decision, but now they can appeal within the app.

Research Shows Correlation Between Ads And Live-Tweeting

ScienceDaily reported that a report titled “Social TV, Advertising, and Sales: Are Social Shows Good for Advertisers?” conducted by researchers from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and Emory University revealed that advertisers can see a boost in online shopping when television viewers multitask and engage in social media activity while watching certain programs.

Why it matters: “We found that this pattern varied with the mood of the advertisement, with funny and emotional advertisements seeing the largest increases in online shopping activity,” said Beth Fossen of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. “Our results shed light on how advertisers can encourage online shopping activity on their websites in the age of multiscreen consumers.”

The details: The research examined data from more than 1,600 ad instances for five retailers that advertised on 83 programs during the fall 2013 television season. The researchers, Beth Fossen and David Schweidel, took into account online traffic and sales on retailers’ websites, primetime television advertising for the retailers, social media chatter mentioning the TV program, the advertising and program characteristics.

Apple Promoted Apple+ On Twitter Only

On Wednesday, the competitive intelligence platform for social media marketers, BrandTotal, released data about Apple’s advertising strategy for its new Apple TV+ service.

Why it matters: According to the data from the BrandTotal report, titled “Social Marketing Snapshot: How Apple Launched Apple TV+,” Twitter was the only social media platform that Apple bought ads from to promote Apple TV+. No campaigns were run by the company on Facebook, YouTube or Instagram.

The details: BrandTotal co-founder and CEO Alon Leibovich said in a press release, “Twitter has always been Apple’s go-to social marketing platform. They’ve used it to successfully promote their hardware business for years. Now, they’re continuing that strategy and embracing it for content services. This is great for Twitter. The more products Apple launches, the more they benefit. It’s also notable that Apple remains off of both Facebook and Google ad networks when it comes to paid campaigns.”

How BBC News Is Using LinkedIn

According to Digiday, BBC News has been working hard on its LinkedIn content strategy over the last 18 months, figuring out the types of content audiences respond to the best.

Why it matters: In the last 12 months, BBC News added over 1 million users.  According to BBC News, in the second half of 2018, referral traffic from LinkedIn to the company’s site more than doubled to 175,000 visitors YoY.

The details: According to Digiday‘s report, BBC News’ strategy included releasing three to five posts a day, which consisted of motivational and inspirational content, topics relating to identity, psychology and relationships and even housing.

“The audience on there is precious about what they believe to be on the platform,” said Dhruti Shah, journalist and manager of the BBC News LinkedIn account. “They are water-cooler moments: People are at work, but they take a break; this guided me with the strategy.”

Snapchat Spotted Testing Map Tools and Mention Stickers

Jane Manchun Wong caught Snapchat working on new tools to help encourage real-life meet-ups and location tracking.

Why it matters: The new interactive tool would enable the users to see what another user is doing at any time. A Bitmoji character which represents what the user is doing can be chosen and a description of where the user is at the time can be added. Sounds pretty similar to a Facebook update.

The details: Snap’s also building a new UI for the Map, which will enable the users to check-into locations with a chosen Bitmoji character. The status option will display what the user is up to on the map and will be active for four hours.

Instagram Might Sell Ads In Instagram IGTV

According to AdAge, Instagram is talking with advertisers about selling ads on IGTV.

Why it matters: Just like Instagram Feed and Stories, IGTV has good chances of becoming a new source of profits for both content creators and brands.

The details: “While ads are not currently a part of IGTV, we are exploring ways to help creators monetize,” an Instagram spokeswoman wrote in an email statement. “Just like our thoughtful approach to introducing ads in Feed and Stories, we are taking our time to evaluate different monetization strategies in order to ensure we roll out features that are best for businesses and our community.”

IGTV is also considering ad breaks, similar to facebook’s Watch. It is important to note that along with YouTube, Watch offers publishers and creators a split on ad revenue from commercials, and Facebook gives the partners 55 percent, AdAge reported.

Facebook Will Now Explain Why The Users See Each Post In The News Feed

Facebook introduces “Why am I seeing this post?” to provide more information about the ads and content users see in their feeds.

Why it matters: The feature is being added to help the users better understand and easily control the posts they see from friends, Pages, Groups and advertisers.

The details: From now on, the users will be able to know why they’re seeing a certain post in their News Feed, as well as what information generally has the largest influence over the order of posts. Facebook is also updated “Why am I seeing this ad?” in particular, “Businesses can reach their customers by uploading information they already have, such as emails or phone numbers. We then try to match the ad to the most relevant audience without revealing any identifiable information back to the business. “Why am I seeing this ad?” will now provide details such as when the advertiser uploaded the information or if the advertiser worked with another marketing partner to run the ad.”

Mark Zuckerberg Might Be Willing To Pay For High-Quality News

Mark Zuckerberg said in a conversation with Mathias Döpfner, CEO of publisher Axel Springer, that he wants to create a section of his social network that would be devoted to “high-quality news,” and may pay publishers that share on the platform.

Why it matters: After announcing Facebook would feature less news over a year ago, the company is now considering building stronger relationships with publishers, making their content more accessible and maybe even paying them licensing fees.

The details: “That’s definitely something that I think we should be thinking about here, because the relationship between us and publishers is different in a surface where we’re showing the content on the basis of us believing that it’s high-quality, trustworthy content,” Zuckerberg told Döpfner.

Ad Buyers Are Still Recovering From Facebook Outage

Digiday reported on Monday that since the Facebook outage two weeks ago, ad buying as fluctuated across Facebook and Instagram.

Why it matters: Six ad buyers told Digiday that the price of ads across Facebook and Instagram surged immediately following the outage, while the ads manager tool used to buy and optimize campaigns slowed down.

The details: For one agency the cost-per-thousand of impressions bought sat between $41 (£31.38) and $46 (£35) after the outage; the cost was previously $7 (£5) and $11 (£8). The cost-per-acquisition on ads was four to six times more compared to the price before the glitch, said the agency. For the affected advertisers, which tend to spend no more than $50,000 (£38,272) a month across the social networks, no strategies used by the agency have been able to wrangle the wayward auctions.

“We understand the frustration the March 13th Ads Manager outage may have caused,” said a Facebook spokesperson. “Our team is working hard to investigate the impact on advertisers, including reviewing any refundable cases.”

Fake Accounts Slow Down Influencer Marketing In India 

According to Quartz, even as influencer marketing is rapidly growing around the world, in some countries like India, it is losing its trust factor due to fakery.

Why it matters: Companies spend a lot of money on influencer marketing campaigns and in many cases don’t get the desired results due to the ease of influencers inflating their number of followers, likes and comments.

The details: “There is a huge challenge for brands to weed out elements that are gaming the system by inflating the number of followers they have. They do it through bots sitting in several click farms dotted globally,” independent brand strategist Ambi Parameswaran, said. It is important to mention that the concerns with influencer marketing are not limited to India. Recently, Unilever’s chief marketing officer, Keith Weed, made a public call for a change, announcing that the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant will no longer work with influencers who buy followers.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, April 5. 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.

Hasbro’s Chief Consumer Experience Officer; CMOs For Deezer, Little Caesars

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This week’s executive shifts include former global chief marketing officer of Wunderman Thompson joining Hasbro, Deezer appointing a vice president of artist marketing; CMOs for Tocaya Organica, Amtrak, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Bojangle’s and Little Caesars. Also, a former global marketer at Alibaba becomes Blue Apron’s new chief executive officer and JimmyBar hires a VP of marketing.

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

Hasbro Fills Newly-Created Chief Consumer Experience Officer Position

On Thursday, the toymaker Hasbro announced that Jamie Gutfreund, the former global chief marketing officer of Wunderman Thompson, will join the company as its first chief consumer experience officer, effective April 15. 

Gutfreund will directly report to Hasbro’s president and chief operating officer, John Frascotti and in her new role, she will focus on creation and implementation of “consumer-focused strategies that effectively connect the company’s brands with global audiences.” 

Gutfreund past career achievements include serving as global CMO at Wunderman Thompson, chief strategy officer at The Intelligence Group, and holding positions at Expedia, Microsoft and Prodigy, where she developed original content, as well as communications and business strategies for clients, brands and entertainment partners.

Frascotti said about the new hire, “Jamie brings a breadth of experience in driving strategies that build brands through innovation and technology, global marketing campaigns and proprietary research,” Frascotti said in a statement. “Jamie is a well-respected and highly creative digital marketer, and I am thrilled to welcome her to the Hasbro family.”

Deezer Appoints VP Of Artist Marketing

Deezer appointed Nigel Harding to the position of vice president of artist marketing. Harding comes to the streaming platform from Sony’s Nothing Else Matters Records.

Harding also spent a couple of years working on the playlisting strategy for Apple Music and almost a decade at BBC.

“I look forward to working closely with Nigel to build on the wide range of creative marketing activations we’ve done with artists so far and to continue building Deezer’s standing with artists all over the world,” said Alexander Holland, Deezer’s chief content and product officer.

Former Alibaba Marketer Appointed As Blue Apron CEO

Blue Apron hired Linda Findley Kozlowski as president and chief executive officer, effective April 8. Kozlowski will also be on the company’s board of directors. She is also a member on the boards of Ralph Lauren, StyleSeat and Dress For Success Worldwide.

Kozlowski was most recently chief operating officer at Etsy and before that held the same position at Evernote. She was also previously director of global marketing and customer experience at Alibaba from 2011 to 2012.

Kozlowski comes to Blue Apron at a pivotal time for the company, as it’s been reported the D2C meal-kit service is not retaining subscribers while it tries to expand its retail strategy.

Little Caesars Appoints SVP Global Marketing

Little Caesars added Jeff Klein as senior vice president of global marketing, and in an effort to grow the brand globally. Klein leaves his position at PepsiCo’s Foodservice division, where he was senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Klein had been wit PepsiCo since 2003.

“I’m excited to welcome Jeff to our organization,” said CEO Dave Scrivano in a statement, “With his impressive achievements and experience, I know we can count on him to grow our global brand and continue to shake up the pizza game like we’ve been doing for the past 60 years.”

Bojangles’ Names Chief Marketing Officer

Bojangles’, a regional fast food restaurant, named Jackie Woodward as the company’s chief marketing officer.

Woodward served in the same position previously at Krispy Kreme and was also VP global media at General Mills and VP global marketing at McDonald’s. She also spent a number of years at MillerCoors.

“I am incredibly excited to be the next marketing chief at such an iconic brand,” Woodward said in a statement.  “I appreciate the opportunity to be part of the extraordinary things happening at this company and look forward to working with our franchise partners to share the Bojangles’ experience with more and more new guests across the country.”

JimmyBar Appoints VP Of Marketing

JimmyBar, a protein bar company, appointed Sabrina Kautz to the role of VP of marketing. Kautz comes to the company after serving as a health coach and consultant the last year. Before that she spent a number of years at a marketing manager at PepsiCo.

Kautz will focus on “the company’s brand strategy, shopper marketing initiatives, new product development and customer/consumer insights,” the company said in a statement.

Helskink Think Company Appoints CMO

Helsinki Think Company, an entrepreneurship society that also provides coworking spaces, appointed Liisa Lehkonen as its chief marketing officer according to a tweet from Lehkonen.

Bulldog Skincare Names Marketing Head

Richard Blake is set to take over the position of global head of marketing at Bulldog Skincare. According to his LinkedIn, Blake will “lead marketing across all channels for one of the fastest growing brands in men’s skincare- now in over 30 markets globally.”

Blake was most recently a senior marketing director at Verizon Media in London and before that spent almost seven year at Yahoo, also in London, most recently in the position of international marketing director.

Tocaya Organica/Madera Group Name Chief Marketing Officer

Matt Smith has been named the chief marketing officer of both fast-casual restaurant Tocaya Organica and their parent company Madera Group.

Smith comes to the companies from marketing agency Simmer Group, wher he was most recently a partner.

In a statement, Madera Group said Smith would lead “development and implementation of all marketing operations including channel, content and advertising strategy, PR and reputation management, new store openings, and catering.”

Comscore’s CEO And President Both Depart Company

Comscore’s CEO Bryan Wiener and president Sara Hofstetter have both departed the measurement and analytics company. Wiener cited “irreconcilable differences” with Comscore’s board.

Wiener and Hofstetter both came to Comscore from marketing agency 360i. Wiener continues to sit on the board of Cars.com and Hofstetter is still on the board of directors at the Campbell Soup Company.

Amtrak Names EVP, Chief Marketing Officer

Amtrak named Roger Harris as the company’s executive vice president and chief marketing and commercial officer. Harris previously held senior roles at Delta Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Aeromexico.

“Roger’s mix of transportation experience makes him a great fit for this position. He will continue to advance the customer-focused strategies that are driving the company to the next level of ridership and revenue performance,” said Amtrak president and CEO Richard Anderson in statement.

Nebraska Furniture Mart Appoints CMO

Nebraska Furniture Mart named Amy Myers as the company’s chief marketing officer. Myers comes to the Omaha-based company after working at Gabby and Summer Classics as chief marketing officer. She also previously worked at Gordman’s and Kraft Foods.

NFM said in a statement that Myers will be “creating and executing the overall strategy of the marketing division, helping NFM achieve alignment and consistency across all marketing channels while helping to elevate the customer experience.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, April 5. 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
Chief Marketing OfficerMoog Music GroupAsheville, NC
Vice President, Marketing Strategy Saks Fifth AvenueNew York, NY
VP, Brand MarketingCarl’s Jr.Franklin, TN
Head of MarketingUberLondon, UK
VP Marketing AnalyticsDISNEYNew York, NY

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

Crocs Continues Resurgence With Emphasis On Individuality, Celebrity Influencers

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Crocs launched the third installment, in as many years, of its influencer-driven “Come As You Are” campaign this week that stars Zooey Deschanel and a line-up of celebrity brand ambassadors.

The campaign states that “being yourself, being comfortable and looking stylish are not mutually exclusive.” Playing on the phrase, “being comfortable in your own shoes,” the ads feature a variety of Crocs styles for different activities and lifestyles including LiteRide, Crocband Platform, Crocs Serena, Swiftwater and the iconic Classic Clog.

The company’s pivot from granola accessory to fashion icon did not come overnight. Much credit has been given to Crocs CEO Andrew Rees and his calculated push to turn the brand around. In that way, it’s not surprising to see “Come As You Are” enter its third year, mainly because, it’s working.

“I love that we are all unique,” said Deschanel in a release announcing the partnership. “When Crocs asked me to be a part of their campaign, I was excited to have the opportunity to join a fun and colorful brand but, more importantly, have the opportunity to inspire others to embrace their individuality.”

In addition to Deschanel, “Come As You Are” features British actress Natalie Dormer, Chinese actress, dancer and model Gina Jin, South Korean actress and gugudan girl-band member Kim Se-Jeong and Japanese actress and model Suzu Hirose.

Each of the influencers was photographed and/or filmed wearing a model of Crocs shoes to correspond with activities such as “I travel,” “I surprise,” “I dazzle” or “I bounce.” The campaign will include digital, social and in-store marketing materials, with a focus on consumers in the US, Germany, China, Japan and South Korea.

Previous celebrity ambassadors have included wrestler and actor John Cena, actress Drew Barrymore and rapper Post Malone.

“As we enter our third year of ‘Come As You Are,’ we are evolving not only our message and cast but the entire look and feel of our marketing campaign,” said Terence Reilly, Crocs chief marketing officer in a statement. “Crocs is making a bold declaration that you can have both style and comfort no matter who you are or where your life takes you.”

Personalization and self-expression are important to the Gen Z consumer which, according to IBM and The National Retail Federation, holds $44 billion in buying power. The same study found that 55 percent of Gen Z respondents spend their own money on clothing and shoes, and 60 percent influence family spending in the category.

Crocs, Inc. reported double-digital ecommerce growth for the fourth quarter of 2018, calling it the “best Q4 in years.” The brand is committed to grow the relevance of its infamous clogs, and identified Asia as a demographic for the largest growth potential.

According to Crocs, it plans on expanding the relevance of clogs through “impactful collaborations, trending the right colors and graphics, licensing and personalization through Jibbitz charms.”

Billie Eilish Experience Shows Untapped Potential In Music Marketing

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Spotify launched an interactive Billie Eilish music experience over the weekend. To celebrate the launch of her first studio album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? Eilish and Spotify designed the 29Rooms-like experience to take fans inside each of her 14 songs through smell, texture, colors, temperature and of course, music.

The Billie Eilish Experience took place in Los Angeles for one weekend only and tickets quickly sold out. The experience was in partnership with Interscope records and supported by a digital campaign and limited edition clothing on the merch “drop” mobile platform NTWRK.

Marketing for music can often feel behind in comparison to other entertainment industries relying on the power of music streaming playlists and digital advertising along with name recognition to drum up sales. Still, seeing a brand new artist on their first album push the status quo with a massive experiential marketing activation is noteworthy.

Eilish’s album was also promoted across digital and social channels with a YouTube front-page takeover, as well as localized display ads on UberEats. Eilish also played the food delivery service’s show at SXSW in mid-March.

Guests to the Billie Eilish Experience were greeted by a giant statue of the artist that was designed by contemporary artist Takashi Murakami. Fan art lined the walls as guests wandered through each song on the musician’s new album. One room even had puppies from the Marley’s Mutts animal rescue that were free to roam and play.

In a post on Spotify’s Newsroom, each song and corresponding room experience is described as such, “‘all the good girls go to hell‘ – Get ready to descend into the underworld. The experience heats up for “all good girls go to hell,” where you’ll find yourself surrounded by LED flames and scorching floors.”

Eilish explained that she wanted listeners to physically feel her music and creative process, from subwoofers in the floor to items they can touch.

“I wanted a project that wasn’t just a bunch of songs put together and [once] you listen to them, it’s over,” Eilish said in a video. “I wanted it to [include] the whole body and energy and every sort of sense. I wanted it to literally be an experience.”

As mentioned, NTWRK partnered with Eilish to sell her merchandise through the mobile app from March 29-April 2. The items, all under $60, include a bathrobe, tee shirt, long-sleeved shirt and bucket hats. The artist will be performing at Coachella, so NTWRK hoped the timing would allow fans to wear her designs at the concert.

Music publishers are finding new ways to let fans interact with releases and artists. Sony launched a music experience at its Sony Square NYC location last year and hosted a pop-up in SoHo that featured private concerts, music customizations and weekly online shows.

Augmented and virtual reality integrations are also becoming more common, animating album covers or creating 360-degree experiences for fans. Social media companies are investing millions in music licensing with the hope of creating personalized experiences, as well.

“We’re seeing a big new wave of start-ups coming to us wanting to talk about how music, or music video, can be a part of their offerings, apps, social messaging, virtual reality [and] augmented reality products,” Ole Obermann, chief digital officer and EVP of business development for Warner Music said in IFPI’s 2017 state of the industry report.

Tribalist CEO Jon Vlassopulos “We Have An Issue With Chronological Redundancy Engines In Social Media”

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The currently available methods of sharing aren’t enough according to Jon Vlassopulos, CEO of Tribalist. In the way that Pinterest took image sharing to a new level, Vlassopulos hopes his new type of social network, centered around lists and listmaking, will take people’s passion for curation to a different shareable level.

“I’ve been more disappointed with the current options of sharing creations,” said Vlassopulos in an interview with AList. “You have a lot of short-termism, especially for [younger people]. We have an issue with chronological redundancy engines AKA social media, and the notion that they feed on redundancy.”

“Tribalist is your home for actionable inspiration,” reads the website. “A new trusted platform to search, discover and create the best lists on the web, helping you find the best things to do each day. We save you time by finding and aggregating all the best lists from top publishers and from our Tribalist community.”

A quick perusal of Tribalist’s front page shows lists like: “TV Shows Axed in 2019,” “Glamping in CA,” “The best books about islands” and “Best Burgers in the Bay Area.” These topics may not be mind-blowing, but it is interesting to see how regular users are shown alongside publishers like Newsweek, Guardian and Paste. The equalization of what Vlassapulos calls “cultural currency.”

Tribalist launched in 2017, then launched an iOS app in February, followed by an Android app in late March.

Vlassopulos angles it as a place to unload the many lists that have accumulated in the minds of people, especially creatives.

In the current system, social media largely exists to focus on monetization. After all, how often have you seen the same article or image posted from a number of friends?

“So this actually leads to tons of contributors, professional posters, media companies—it’s stressful on the contribution side and it’s stressful on the consumption side,” Vlassopulos added.

Tribalist was founded on the notion that everyone has something to say and everyone is interesting to someone, therefore making them potentially influential to other people.

“Not just commercially influential, but amongst what’s known as a nano-influencer, which is being bandied around by the British press,” explained Vlassopulos. “We feel there is nothing more exciting than that buzz or rush of turning someone onto something you love—whether it’s a restaurant, a movie or a hotel and experience. So, we would like to be the platform to present that publishing opportunity for anyone.”

It is through that lens that Tribalist sees opportunities for non-traditional influencers. It’s very much of the time for brands to prop up regular users/customers as a version of influencers—Glossier, in particular, has done this to massive success—but to hear it from a platform other than YouTube feels new.

“I love the whole notion of what we call ‘cultural currency,’” says Vlassopulos. “If you ask me about anything in life and I’m passionate about it, I’m going to tell you why I’m passionate about it and I want to tell you something new. So there is the opportunity [for Tribalist].”

With any new social platform come the run-of-the-mill comparisons. In Tribalist’s case, the platform is mostly being compared to Pinterest. Vlassopulos finds some humor in it, recalling a headline in The Times that read “Pinterest Rival.”

Vlassopulos laughs about it but admits that being compared to Pinterest has its advantages. Even a few similar principles like a free platform and monetization efforts like sponsored content and affiliate marketing creates relevance.

“We wanted to have a free platform for everyone to be able to share what they love with the world, and hopefully we don’t want to be the end-point, so our business model is around similar to Pinterest.”

Vlassopulos also mentions what Pinterest calls their three legs, “discovery, personal productivity and community” and how that relates to Tribalist.

“When they say ‘personal productivity’ they mean ‘commerce,’” he added. “The commerce part for us is all those relationships, so we are taking an affiliate fee from small to larger [companies], depending on a category.”

Sponsored Lists, for example, are Tribalist’s version of Sponsored Pins on Pinterest. Use cases are endless, Vlassopulos, explained.
“A travel company, for example, can have hundreds and hundreds of travel lists, such as ‘Weekend Getaway for the Family,’  ‘Romantic Valentine’s,’ ‘Kite Surfing in Hawaii,’ etc. There is something for everyone and with that, the opportunity to have those lists seen by more people.”