MGM Hires Ex-Netflix For CMO; Fox Marketing Layoffs

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This week’s executive shifts include MGM hiring a chief marketing officer, Fox laying off veteran marketers in the wake of the Disney acquisition, Infiniti appointing a global marketing VP, Uinta Brewing appointing CMO to president, Atom Bank’s CMO departing, former CPG Marketing Executive joining Stryve Biltong, Nissan replacing their VP for marketing communications and media in NA, a new director of marketing at Lotus Group, Pathé UK appointing a head of marketing and Sabra and WhistlePig announcing new chief marketing officers while Japan Airlines appointed a new VP of global marketing.

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

Ex-Netflix Hired As MGM Chief Marketing Officer

According to Deadline, MGM announced the hiring of Stephen Bruno as the company’s chief marketing officer. For the last four years, Bruno was the VP, global creative marketing at Netflix and prior to that spent time as president, marketing at the Weinstein Company and director, consumer marketing at HBO.

Bruno said of the appointment,  “I am honored and thrilled to be joining the MGM team and look forward to doing my part to build an exciting future for the iconic brand around the globe. My years at Netflix have been exhilarating and I am inspired to bring what I’ve learned to one of the most legendary entertainment companies in the world, MGM.”

Three Marketing Executives Part Of Fox Layoffs

As the sale of Fox became final to Disney, the layoffs starting rolling in and executive marketers were not immune. According to Variety, three marketers, Kevin Campbell, co-president of worldwide theatrical marketing, Pam Levine, worldwide theatrical marketing president and Tony Sella, chief content officer have been let go.

Campbell has had a long career in film marketing and prior to Fox was head of marketing at Amblin Pictures and before that EVP marketing at Disney/Dreamworks Studios.

Levine was previously chief marketing officer at HBO and had another stint at Fox before that. According to Variety, Levin, “spearheaded the launch and growth of blockbuster franchises such as X-Men, Ice Age, and Night at the Museum. She jointly led marketing for over 140 movies…”

As chief content officer, Sella came back to Fox a year ago and had worked closely with Campbell and Levine. He’s been in and around Fox for over a decade, having been named the president of marketing and CCO of Twentieth Century Fox in 2002, working at Disney before that. Sella has twice been named Ad Age‘s entertainment marketer of the year.

Infiniti Motor Company Appoints Global Marketing VP

Infiniti Motor Company announced the appointment of Mike Colleran to the position of global division VP, marketing and sales operations. Colleran has been with Infiniti for seven years and was most recently VP of Infiniti Americas.

Before that, Colleran spent a year at Saab, a year at Cadillac and served in the U.S. Marine Core for seven years. His most recent appointment is effective on April 1.

Stryve Biltong Appoints Jaxie Alt As CMO

Former CPG Marketing Executive, Jaxie Alt, joins Stryve Biltong’s growing team.

Alt has extensive food, beverage and CPG marketing expertise and she previously held marketing roles at Taco Bell and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, where she served as co-chief marketing officer and was responsible for over $8 billion in retail sales.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Jaxie to the Stryve leadership team,” said Stryve Biltong co-founder, Joe Oblas, in a press release. “Her creative abilities coupled with her results-driven background and passion are exactly what we need to take Stryve Biltong to the next level.”

Uinta Brewing Promotes CMO To President

Uinta Brewing, a Salt Lake City-based brewery, is promoting the brand’s current chief marketing officer, Jeremy Ragonese, to the position of brewery president. Ragonese was in the CMO role for three years and prior to that held the position of marketing director for 10 years at Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City. Before that, Ragonese worked in accounts at various advertising and marketing agencies in the Kansas City area.

Atom Bank CMO Departs For Great Rail Journeys

Atom Bank’s chief marketing officer has departed for a position at Great Rail Journeys. Lisa Wood, who has worked as Atom Bank’s chief marketing officer for five years, took a her new role as marketing and sales and marketing director at the rail tour travel company.

Wood previously worked as head of marketing at First Direct and various marketing positions at HSBC.

Moneysupermarket Appoints Marketing Head

Lloyd Page has been named Moneysupermarket’s marketing director in the wake of the company’s chief customer officer departing. Page, who has been working as a consultant for Moneysupermarket since last September, was previously Virgin Media’s brand and brand communications director. Before that he was head of online marketing and head of marketing, brand for John Lewis—a company well-known in the UK for their annual Christmas advertisements.

In a statement, Moneysupermarket said, “…We can now announce that we have appointed Lloyd Page as marketing director, effective from 28 March. Lloyd has been working with Moneysupermarket as a consultant since last September and has already played an integral role in the brand relaunch.”

Nissan NA Replaces Marketing VP

According to a report from AdAge, Allyson Witherspoon will be replacing Jeremy Tucker as Nissan’s VP for marketing communications and media in North America. Witherspoon was formerly Nissan’s general manager for global brand engagement.

Before that, she was director of marketing communications at INFINITI and global business director at Havas Worldwide.

Lotus Picks New Director Of Marketing

The Post-Star reports that Lotus Group of Companies, USA, has named Brendan Manley director of marketing. Lotus Group provides a number of business services including auto parts and repair as well as food and beverage and childcare.

Former eOne Marketer Joins Pathé UK

Deadline reports that former eOne marketer Faith Taylor will begin her role as head of marketing at Pathé UK immediately. She will be replacing the former head of marketing who has left Pathé UK for Universal. Taylor also previously worked at Soda Pictures, where she was the communications manager.

Sabra Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Sabra announced the appointment of Jason Levine as chief marketing officer on Monday. Levine had been with Mondelez International since 2011 and most recently held the title of chief marketing officer. Before that, Levine spent 11 years with Kraft Foods. 

“Levine joins Sabra from Mondelēz International, where he served as North America CMO, working on iconic brands including Oreo and Ritz and successful innovations like belVita and Good Thins. At Sabra, Levine will oversee global marketing and communications.”

Akira Mitsumasu Joins Japan Airlines As VP, Global Marketing

As reported by Mumbrella Asia, CMO Council Asia Pacific advisory board member Akira Mitsumasu was appointed as vice-president of global marketing at Japan Airlines.

“[Mitsumasu] will be leading the newly established global marketing department to drive growth and innovation across JAL’s international markets,” Japan Airlines said in a statement.

“Akira brings over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry and has held multiple leadership roles within the company, including his most recent role as the VP of products and services planning.”

Jason Newell Joins WhistlePig As New CMO

Whiskey maker WhistlePig hired Jason Newell as its new chief marketing officer, according to The Spirit Business. Newell was previously the director of marketing at Rossignol Group North America. 

“Newell will be responsible for building on WhistlePig’s existing marketing footprint domestically and internationally through events, media partnerships and content creation collaborations.”

The Oneida Group Names New VP, Marketing

The Oneida Group has named Sean Gibson VP of marketing and product innovation, according to HomeWorld Business.

In the statement, it was noted that Gibson “has worked to reorganize the marketing team to increase focus on category expertise within each brand to leverage The Oneida Group’s expansive product portfolio across multiple categories to drive growth and innovation.”

He joins The Oneida Group after spending 20 years at Procter & Gamble.

The Loop Pizza Grill Appoints CMO

The Jacksonville Daily Record reports that Marla Quattrone joined The Loop Pizza Grill as CMO. Quattrone was formerly the CEO and chief brand strategist at Loop Creative Continuum.

True Food Kitchen Gets First CMO

True Food Kitchen announced the appointment of Shannon Keller as their first-ever chief marketing officer.

“Keller will lead strategic and innovative marketing for True Food Kitchen throughout the country, overseeing brand strategy and communications, influencer marketing and the digital and creative teams.”

True Food Kitchen received investment from Oprah Winfrey last year. “When I first dined at True Food Kitchen, I was so impressed with the team’s passion for healthy eating and, of course, the delicious food, that I knew I wanted to be part of the company’s future,” said Winfrey.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, March 22. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies 

Chief Marketing Officer Stila Cosmetics New York, NY
Chief Marketing Officer Moog Music Group Asheville, NC
Vice President, Marketing Strategy  Saks Fifth Avenue New York, NY
VP, Brand Marketing Carl’s Jr. Franklin, TN
Head of Marketing Uber London, UK
VP Marketing Analytics DISNEY New York, NY

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

Facebook’s New Security Flaw; Pinterest Hires CTO

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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 Explains Yet Another Security Issue

Facebook admitted the company had another major security issue, this time, with inadequate internal password storage.

Why it matters: Facebook’s reckless storage of sensitive information could have made millions of accounts easily accessible to hackers.

The details: The company explained: “As part of a routine security review in January, we found that some user passwords were being stored in a readable format within our internal data storage systems. This caught our attention because our login systems are designed to mask passwords using techniques that make them unreadable. We have fixed these issues and as a precaution we will be notifying everyone whose passwords we have found were stored in this way. To be clear, these passwords were never visible to anyone outside of Facebook and we have found no evidence to date that anyone internally abused or improperly accessed them. We estimate that we will notify hundreds of millions of Facebook Lite users, tens of millions of other Facebook users, and tens of thousands of Instagram users. Facebook Lite is a version of Facebook predominantly used by people in regions with lower connectivity.”

Former Walmart CTO, Jeremy King, Joins Pinterest

Pinterest announced the hiring of former Walmart CTO, Jeremy King, as its new head of engineering.

Why it matters: Pinterest brings King on board in an effort to advance their eCommerce mainly because King was responsible for reanimating Walmart’s eCommerce platform to make it compatible with Amazon.

The details: King previously worked at Walmart Labs, LiveOps and eBay. He has experience working in ecommerce development and scaling consumer products. King will report to CEO Ben Silbermann and lead the team at Pinterest responsible for powering the visual discovery engine for home, food, style and beauty. Silbermann said about the new hire, “Not only is Jeremy a respected engineering leader, but from the moment we met him, we knew his values around putting the customer first were aligned with our own focus on Pinners. As we build products to inspire people to create a life they love, Jeremy’s technical experience and leadership are a perfect combination to build a visual discovery engine for all.”

Twitter Shares April Events Calendar For Marketers

On Thursday, Twitter published an April Calendar for marketers.

Why it matters: Twitter’s monthly event calendars are a great source for strategic marketing planning. (Twitter’s 2019 event calendar can be found and downloaded here).

The details: The calendar includes some universal events, such as April Fool’s Day, as well as happenings in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East. Some other events that can be added to the list:

  • Equal Pay Day (April 2nd)
  • National Deep Dish Pizza Day (April 5th)
  • National Beer Day (April 6th)
  • National Siblings Day (April 10th)
  • National Pet Day (April 11th)
  • National Grilled Cheese Day (April 12th)

Pinterest and Airbnb Release An Official Spring/Summer Travel Guide

Pinterest and Airbnb collaboratively created a travel guide for spring and summer that includes travel hacks and trends for various types of vacations.

Why it matters: The companies to release the guide at the perfect time, as people are planning spring break and summer vacations. Pinterest and Airbnb also shared insights and data on how consumers use their platforms.

The details: Some of the insights include:

  • Nature travel is a top trend for 2019, with Pinterest searches for “nature travel” up 88 percent
  • Airbnb reports a 539 percent year-over-year increase on nature-related bookings, 367 percent on meditation and 655 percent on hiking.
  • Pinterest has also seen a 693 percent increase in searches for adventure travel, like swimming holes, abandoned amusement parks, cave diving and surprise destinations.

Facebook’s Removing Ad Targeting Options In Certain Categories To Avoid Discrimination 

Facebook announced that it will limit discriminatory ad targeting on the platform.

Why it matters: “Housing, employment and credit ads are crucial to helping people buy new homes, start great careers, and gain access to credit. They should never be used to exclude or harm people,” said Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg.

The details: The changes relate to housing, employment and credit ads and, and according to Sandberg:

  • Anyone who wants to run housing, employment or credit ads will no longer be allowed to target by age, gender or zip code.
  • Advertisers offering housing, employment and credit opportunities will have a much smaller set of targeting categories to use in their campaigns overall. Multicultural affinity targeting will continue to be unavailable for these ads. Additionally, any detailed targeting option describing or appearing to relate to protected classes will also be unavailable.
  • We’re building a tool so you can search for and view all current housing ads in the US targeted to different places across the country, regardless of whether the ads are shown to you.

Warner Bros. And Snapchat Partner To Promote ‘Shazam!’

Adweek reported on Thursday that Snapchat’s first-ever voice activated AR lens will be a Shazam! branded one.

Why it matters: This collaboration is a great example of a brand using the platform’s AR marker tech tool to amuse the customer and promote the product in an innovative way.

The details: The process is simple: once people on Snapchat open the lens and say, “Ok, Shazam!” the lens will activate and transform the users into superheroes. The lens will be available in over 20 countries, including the U.K., France and Mexico. In addition, billboards in New York’s Times Square and Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles will feature the Snapcode that unlocks the lens. The Snapcode will also appear on murals and posters.

UK Ad Buyers Remain Unconvinced About Snapchat 

Digiday reported on Wednesday, that UK ad buyers have doubts about Snapchat’s ability to bring a better return on spend for advertisers, compared to Facebook and Instagram.

Why it matters: Snapchat launched in the UK two years ago but hasn’t seen much growth since. The company user base has only grown from 11.2 million to 14.8 million, according to eMarketer. And while the majority of the platform users are young—31 percent of them were aged between 18 and 24 years old in 2018—Snapchat’s isn’t big enough for many advertisers.

The details: Although the updates to Snapchat’s self-serve tools and pixels made it easier to target and measure audiences on Snapchat, they also became more comparable to the app’s competitors, such as Facebook and Instagram. In addition, one of Snapchat’s biggest remaining issues is viewability because ads are still easily skippable which leads to low viewability rates.

WeChat Is Launching Games Platform 

A Chinese media platform and mobile payment app, WeChat, debuted its “Mini Games” program in the U.S. at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Why it matters: “Mini Games” will enable game developers to create and distribute games on WeChat’s platform, help the platform users to find new games and will expand possibilities for content creation.

The details: With over 1,082 million monthly active users, WeChat introduced new opportunities for game developers and advertisers by opening access to current API and localizing developer documentation to facilitate development and publishing.

Here are some key takeaways:

  • The Mini Games platform has grown to more than 400 million monthly active users
  • The 7-day user retention rate of some the most popular Mini Games has already rocketed to 54%

It is also important to note that WeChat had recently introduced “Creativity Incentives,” which allows a developer to increase value using creativity. Any developer with creative gameplay, art, music or story can apply to join the program and will receive a “Creativity Certified” label, on top of 20% higher revenue share compared to other Mini Games. This incentive also offers creativity protection and protection against copyright infringement.

LinkedIn Introduces Lookalike Audiences, Interest Targeting

LinkedIn announced in a blog post the launch of the three new ways to help marketers easily target the right audiences.

Why it matters: The new features: lookalike audiences, audience templates and the addition of Microsoft Bing search data are designed to increase the scale of marketing efforts and improve ROI.

The details: According to LinkedIn, the new additions will help marketers to grow business by, “reaching high-converting audiences, getting results at scale and engaging new target accounts.” 

Also, audience templates should help with finding the right audiences. They give marketers a selection of more than 20 predefined audiences at the moment, which includes audience characteristics, such as member skills, job titles, groups and other.

Instagram Launches “Checkout with Instagram” In-App Shopping Feature

Instagram launched the “Checkout” feature in the US on Tuesday, with more than 20 top brands participating already, including Adidas, Kylie Cosmetics and Warby Parker.

Why it matters: The brands will no longer have to direct customers to their website to shop their products. Also, it is possible that Instagram’s ad business will see the boost because Checkout may convince brands that the social network produces better ROI because it requires fewer steps before purchase.

The details: An Instagram spokesperson told TechCrunch “We will introduce a selling fee to help to fund programs and products that help make checkout possible, as well as offset transaction-related expenses.” But, the company isn’t sharing the amount of the selling fee, “We are testing a selling fee with businesses during the closed beta. It will not change the price of the items for consumers,” the spokesperson said.

Checkout tags will be accessible on feed posts, as well as “Stories,” and “Explore” features. Now, when the user will tap the post to reveal product tags and open one, the “Checkout with Instagram” button will be visible, instead of the “View on Website” button.

New York Restaurants Use WeChat To Boost Business In Manhattan

WeChat, a Chinese media platform and mobile payment app is becoming more popular in the US, as some restaurants are successfully using the app to promote their business.

Why it matters: The app provides an opportunity to localize and market products to specific, niche customers. Eater’s editor, Serena Dai said, “Having a loyal audience of Chinese foodies means restaurants can offer more authentic Chinese food from all regions of China, not just dishes that appeal to Western tastes.”

The details: Dai said many Chinese students are opening restaurants in New York.

“They are not only running the restaurants and cooking the food. They’re also the audience for it. So, they’re also the diners and the ones running the WeChat accounts and following the WeChat accounts. So, it’s this entire network of super-influential young Chinese people who really love food and are making a huge mark on the New York City dining scene.”

According to Dai, the influencers on WeChat get paid to review a certain restaurant, however, she said this doesn’t repel the followers.

“They really just want to hear from people who understand their palate and understand where they’re coming from.”

Analyst Says IG Stories Could Generate $2B In Revenue This Year

According to The Motley Fool, an analyst at Nomura, Mark Kelley, believes Instagram Stories will outsell Snap this year, by a longshot.

Why it matters: Marketers are opting to buy media on Instagram instead of Snapchat, the analyst claims the former will grow four times faster in 2019.

The details: The Nomura analyst believes Instagram Stories will generate $2 billion compared to Snapchat’s $1.5 billion.

“While the ad products that Snap and Facebook make for their respective Stories products are very similar, Facebook has several advantages over Snap for marketers. First of all, marketers are already familiar with Facebook’s ad buying platform. Over 7 million businesses advertise across Facebook’s family of platforms. There’s no need to learn a new system or dedicate a team to buying ads on a separate platform. That reduces marketers’ overall costs, allowing them to pay more for Instagram Stories ad placements compared to Snap Ads.”

TikTok Parent Company Joins Mobile Gaming Scramble

According to Abacus News, ByteDance, the maker of TikTok, is planning to enter the gaming space.

Why it matters: No word yet on how ByteDance would incorporate gaming into their platforms, if at all, but this is an interesting move as Snap and Facebook move the chess pieces for their own gaming verticals.

The details: The article states, “ByteDance…reportedly bought a gaming company called Mokun Technology…Mokun is known for mobile games Flick Up and Fighter of the Destiny. The purchase was revealed by public records on business registration, but ByteDance still hasn’t confirmed the news, telling Abacus that it doesn’t comment on market rumors.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, March 22. 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.

Goodwill Rides ‘Declutter’ Craze With Influencer-Led Donation Campaign

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Goodwill launched a call-to-action campaign on the first day of Spring that uses social influencers to encourage donations, shopping and educates the public about the non-profit’s community efforts.

The month-long campaign will use the Spring cleaning tradition as a segue into four themes—donate, shop, Goodwill’s mission and sustainable living.

From March 21-27, lifestyle influencer Carmen Flores will encourage her 12,000 Instagram followers to declutter and donate unused items to Goodwill. Flores has partnered with several brands on her channel including Koia, Hello Fresh and Even Flo Baby.

View this post on Instagram

It is finally spring and I've started my spring cleaning. I love the feeling I get once I declutter home and start a season fresh in all aspects. I always start with our clothing, then household items, and then work my way into our storage space. If I haven't used it in 2 or more years then it is time to say goodbye. Donating to your local Goodwill store helps your neighbors get a fresh new start. Did you know that 87 cents on every dollar spent at Goodwill goes towards creating employment and job training opportunities to those who need it? Thats why it is so important to donate periodically. Visit the link in my bio to learn more and how you can help! • • • • • • • • #ad #donate #springcleaning #goodwill #goodwilldonations #whygoodwill #floresdiary #giveittogoodwill #givingbacktothecommunity #floridablogger #momblogger #wpbinfluencer #southfloridainfluencer #floridainfluencer #familyblogger #hispanicbloggers #miamiblogger #floridamom #blogginmamas #givingisgood #honestlymothering #happymama #momlife #momlifestyle #blessedlife #motherhoodunhinged #momlifebestlife #beyond_motherhood

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The campaign shifts its focus to shopping from March 28-April 3 with fashion influencer Nicole Mazur. Mazur has partnered with Goodwill in the past for back-to-school and Halloween campaigns, highlighting the ability to create one’s own look on a budget. Mazur currently has 40,000 Instagram followers.

From April 4-10, the campaign will turn its attention to Goodwill’s mission statement. Jamé Jackson is a blogger, fashion influencer and advocate for those who are deaf or hard of hearing with nearly 7,000 followers. She will post a video in American Sign Language (ASL) that talks about how shopping at Goodwill will impact the community. Jackson will also share the message on her blog.

The last stretch of Goodwill’s campaign focuses on sustainable living. Buzzfeed Home and Décor Producer Ashley McGetrick will lead the activation from April 11–18. McGetrick, who commands an audience of 10,000, will encourage her fans to shop at Goodwill for their next DIY project.

Decluttering one’s life has become more than an annual spring tradition, creating unique opportunities for bargain stores and non-profit organizations like Goodwill. Shows like Tidying Up with Marie Kondo have inspired a 20 percent surge in donations to Goodwill, the company stated, adding that donations have tripled in Washington D.C.

During Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity 2018, Scott Goodson, founder and CEO of StrawberryFrog, told the audience that advertising can do more than sell products—it can start a movement.

“Movements are about experience, having a mindset, action, trying something new and having the confidence to start something new,” said Goodson. “You can apply the principles of a social movement to mobilize the masses and create confidence to create positive change.”

That positive change can be as simple as finishing a project around the house, reducing clutter or updating your wardrobe. Goodwill encourages this behavior, then takes it a step further with feel-good causes like helping the community and sustainable living.

Microinfluencers like the ones that Goodwill partnered with may reach a smaller audience than your average Kardashian, but a recent study by Markerly found that micro-influencers have better engagement.

Those with less than 1,000 followers generally received likes on their posts 8 percent of the time, Markerly observed, while users with 10 million+ followers only received likes 1.6 percent of the time.

Goodwill might have found the sweet spot when it comes to follower count. If Markerly’s assessments are correct, influencers in the 10k-100k follower range offer the best combination of engagement and broad reach.

Netflix Dissolves Global Brand Marketing Team Amid CMO Departure

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Netflix dissolved its entire global brand marketing team this month for reasons yet known, insider sources told Adweek. If true, the internal shake-up comes at a pivotal time for the streaming giant, considering the announced departure of its chief marketing officer and Disney’s Fox acquisition.

In 2017, a small team was created under Netflix’s content and social department. The team was designed to help ramp up the streaming platform’s marketing efforts—coordinating both internally and with third-party agencies.

That team has now been disbanded, Adweek reported, citing internal sources who shared information on the condition of anonymity. While sources could not confidently make the connection, it’s hard to ignore the fact that CMO Kelly Bennett announced his retirement around the same time.

Aside from the loss of its CMO, Neflix’s restructuring may also be part of a plan to consolidate expenses. During a Q1 earnings call, newly appointed chief financial officer Spence Neumann told investors that the company’s move toward owned content has“put pressure on the cash flows of the business and the cash needs of the business.”

Neumann also indicated a shift from promoting 30-day free trials to encouraging paid subscriptions.

Bennett served as Netflix CMO for seven years—far longer than what is typical of other digital providers like Amazon, for which the average CMO tenure is just 29 months. During his time at the company, Netflix has invested in billboards, video games, experiential installations and even considered buying movie theaters.

During Bennett’s tenure, Netflix grew from 25.7 million paid streaming members in the third quarter of 2012 to 139 million worldwide at the end of 2018. The service even took home three Academy Awards for its original film Roma this year, winning best director, best cinematography and best foreign-language film.

The future of Netflix may lie in whoever becomes the new CMO, and the change couldn’t come at a more pivotal time for the brand. Disney just completed its acquisition of Fox and will launch its own OTT service, Disney+ later this year. Adding insult to injury, former Netflix director of original series Tehmina Jaffer is now serving as senior vice president of business affairs for Disney+.

All of Netflix’s original content will have to compete with established franchises within Disney, Marvel and Star Wars universes. Analysts at JP Morgan predict that Disney+ will eventually reach 160 million subscribers, surpassing Netflix’s 139 million.

Sipsmith’s Debuts First Brand Campaign With Stop-Motion ‘Mr. Swan’

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Gin distiller Sipsmith launched its first marketing campaign on Wednesday and introduced the world to a character named Mr. Swan. The new spot, called “We Make Gin Not Compromises,” uses stop-motion animation as a metaphor for the brand’s attention to detail.

Mr. Swan, voiced by comedian Julian Barratt, takes viewers through six, meticulously detailed sets and explains what makes Sipsmith taste “so outrageously good.” The campaign doesn’t take itself too seriously, portraying Mr. Swan as a dashing but slightly awkward character.

The spot was directed by Jeff Lowe, who has created a number of humor- and celebrity-filled ads including those for Uggs, Vodaphone and Tena Men.

For “We Make Gin Not Compromises,” each puppet was hand-made down to the tiny buttons on Mr. Swan’s jacket. Some of the sets recreated locations inside the Sipsmith distillery in 1:24 scale.

“Stop motion, at a glance, is very hand-made,” said Lowe in a behind-the-scenes video. “It’s obvious that someone took a lot of time to make it and I think that’s also true about Sipsmith gin.”

Sipsmith was founded in 2009 by two best friends. Despite being acquired by Beam Suntory some years later, the distillery still makes small batches of gin by hand.

“This is our 10th year anniversary,” said Sipsmith co-founder Sam Galsworthy. “We had to think of a way to bring Sipsmith to the next level. We have opted for this extraordinary advert—no corner is cut, no compromise is made. It is all hand-crafted. It has to get down to the very smallest bit of detail [and] this film does just that.”

Mr. Swan’s big debut may be Sipsmith’s first major brand campaign, but the distillery has used other methods to gain consumer trust and awareness. In 2016, the brand offered a subscription service and this past November, Sipsmith launched a pop-up gin shop in central London—the first of its kind in over 200 years.

Thanks to a recent gin boom in the UK, Sipsmith revenue is on the rise—showing double-digit growth in the first half of 2018, according to The Spirits Business. Gin is estimated to be a £2 billion ($2.6 billion) industry with the US as its largest importer.

The US’s thirst for gin is giving rise to competitors, such as Aviation Gin, which sold a majority stake to actor Ryan Reynolds in 2017. Aviation also uses humor to market its spirits, such as a mock interview between Reynolds and his “brother,” as well as a team up with Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson.

Pabst Blue Ribbon Announces National Mural Day, Partners With Visual Artist

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Pabst Blue Ribbon is launching a new internet holiday, but it’s not for beer. National Mural Day, debuting May 7 will install works nationwide and partner with artist Cey Adams to encourage communities to do the same.

Beer brand Pabst Blue Ribbon has declared May 7, 2019, to be the first National Mural Day in the U.S. To commemorate the occasion, the brand has partnered with visual artist and Def Jam founding creative director Cey Adams to reimagine its packaging. Over 150 million Pabst Blue Ribbon cans and packaging will become available in late March.

A one-minute video debuted on the brand’s YouTube channel on Tuesday in which Adams recalled his graffiti movement roots and artistic process. In mid-April, Adams will host a three-part video series that highlights emerging muralists.

National Mural Day will link artists with local wall owners and engage with mural programs around the US. Murals will be erected in New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Nashville, Denver, Charleston, Portland, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, Atlanta and other cities.

“Pabst Blue Ribbon is committed to making art available to everyone and inspiring America’s doers, change-makers and creatives through art,” said the brand in a press release.

“Murals are the most accessible form of art, and National Mural Day will encourage artists, landlords and civic institutions to collaborate on creating new murals in their community.”

The brand says it believes that art affects positive change, which is why it supports over 200 art events each year and has commissioned over 175 new murals in America since 2016.

“Pabst Blue Ribbon is a brand I always planned to explore in my work, and partnering to launch National Mural Day felt right,” said Cey Adams. “Murals and Street Art are an important element of my work. My hope is National Mural Day will become a platform for artists and their communities to celebrate art and its rich history.”

Murals have long been used as advertising tools but have experienced a resurgence over the past few years. These painted images can be highly detailed like the ones created in Australia for STXFilms’ Happytime Murders, or simple like Oatly’s message in London—telling passersby simply to “ditch milk.”

In an age where being selfie-worthy can impact a campaign’s success, it’s no wonder that so many brands are turning to murals as a creative outlet.

Snapchat has taken this idea even further by combining old school marketing with the new. In October, the company unveiled a Marker with Snapcode template that creates Lenses over existing images such as a poster or mural. The new template was demonstrated with “Angel Wings,” a Lens that added and tracked animated angel wings on a user when they posed in front of a Los Angeles mural.

Michelob Ultra’s ‘Pure Golden Hour’ Brings Calm To SXSW Activations

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In one of the standout activations at SXSW, Michelob’s ‘Pure Golden Hour’ brought together 2,000 people for a lengthy mass meditation and rewarded them with music and beer.

Pure Golden Hour felt like a logical extension of Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold’s Super Bowl commercial—an ASMR ode to the ‘pure gold experience’ featuring Zoe Kravitz. For the SXSW activation, Michelob partnered with The Big Quiet, a mass meditation collective founded by Jesse Israel—who also led the experience at Pure Golden Hour.

“We wanted to give people a moment to reconnect with nature, themselves, take a moment of calm [and] partner with an amazing group, like the Big Quiet,” Ronnie Yoked, Michelob Ultra’s director of experiential, told AList at the event.

“[It’s] not the first time that we’ve done an event called Pure Golden Hour, but it’s definitely the first time we’ve ever done a mass meditation event with music and a party afterward.”

The beer brand knew they wanted to make a splash at SXSW for the new Pure Gold product, a light certified organic beer that is being marketed to free-spirited, health-conscious millennials.

The team behind Michelob Ultra Pure Gold has created similar activations, like yoga sessions at the Anheuser-Busch brewery or the ‘sunset sessions’ on a yacht in Miami. The brand is also the official sponsor of the World Surf League’s Founder’s Cup and built a branded surf deck at the event.

Similarly, The Pure Golden Hour activation took place at sunset in the Long Center in Austin, a large, outdoor amphitheater juxtaposed by the Colorado River and the downtown skyline.

“We knew that we wanted to do it with Pure Gold, and we knew that we wanted to create a moment that would be unforgettable, impactful and break through all the other events and craziness that’s happening [at SXSW],” said Yoked, “We simultaneously were talking to the Big Quiet about figuring out a way in which we could work together for Pure Gold because meditation has been something that we care a lot about. And it came about to do this event together. They have really perfected this idea of meditation for modern people that incorporates music.”

After the meditation, the activation concluded with a performance of three songs by three different artists, each paired with a live string ensemble. At a festival/conference like SXSW, the sparseness that Michelob Ultra arranged here, between the meditation and performances, stood out. Where most shows are lengthy, ultra-branded and lubricated with tons of free beer and food—Michelob took a measured approach that included not serving any free Michelob Ultra Pure Gold until after the meditation and performances.

“It was a collaborative and conscious decision. The Big Quiet had shared with us that they really believe that meditation should be substance-free,” said Yoked, “We found that that made a lot of sense, and we found that we really could help them own the “post-meditation” experience. I have been to the Big Quiet event and they had this incredible experience and then afterward there was no real reason for people to socialize, and we thought that we both could help each other by us being the “after” moment, the moment that now that you’ve given this beautiful gift for yourself, you can just have some beers and party and have fun.”

This had to be a difficult decision and goes against every marketing inclination any marketer would hold, to push product and brand above all. But Michelob Ultra’s team was patient and Yoked feels like it paid off.

“For me, I’ve always believed that the deepest connections you make, we see this [more] now, are the brands that are meaningful in people’s lives. This was an opportunity to create an experience that was unforgettable for people and when they walk away and talk about it, they’ll remember the Pure Golden Hour event.”

Spotify’s #LoveAds Campaign Invites Marketers To Share Music From Ads

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Spotify is highlighting the emotional power of music in advertising through a campaign called #loveAds. Following a positive reception in Europe, Spotify has expanded #loveAds to the US—inviting brand marketers to share music they fell in love with after hearing it on a commercial.

“We devised #loveAds as a simple, internal message for our advertising team as a rally to take pride in their work,” Spotify explained in a blog post, adding that the slogan was launched in Europe last year. “#LoveAds has become a movement among our global Spotify ad sales team and is being used to highlight ideas, campaigns and achievements.”

UK brands and marketers were invited to create a playlist of their favorite songs associated with advertising. The playlist, called “Best Songs in UK Ads,” includes 38 tracks such as “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye and “The Joker” by Steve Miller Band.

When Spotify started using the #loveAds hashtag on social media, it gained momentum.

“We realized our internal movement could be something bigger and more interesting,” Spotify explained.

The #loveAds program has now been expanded to brands and marketers in the US, who can add their favorites through a dedicated microsite. The site is labeled for the UK, but appears to be open to anyone. Songs can be added by entering the track and the campaign name or brand associated with it.

Spotify also points to the fact that ads allow 116 million fans around the world to listen for free. Ahead of its IPO filing in March of 2018, Spotify told potential investors that it would end the year with as many as 96 million paid subscribers, compared to 71 million in 2017.

Regardless of whether a person pays or not, the streaming music platform relies heavily on data to inform ad campaigns around that user’s behavior. A recent campaign by Snickers, for example, displayed a “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” ad when users deviated from their regular listening habits. In September, Spotify partnered with AncestryDNA to generate custom playlists based on a user’s heritage.

“Data storytelling is something we’re super passionate about,” Spotify’s global head of partner solutions Daniell Lee told AList in a 2018 interview. “It’s something we use to inform our own brand messages back to consumers and to advertisers. When we think about leveraging streaming intelligence in terms of forming the creativity, we bring that offering to our brand partners in really smart ways using our API tools and consulting on how they can create experiences that are additive.”

Samsung’s CMO Marc Mathieu Departs; CMT’s Marketing Head Exits

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This week’s executive shifts include Samsung CMO leaving the company, CMT’s head of marketing departing amid corporate restructuring, Coinme appointing a CMO, IAB naming an executive-in-residence, Jayride welcoming its first CMO, ex-Pernod director joining Amber Beverage, Wingstop promoting a chief growth officer, Crunchyroll announcing a new head of marketing and CCM Hockey hiring a CMO.

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

Samsung Chief Marketing Officer Marc Mathieu Leaves Company

Marc Mathieu, one of the most visible chief marketing officers, has left his position at Samsung Electronics according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Marc has left Samsung Electronics America to pursue opportunities outside of the company,” Samsung spokeswoman told The Wall Street Journal in an email. “Marc was a valued leader who made significant contributions during his tenure at Samsung. We thank him for his time and efforts, and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

In an interview with The Drum last year, Mathieu said of the brand’s social responsibility, “We have an opportunity to really work harder to create the world that we want for our children, it’s incredible from what we can benefit from the internet and technology, that we can move at a scale and speed that is unprecedented, we can build communities and create movements and impact but at the same time we need as an industry to do it with an ethical sense.”

Mathieu has not yet released a statement, but as one of the most popular chief marketing officers on Twitter, we expect it to come from there.

CMT Head Of Marketing Leaves Due To Restructuring

Billboard reports that CMT’s head of marketing, Anthony Barton, has announced his departure amid a corporate restructuring plan. Various departments will be integrated into Viacom Media Networks’ music group in New York.

“Today, we are taking the next step—as we finalize the integration of CMT with a new, simplified structure. Moving forward, the CMT marketing, music, scheduling, communications and event production teams will be fully integrated within our group, under our existing unified leadership team. Several CMT leads will be taking on expanded roles working across all of our brands, particularly in partnership marketing and event production,” said a memo from MTV, VH1 and Logo Media president Chris McCarthy.

“Unfortunately, however, this new structure does mean some hard changes. A number of our CMT marketing colleagues will be leaving including Anthony Barton, the head of CMT marketing, and Suzanne Norman, the head of our Nashville office.”

Coinme Appoints Jon Maron Its CMO

Coinme has appointed Jon Maron as the company’s CMO. Moran previously oversaw marketing and product strategies for Sony, LG, Mitsubishi, HTC and INRIX, TCL (Alcatel) and BlackBerry. He also continues to be a board member on the CMO Council.

At Coinme, he will lead marketing efforts and continue to grow brand awareness.

Maron said in a statement, “Digital currency has the ability to transform the way we conduct business and brings new benefits to both the corporate world and to consumers globally. Coinme is on a mission to help people everywhere understand and utilize the power of digital currencies as a delightful medium-of-exchange, and be accessible anywhere in the world, so everyone has a fair chance for financial prosperity. I look forward to help bring about this important social change.”

Scott Schiller Named IAB Executive-In-Residence

IAB has named Scott Schiller as one of the trade group’s executives-in-residence.

“I am excited to continue working closely with the IAB,” he said. “This industry Is moving into its next major evolutionary phase, one where brands and consumers have a radically closer relationship than in the past. I’m looking forward to applying my experience to help all businesses adapt to this gargantuan shift.”

In his new role at IAB, Schiller will provide strategic guidance, working closely with IAB’s management team on market-facing efforts that include research, thought leadership, training and connecting marketers with publishers to drive industry growth.

Jayride Welcomes Its First Chief Marketing Officer

Jayride promoted the company’s head of marketing, Daniel McMillan, to chief marketing officer.

McMillan has been with Jayride for four years and as a head of marketing, he was responsible for the planning, development and execution of Jayride’s international marketing initiative. In his new role, he will continue directing brand growth worldwide.

“Having just past our first-year anniversary of being listed on the ASX we’re prioritising the development of our communications strategy. Jayride has been focused on delivering a world-leading global product, and now we can focus on taking that product to the world,” he said.

Ex-Pernod Director Becomes Amber Beverage New CMO

Amber Beverage Group appointed former Pernod Ricard global commercial director, Pepijn Janssens, as its new chief marketing officer. Janssens previously worked as global commercial director for Our/Vodka before diversifying and becoming the Rooster Rojo Tequila co-owner, Maua Surf co-founder and Proof Strengh co-owner.

In his new role, Janssens will be responsible for growing awareness for brands across Amber Beverage Group’s drinks portfolio.

Seymour Ferreira, Amber Beverage Group CEO, said, “In 2019, we will see an increasing need to focus on driving our international businesses and brands. Innovation will become a core driver of our business and global marketing will be an important focus point. Therefore, having Pepijn Janssens on our executive board will bring extra big ideas, bold solutions and thoughtful strategies.”

Wingstop Appoints New Chief Growth Officer

Wingstop has promoted Maurice Cooper to the company’s new chief growth and experience officer, effective immediately, National Restaurant News reported. In June 2018, Cooper was appointed the company’s CMO and will continue the chief executive officer duties, in addition to now overseeing the end-to-end guest experience.

He will also still report to Wingstop CEO and chairman, Charlie Morrison, and spearhead the company’s revenue-driving initiatives, which will include delivery and digital innovation.

Morrison said in a statement for National Restaurant News, “This expanded role will leverage [Cooper’s] broad expertise in marketing, guest experience design and innovation.”

Crunchyroll Appoints New Head Of Marketing

Crunchyroll announced Julia Renda as the company’s new head of marketing. Renda previously worked as head of marketing at Polyvore, working her way up over six years.

“Crunchyroll is the world’s leader in anime, and the platform has such an incredible, deep connection to their fans. I’m excited to be a part of the Crunchyroll team as we create new ways to serve our community of fans,” Renda said in a statement.

“Crunchyroll has always attracted the best and the brightest. It is these leaders that are responsible for the tremendous growth and success of our platform and the broader industry. Today, I’m so happy to welcome [Julia Renda] to the team,” said Crunchyroll general manager, Joanne Waage.

CCM Hockey Hires CMO

CCM Hockey has appointed Caroline Losson as its new chief marketing officer. Losson had previously served as a VP of marketing for Keurig Canada. She also headed marketing for the Natrel milk brand and Molson Coors.

Topshop’s Sheena Sauvaire Joins Belstaff As New CMO

Belstaff appointed Topshop’s Sheena Sauvaire as its new CMO.

Sauvaire previously worked at Topshop as the global head of marketing and communications director. She oversaw some of the retailer’s most prominent strategies, including its international expansion and successful collaboration with supermodel, Kate Moss. Sauvaire also previously worked at the marketing agency Exposure.

Micron Technology Welcomes A New Head Of Global Marketing

According to VentureBeat, Rahul Sandil is leaving his role as a marketing executive at HTC’s Vive virtual reality division to serve as a head of global marketing at the consumer products group (CPG) division of Micron Technology.

Sandiln spent three years at HTC, joining in 2016 and prior to that worked as a marketing consultant and led marketing for Amazon Prime Video. He also has posts at Microsoft, as head of digital marketing and engagement, and Reloaded Games, where he was chief marketing officer.

Clive Ormerod Was Promoted From CMO To CEO For Les Mills International

According to Club Industry, Les Mills International and Les Mills US are currently in the process of restructuring the company’s senior leadership teams. As a result of the restructuring, Clive Ormerod, formerly chief marketing officer will become chief executive officer for Les Mills International.

Ormerod has joined the company in 2018 and was responsible for business development and innovation, as well as overseeing the operations of a world-leading global marketing team. His prior career achievements include establishing key partnerships and growing commercial and brand performance at New Zealand’s telecom provider, Spark, and overseeing retail, brand communications, digital marketing and consumer experience at Nike.

In his new role as a CEO, Ormerod will focus on growing Les Mills International global presence.

Uber Hires Former Instagram Marketer 

Uber has hired former Instagram marketing executive, Taj Alavi, as senior director and global head of marketing communications. Alavi left Instagram in December 2018 and continues to be an executive advisor at Nike and a board advisor computer science company, Scaled Influence.

At Instagram, Alavi led marketing for some of the app’s biggest launches, such as Instagram Stories in 2017, she also oversaw the marketing efforts supporting IGTV. Before joining Instagram, she served as a marketing specialist at Intuit, The Clorox Company and Johnson & Johnson.

“I’m honored to be joining Rebecca Messina and the entire Uber team to tell the next chapter of the Uber story,” Alavi wrote in a LinkedIn post. “Over the past three years, I built and led Instagram’s brand team as we launched Instagram Stories, IGTV, and brought the warmth and community of Instagram to over one billion people. I am so proud of the great work my team and I did at Instagram and grateful for everyone’s continued support. I look forward to continuing to work with many of you in my new role.”

Alavi will report to Uber’s chief marketing officer, Rebecca Messina.

Steven Wolfe Pereira Becomes Encantos’ New CEO

Forbes’ Jenny Rooney reported on Monday that Steven Wolfe Pereira has departed Quantcast, where he served as chief marketing and communications officer, and joined Encantos Media Studios as CEO. Wolfe Pereira currently serves as a board director at the Ad Council and the IAB.

His appointment as Encantos’ CEO takes effect immediately and Wolfe Pereira succeeds his partner Nuria Santamaria Wolfe in the position. Santamaria Wolfe will now become Encantos’ new chief marketing officer.

“I’m delighted to see Steven step into the role of CEO for Encantos,” said Melanie Healey, Encantos board advisor, in a press release. “He is a visionary leader who deeply understands the needs of today’s consumers. Now more than ever, brands matter – especially for kids and families. I’m looking forward to seeing him drive the next chapter of growth for Encantos.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, March 15. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies 

Chief Marketing Officer eBay London, UK
Chief Marketing Officer Moog Music Group Asheville, NC
Vice President, Marketing Strategy  Saks Fifth Avenue New York, NY
VP, Brand Marketing Carl’s Jr. Franklin, TN
Head of Marketing Uber London, UK
VP Marketing Analytics DISNEY New York, NY

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

Twitter Removes ‘Ratio’ In Prototype; Kroger, Pinterest Partnership

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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.

Twitter Clarifies The New App Prototype

Twitter added clarification to the announcement of a new prototype app.

Why it matters: A new prototype version promises potential changes to the service in the near future, including updates that could change engagement and interactions between accounts, such as hiding likes and retweets.

The details: “We’re experimenting in our prototype/testing app with placing engagements behind a tap for replies only. Engagements are not gone from all Tweets, just behind a tap for replies,” Twitter told Newsweek. 

Kroger Expands Marketing Relationship With Pinterest

Kroger announced a strategic integrated media and measurement relationship with Pinterest.

Why it matters: This relationship will enable millions of consumers to interact with their favorite brands on Pinterest and help advertisers to leverage Kroger’s first-party data for targeting on Pinterest.

The details: “Our intentions are simple; we want to enable brands to create engaging moments with consumers in an effective and efficient manner. We are excited to blend the inspiration delivered on Pinterest with our rich customer intelligence and connection to commerce, driving meaningful value for advertisers,” Cara Pratt, VP of Customer Communications Product Strategy & Innovation said in a statement. 

Twitter Releases Employee Inclusion And Diversity Report

Twitter recently published the company’s new “Inclusion and Diversity” report.

Why it matters: The report highlights the company’s efforts to be inclusive and reflect the people they serve around the world.

The details: In 2018, Twitter set some serious diversity targets, and this is how the company progressed in that direction in 2019, according to the report:

  • The Twitter team is now 40.2 percent female, 4.5 percent black and 3.9 percent Latinx
  • At the leadership level, Twitter’s representation of women, black and Latinx people improved from 2018 at 20 percent of women holding leadership roles, 2.9 percent of which are Black and 3.2 percent Latinx.
  • In all the attrition, women made up 39.6 percent of it, while black employees accounted for 3.9 percent and Latinx employees made up 4.2 percent.

LinkedIn Global Report: Powering Customer Decisions From Acquisition To Renewal

LinkedIn released “The Enlightened Tech Buyer: Powering Customer Decisions From Acquisition To Renewal” report.

Why it matters: Technology plays a vital role in driving business growth and the path to purchase is rapidly changing, marketers need to be on top of the tech buyer data to make rational technology investment decisions.

The details: Some of the report highlights included:

  • 79 percent of today’s employees are technology end users, with two in five 38 percent technology decision makers
  • 38 percent of business professionals are involved in a cyclical, community-driven buying process led by IT
  • The average technology purchase process takes just over 2 years

Snap Is Planning To Launch Gaming Platform In April

Cheddar reported that, similarly to Facebook, Snap plans to roll out its gaming platform for developers in April.

Why it matters: The new gaming platform will help the users to find games, as well as new content.

The details: According to Cheddar, a person familiar with the matter said that the new mobile game platform, codenamed “Project Cognac” will feature a number of games from outside developers that will be designed to work specifically in the Snapchat app. The new games addition is planned to be unveiled at Snap’s first-ever summit for content and developer partners in Los Angeles on April 4, along with an announcement about more original shows.

Facebook Outage Brings Telegram Three Million New Signups 

TechCrunch reported on Thursday that messaging platform Telegram claimed to gain millions of new users during Facebook’s messaging services downtime.

Why it matters: Although the platform founder, Pavel Durov, doesn’t explain the cause of Telegram’s sudden “explosion,” he does carefully troll Facebook about the recent news that Zuckerberg plans to switch to encrypted messaging to protect user privacy. “Good. We have true privacy and unlimited space for everyone,” Durov said on his channel.

The details: “These outages always drive new users,” a contact at Telegram told TechCrunch, confirming that the Facebook apps’ downtime is the likely cause of its latest explosion.

However, Telegram also credited the sudden spike to “the mainstream overall increasing understanding of Facebook’s abusive attention harvesting practices.”

Facebook’s Outage Tremendously Hurt Small Advertisers

The almost day-long Facebook and Instagram outage on Wednesday cost small advertisers thousands of dollars, The Verge reported.

Why it matters: The major problem with the recent Facebook and Instagram outage was that the promoted posts went up, but few people saw them, which for many small companies resulted in tangible losses.

The details: As an example, The Verge uses fake eyelash company, Wonghaus Ventures, which lost $10,000 in revenue due to the outage. The company owner, Jason Wong, said: “Looking at our prior revenue for the past seven or eight days and looking at what happened [on Wednsday], we can kind of estimate how much money we lost based on our past week’s history.” Wong said he wishes Facebook was more open about what’s happening in the company and added, “They should be a little bit more transparent with the advertisers, especially since we are the ones that are funding their platform.”

Snap’s Shift To Higher Quality Content Adds Value To Its Stock 

According to Variety, on Thursday, BTIG Research analyst, Rich Greenfield, upgraded Snap from “neutral” to “buy” in a note.

Why it matters: One of the main factors for Greenfield’s upgrade was the shift of the Snap’s content from a “low-quality, clickbait/T&A feel” to premium publisher content that should lead to more user time spent in “Discover” and attract more advertisers.

The details: Last year, Snap attempted to add professionally produced original and third-party content to “Discover” and separate personal messaging from media aimed at general consumption.

Greenfield revised estimates for 2019 revenues upward to $1.65 billion for the year (versus $1.4 billion previously). He predicts an adjusted loss of -$268 million (up from -$500 million) and a net loss of 71 cents per share (versus a net loss of 92 cents prior), basing this on Snap’s improving advertising-growth trends.

Facebook Adds Gaming Tab To Its Main Navigation 

Facebook launched a “Facebook Gaming” tab in the main navigation of Facebook’s app on Thursday.

Why it matters: The new addition aims to help the users discover games, streamers and gaming groups and discover new content, relevant to their interests.

The details: According to TechCrunch, clicking the new Gaming tab brings up a feed of content that points the user to instant games to play with Facebook friends, as well as videos to check out and updates from various gaming groups. The Gaming tab builds on the gaming video destination facebook rolled out in 2018, called Fb.gg.

Twitter Rolls Out A New Camera Feature

On Wednesday, Twitter announced in a tweet the launch of its updated camera.

Why it matters: Twitter is looking to engage and attract new and old users with visual content, but it also allows more opportunities for ads placement.

The details: When swiping left from the Twitter timeline users can access the new camera feature. After the media is captured, a location, hashtag or caption on a colored label can be added. The best part? Twitter will show the media in the feed in a larger, more engaging format and the picture will precede the appearance of the text. For now, though, the feature doesn’t support uploads.

Facebook Removes Ad Relevance Score

Facebook has announced in a blog post that it will soon remove its Ad Relevance Score.

Why it matters: According to Facebook, the single metric doesn’t provide enough actionable insight which is why the company is switching to a more detailed measurement option to help improve ad performance.

The details: Facebook launched its ad relevance score in 2015 but this April, it will remove seven ad metrics, including Offers Saved and Cost Per Offers Saved, Messaging Replies and Cost per Messaging Reply, Mobile App Purchase ROAS and Web Purchase ROAS. And replace them with more actionable ones, which include the following:

  • Quality ranking: How your ad’s perceived quality compared with ads competing for the same audience.
  • Conversion rate ranking: How your ad’s expected conversion rate compared with ads that had the same optimization goal and competed for the same audience.

Pinterest Attracts Buyers With Low CPMs 

According to Digiday, buyers are benefiting from lower CPMs on Pinterest.

Why it matters: The buyers are saying that it’s possible to land better rates for more impressions in 2019, compared to 2018 when there was less competition to drive up prices on Pinterest.

The details: For example, after running five campaigns already this year, Visit Florida, the marketing body for the state, is seeing the benefits of less competition for impressions. The CPM for two of those campaigns cost 34 percent less than they had been last year but were still able to secure 129 million additional impressions, the advertiser’s VP of the brand, Staci Mellman, told Digiday.

Twitter Offers New Stats On Video Content Performance

Twitter Business posted a blog post on Monday offering statistics, insights and advice on video content performance in digital advertising.

Why it matters: According to the blog post, video is Twitter’s fastest-growing advertising tool. The platform sees around 1.2 billion video views daily, which is 2x growth in 12 months.

The details: There are several ways to promote videos on Twitter, including the Promoted Video feature, Video Website Cards (which provide an option for call-to-action) and In-Stream Video Ads. In terms of the best performing video content, Twitter suggests making sure that it’s mobile-friendly (93 percent of video views happen on mobile, according to internal Twitter data); contains a call-to-action and is brief.

Twitter Improves Its Response To Personal Privacy Violations 

Twitter announced in a tweet that it’s planning to improve the company’s response to violations of personal privacy by adding a new option for users to specify the type of personal information being shared via tweet.

Why it matters: The new option promises to benefit both the users and the platform itself, as the users will be able to report any issue with more ease and convenience and the Twitter’s team will be able to understand the problem faster.

The details: The process of reporting a tweet which shares private information will now have an extra step, which will redirect the user to a special listing with an option to specify whether the tweet contains contact information, a home address or physical location, financial information or government issued ID details.

“We want to move faster in reviewing reported Tweets that share personal information. Starting today, you’ll be able to tell us more about the Tweet you are reporting,” the tweet said.

YouTube Stories Introduces Snapchat-Like AR effects

Google AI Blog informed the public in a press release that YouTube Stories and ARCore will now offer the Augmented Faces API.

Why it matters: The result of the efforts should enhance user experience with realistic AR effects on YouTube.

The details: YouTube Stories is a feature that allows the users to create short, mobile-only videos with text, stickers, filters and music, which expire after seven days. The effects added to the feature will include:

  • Simulating light reflections via environmental mapping for realistic rendering of glasses
  • Natural lighting by casting virtual object shadows onto the face mesh
  • Modeling face occlusions to hide virtual object parts behind a face, e.g., virtual glasses, as shown below.
  • Modeling Specular reflections applied on lips and
  • Face painting by using luminance-aware material