GoDaddy Announces New CMO; Apple Hires AR Marketing Chief

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This week’s executive shifts include GoDaddy hiring a new chief marketing officer, Famous Footwear appoints the former CMO of JCPenney, Asics America appoints a new EVP of sales, categories and marketing, American Greetings hiring the PGA Tour CMO, Apple hiring a new head of marketing for AR, Sony Interactive Entertainment promoting its head of global sales and marketing, NASCAR broadening the role of their CMO, SmileDirectClub appointing a new CMO, Shake Shack appointing Bark’s former CMO, Skyscanner hiring a former ClassPass exec and Terra’s Kitchen appointing a new senior vice president of marketing.

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

GoDaddy Appoints Chief Marketer

GoDaddy announced Fara Howard as the company’s new chief marketing officer. According to the press release, Howard will lead “marketing strategy and execution, including brand and performance marketing, community engagement, and customer lifecycle management.”

Before taking the role at GoDaddy, Howard was chief marketing officer of Amazon Fashion, Amazon’s retail clothing vertical that famously implemented influencers on the platform. Howard was also vice president of global marketing at Vans and spent at 10 years working at Dell.

NFL’s Miami Dolphins Appoint VP Marketing

The Miami Dolphins named Laura Sandall as vice president of marketing amid a slew of other appointments. Sandall joined the Dolphins after spending the last two years at the Michaels Companies as vice president of marketing. She also spent four years in a senior role at JCPenney.

World Surf League Hires SVP

The World Surf League named Pat O’Connell the company’s new senior vice president of tours and head of competition. O’Connell is currently the vice president of sports marketing at Hurley.

“From competitor to surfer rep to board member to commissioner, he really has given his all for surfing to get it to where it is today and I couldn’t be more thankful,” said O’Connell on the appointment. “It’s super hard to leave my family at Hurley as it’s been such a huge part of my life for more than 15 years. I’ve had an incredible experience at Hurley, but I’m beyond excited for the opportunity to lead the competitive aspects of surfing and further elevate the sport. I believe in the WSL, I believe in what it can be, and I’m stoked.”

NASCAR Expands Role for Chief Marketing Officer

NASCAR’s executive vice president and CMO Jill Gregory will start to lead broadcasting, communications and NASCAR’s digital platform, including NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Mobile app and fantasy games. She is currently responsible for brand marketing, team and driver marketing, content strategy and analytics and insights.

Gregory joined NASCAR in 2007 and prior to that served as senior vice president at Bank of America.

Famous Footwear Hires Former JCPenney CMO

Caleres has appointed Marci Grebstein as senior vice president of marketing for Famous Footwear. She will oversee all aspects of marketing for their stores and famous.com. Previously, Grebstein served as chief marketing officer at J.C.Penney since 2017. Before that, she worked as the CMO for Lowe’s Companies.

“Marci is passionate about connecting emotionally with consumers and understands how to market to them in a realistic, authentic, and relatable way,” said Molly Adams, president of Famous Footwear, in a statement. “Her ability to get inside the DNA of a brand and bring it to life will be invaluable to our mission of making Famous Footwear the favorite place to shop for shoes and will help accelerate Famous Footwear’s growth.”

Sky Deutschland Appoints New CMO

Sky Deutschland, a German media company, has appointed Barbara Haase as the company’s chief marketing officer. She will oversee brand, marketing and communication and Sky Creative. She will also direct the strategy of the German pay-TV broadcaster’s marketing in all areas and the brand strategy of sub-brands. Prior to this, Haase served as chief creative officer and CMO of TUI Group.

Asics Hires New EVP of Sales, Categories And Marketing

Asics promoted Richard Sullivan as the company’s EVP of sales, categories and marketing for Asics America. Previously, Sullivan served as president of Asics Canada.

Former PGA Tour CMO Becomes Greeting Card CEO

American Greetings appointed Joe Arcuri as the company’s new chief executive officer. He’s expected to start the role on March 1. Arcuri is currently finishing his tenure at PGA Tour, where he has been the chief marketing officer since 2017.

Prior to the PGA Tour, Arcuri held executive and senior roles at P&G and Newell Rubbermaid. Arcuri’s appointment to CEO at American Greetings comes as current CEO John Breeder retires.

“We’re excited to have Joe join American Greetings. Joe is known for building strong teams that work together to create a winning culture,”American Greetings Board Chairman and former PepsiCo President John Compton said. “At the same time, we appreciate John Beeder’s contributions to American Greetings and wish him well in his retirement.”

Apple Hires A New Head Of Marketing For AR

Apple appointed Frank Casanova as the new senior director of worldwide product marketing at Apple augmented reality. Previously, Casanova served as the senior director for iPhone partner marketing. A longtime Apple exec, Casanova joined the company in 1997 as the senior director of macOs graphics, audio and video. According to Business Insider, he was instrumental in launching the original iPhone and developing QuickTime video player.

“There’s now a name and face on Apple AR efforts and a person with a track record of working on advanced technology projects at Apple,” said Michael Gartenberg, former Apple senior director of marketing to Business Insider. “Frank is the ideal person to lead Apple’s efforts in AR.”

Sony Interactive Entertainment Promotes Head of Global Sales And Marketing

Sony Corporation and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has promoted Jim Ryan as president and CEO of SIE. Ryan will also assume the role of representative director and president of SIE’s Japan-based legal entity, Previously, he served as SIE deputy president and prior to that he was head of global sales and marketing at SIE.

Ryan joined Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Europe-based entity in 1994 and has been responsible for leading the PlayStation business.

SmileDirectClub Appoints New CMO

SmileDirectClub, a DTC dentistry company, is promoting John Sheldon as the company’s chief marketing officer. Previously, he served as the company’s chief digital officer, where he assisted in reaching new customers and directing digital and mobile platforms.

Before joining the SmileDirectClub team, Sheldon worked as chief revenue officer of Fresh Direct, an online grocer.

Shake Shack Hires Former Bark CMO

Shake Shack hired Jay Livingston as the company’s new chief marketing officer. Prior to joining Shake Shake, Livingston served as CMO for DTC brand Bark—makers of Barkbox. The burger restaurant collaborated with Bark in December to offer a line of chew toys. According to AdWeek, Livingston plans on analyzing customer data and personalize Shake Shack’s digital elements.

Livingston told AdWeek both companies are “fun, authentic brands that are changing a status quo that’s existed a long time.”

Prior to Bark, Livingston spent 20 years at Bank of America, working his way up to SVP of global marketing.

Skyscanner Hires New Chief Marketing Officer

Skyscanner, a travel fare website, has appointed Joanna Lord as their new CMO. Previously, Lord worked as the chief marketing officer at ClassPass. Lord will help to expand the marketing department at Skyscanner, boost the brand and lead a marketing team of about 300 people.

Lord also served as chief marketing officer at BigDoor Inc., a white label software platform.

Skyscanner CEO Bryan Dove said: “I’ve known Joanna for years and have been consistently impressed with her impact on brands and her leadership in creating world-class teams. Joanna is joining us at an exciting time in our growth story after nearly doubling our growth function in the last few years. We’re excited to have an exceptional marketing leader joining our team to guide our next steps in helping travelers globally.”

Terra’s Kitchen Hires A SVP of Marketing 

Terra’s Kitchen, a meal-kit delivery service, has hired Anthony Pitts as their new senior vice president of marketing. Prior to that, Pitts served as the VP of performance marketing for the mattress company,  Leesa Sleep. In his new role at Terra’s Kitchen, Pitts will be responsible for driving their growth strategy and digital changes.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, February 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 Considers Edit Button; TikTok Tests Video Ads

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This week in social media news, Twitter might add “Edit” button to the platform, TikTok was spotted testing native video ads, medical promotions are big among Insta-influencers, Twitter is developing Snapchat-like camera, a new report reveals Facebook engagement trends, Snapchat reports its moviegoing users’ habits, the Canadian government pays generously for federal advertising, Instagram is testing direct messaging on the web, LinkedIn launches a live video platform and Facebook acquires an AI shopping company

Twitter Might Actually Add Edit Button

Independent reported on Friday that according to Twitter’s co-founder, Jack Dorsey, the company is considering a new feature that would allow users to edit their old tweets.

Why it matters: Twitter split into two camps over the issue, those for and against. Twitter user Beau Sloane, made a strong point in his tweet, “Guys if we get an edit button on Twitter, it would defeat the entire purpose of the app. Think about how corrupt it would become! People could change conversations from the past and twist words!”

The details: “One of the concepts we’re thinking about is clarifications,” Dorsey said at Goldman Sachs event in San Francisco on Thursday. As per Dorsey, Twitter is considering a compromise that would allow users to add additional context to a tweet without changing its original content and the platform users wouldn’t be able to retweet the original tweet.

TikTok spotted testing native video ads

TikTok is testing a sponsored video ad, TechCrunch reported.

Why it matters: The button could be tailored to send users to the advertiser’s website or other web addresses.

The details: According to TechCrunch, TikTok was testing the feature in their U.S. app. A video labeled “Sponsored” from the bike retailer Specialized showed up in the main feed, accompanied by a blue “Learn More” button to get more information. Also, the profile page displayed a couple other new features, such as what appeared to be a verified account badge.

Big Pharma Using Instagram Influencers 

According to Vox, pharmaceutical companies are working more and more with influencers to promote new drugs and medical devices on social media.

Why it matters: Impressive user engagement that influencers have on Instagram gives companies an opportunity to deliver a more authentic message to the audiences through storytelling on social media stars’ feeds. Since influencer marketing is still mostly unregulated, it’s not surprising big pharma would get in on the action.

The details: As an example, Vox talks about Louise Roe, a picture-perfect influencer who tells her followers about her psoriasis condition on Instagram as a part of her paid partnership with Celgene, a biotechnology company that produces the psoriasis treatment medication Otezla.

Twitter Is Developing Snapchat-Style Camera

According to TechCrunch, Twitter’s developing a new Snapchat-style camera feature that will be accessible with a swipe from the home screen and allow the users to overlay captions on photos, videos, and live broadcasts before sharing them to their timeline.

Why it matters: Twitter’s new camera feature aims to make the process of creating and sharing content easier, and therefore, encourage the users to post more. Surely Twitter will find a way to monetize this in the future—offering a new option for advertisers on the platform.

The details: After a user captures media, overlays appear and offer to add a location and a caption. There will be six colored backgrounds available for the caption and location overlay card, which will make it possible for the users to unite words and imagery on Twitter for the first time.

New Report Reveals The Latest Facebook Engagement Trends

Social analytics platform Quintly has released a new report, with analysis of over 94,000 Facebook Pages and more than 105 million Facebook posts.

Why it matters: This report helps to better determine what’s working and what’s not, for brands on Facebook.

The details: The report revealed that 55 percent of the 105 million analyzed posts turned out to be linked posts. Photos were used in 29 percent of them and videos made up approximately 14 percent. 23 percent of all posts were posted during the weekend, and there was 13 percent higher interaction on weekend posts.

Snapchat Research Gives Insights Into Its Moviegoing Users’ Behavior

As a part of their Retail Footprints series, Snapchat released a new report, focused on the platform’s moviegoers habits.

Why it matters: This report helps to better understand when Snapchaters go to the movies, what they do before and after and other insights.

The details: Although generic, for the most part, the report had some peculiar Snapchaters’ behavior details. Thus, according to the report, “before a weekend trip to the movies, Snapchatters can be found in moments of rest and relaxation. You’re likely to find them outdoors at a park, shopping at a farmers market, making quick purchases at a convenience store, or prepping for a party at a party supply store. After the movie ends, they may continue their fun night out at a bowling alley or arcade, enjoy a nice meal at a fine dining restaurant, or indulge at a cafe or a sweet and dessert shop.”

The report also showed that moviegoing Snapchatters engage in more family oriented activities and are more likely to shop at department stores or shopping malls, than a regular Snapchat user.

Instagram Star Confesses She Turns Down 60 Percent of Instagram Ad Deals

Zara McDermott, a British Instagram personality with a million following, spoke frankly about the folly of being an influencer in her interview with GraziaDaily. The article speaks directly about navigating different branded post opportunities.

Why it matters: It’s a reminder that influencer marketing is still a fairly new form of marketing, with issues of safety and trust on both sides; it also continues to be mostly unregulated.

The details: McDermott shares her experience with a make-up company which offered her £3000 for a single Instagram story, but turned out to be a scam and encourages other influencers not to promote products on their social media or at least identify their ads with #Ad hashtag to identify advertising.

“You can’t just go posting ads all the time because not only will your followers lose trust in you, but if you’re not doing your due diligence and checking out the products, you put your entire personal brand at risk,” McDermott said.

Canadian Government Spends A Lot On Social Media Ads 

The Canadian government doesn’t tighten the purse strings when it comes to social media ads, especially platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, National Post reported on Monday.

Why it matters: The Canadian government takes into consideration its citizens’ impressive social media engagement and uses the platforms to communicate with them.

The details: The government spent $39.2 million on ads in 2018 in Canada, and nearly $18.2 million were invested in digital ads. This number made up roughly 46 percent of the total budget, not including production costs. Last year, social media ads also made up the biggest share of digital spending—43 percent or approximately $7.8 million.

Instagram Is Testing A Web Version Of Direct Messages

Jane Manchun Wong tipped TechCrunch on Tuesday that Instagram is internally testing a web version of direct messaging that would allow the users to communicate without the app.

Why it matters: Instagram has always been mobile first, but this has been requested by users for years.

The details: According to TechCrunch, in the current state, Instagram direct messaging on the web is available from a direct arrow icon in the top right of the computer screen. And it seems like the feature will use an Instagram.com/direct/…. URL structure.

LinkedIn Launches Live Platform

TechCrunch reported on Monday that LinkedIn is debuting a new video broadcast service this week. LinkedIn Live will allow users to stream real-time video to certain groups or to the large audiences on the platform.

Why it matters: According to LinkedIn, video is the fastest-growing format on the platform after articles and news.

The details: The content broadcasted will include the traditional LinkedIn fair such as “conferences, product announcements, Q&As and other events led by influencers and mentors, office hours from a big tech company, earnings calls, graduation and awards ceremonies and more,” TechCrunch reported.

Facebook Aims To Bring AI Shopping Experience To The Users 

Facebook reportedly acquired GrokStyle, an AI company, to boost its own developing computer vision department. “We are excited to welcome GrokStyle to Facebook. Their team and technology will contribute to our AI capabilities,” Facebook told TechCrunch on Saturday.

Why it matters: The company’s camera feature allows a user to take a picture of a furniture piece or other product with and instantly receive links to the online stores that sell them.

The details: GrokStyle issued a statement on their website, saying the company is “winding down” but their team and technology will live on. There is speculation that GrokStyle will reappear in some form in the future.

Facebook To Offer An API For Political Ad Transparency 

A group of European journalists, academics and human and digital rights organizations wrote an open letter to Facebook demanding more transparency about political ads distribution on the platform. European Parliament election will take place in May and the public is concerned about being manipulated by the politicians’ campaigns on social media. The letter was signed by 33 organizations, including Wikimedia UK.

Why it matters: Facebook allows politicians to pay for political ads to influence voters.

The details: “We believe that Facebook and other platforms can be positive forces that enable democracy, but this vision can only be realized through true transparency and trust. Transparency cannot just be on the terms with which the world’s largest, most powerful tech companies are most comfortable,” the letter said.

Here are some actions the letter outlines:

  • Roll out a functional, open Ad Archive API that enables advanced research and development of tools that analyze political ads served to Facebook users in the EU.
  • Ensure that all political advertisements are clearly distinguished from other content and are accompanied by key targeting criteria such as sponsor identity and amount spent on the platform in all EU countries.

Facebook Offers New Group Features For Admins, Including Brand Collaboration

As a part of the Facebook Community Summit, which aims to bring together Facebook group admins and help them exchange their knowledge, the company announced new features and tools to spark even more active participation.

Why it matters: The new features will expand admins’ capabilities and improve the user experience.

The details: The new features and tools will allow post formatting with bullet points and variable text size; brand collaborations option, which will allow associated groups to offer relevant deals and partner with professionals; improved communication with additional information on rule violations and expansion of mentorship and subscriptions, which will enable admins to create additional content for dedicated members.

Valentine’s Day 2019: Brand Campaigns Round-Up

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“Sweethearts” may be gone, but Valentine’s Day is still an opportunity for brands to show the love. Some companies are focusing on the traditional romantic aspects of the holiday while others are embracing the single life—and still are keen to do giveaways (including a bearskin rug).

We’re making a list of the innovative ways brands are marketing Valentine’s Day 2019.

We will be updating up to February 14.

Dyson Singapore Plays Cupid

Dyson Singapore posted a short video promoting their Valentine’s Day sale. The video shows an arrow—ostensibly cupid’s arrow—shot through Dyson hair dryers before popping a heart-shaped balloon. So far, 15-second video has garnered close to 700,000 views on YouTube.

Frankie & Benny’s Recreate Romantic Movie Moments

UK-based Italian-American chain Frankie & Benny’s recreated scenes from films like Lady and the Tramp and When Harry Met Sally for their Valentine’s Day Instagram post.

Caulipower ‘CaulMeMaybe’ Campaign Eases Pizza Guilt

Caulipower, the maker of a cauliflower pizza crust, has built an OOH campaign for Valentine’s Day around people’s complicated “relationship” with pizza. The campaign is titled CaulMeMaybe—a cheeky reference to “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. Caulipower has set up the site CaulMeMaybe.com detailing deals and

The company conducted a study to analyze customers’ relationship with pizza. They found that three-quarters of Americans would eat more pizza if it was healthier and 37 percent of those surveyed would give up social media to eat all the pizza they want to without the guilt.

The campaign will have digital billboards in New York City’s Times Square and Chicago. Caulipower will also post a love letter in the New York Times on National Pizza Day, to win the hearts of Americans again with its healthier version.

 

KFC Launches Online Contest To Win Colonel Bearskin Rug

Kentucky Fried Chicken continues its irreverent streak, this time the company is offering a faux bearskin rug in the likeness of Colonel Sanders. The contest, exclusively on Reddit, will also give the lucky winners two fried chicken pajama onesies, a KFC gift card, and a year-long subscription to an online streaming service.

There are three ways to enter the contest: a photoshop battle, a storytelling challenge or a drawing duel—each one centered around romance. Additional details are here. The contest ends on February 10 and KFC says the prizes will be delivered in time for Valentine’s Day.

Potbelly Sandwich Shop Celebrates Singles With Free Cookies

Potbelly is celebrating self-love this coming Valentine’s Day. The company is running a promotion on V-Day that allows singles to come in and get free cookies, with the purchase of a sandwich or salad, including a limited edition red velvet cookie. According to the press release, customers can also enjoy a “special, yomantic music playlist devoid of slow jams, sappy duets or any lyrics that reference piña coladas or getting caught in the rain.”

Potbelly CMO Brandon Rhoten said in a statement, “if you are happily solo, we’re here for you, Potbelly will be a singles’ sanctuary, free of judgment. Basically, a simple sandwich paradise for those who don’t need anyone else to make them feel whole at this point in their lives.”

Dunkin’ Adds Dunkintines Cards 

On February 8, Dunkin’ will launch Dunkintines cards. The first 100 customers to get a dozen donuts will get a sheet of the Dunkintines. If you can’t make it, Dunkin fans can download and print them out.

Dunkin’ is also taking over a chapel in Las Vegas on February 9th and the first 100 couples that drop-in will be given an exclusive Dunkin’ bouquet for their ceremony or as a Valentine’s Day gift.

Hallmark Launches A ‘Missed Moments’ Contest

Hallmark is expanding its Paper Wonder cards—pop-up cards with intricate designs—and launching a new campaign for the upcoming holiday. The cardmaker started a nationwide Missed Moments contest, where fans can submit a moment from their relationship they feel needs a do-over.

The winners will win a weekend getaway and opportunity to recreate their moment at Hallmark’s creative headquarters. The campaign will also include influencer social posts, interactive digital ads, streaming audio and radio ads.

Terminix Will Send Your ‘Love Bug’ Chocolate-Covered Insects

The pest control service provider announced a way to show your loved one they’ve been “bitten by the ‘love bug'”—by sending them chocolate-covered insects on V-day, crickets in this case. The delicacies will be shipped in a heart-shaped box ready to be photographed for social media.

“Terminix is hoping to add a little fun with a twist on the typical Valentine’s gift this season,” said Terminix president Matthew Stevenson in a statement. “While we normally get rid of our customers’ pests, this Valentine’s Day we’re helping customers celebrate with chocolate-covered pests instead.”

If you and your partner are into insect treats, you can enter the online sweepstakes for a chance to win the free bug-filled chocolates.

Primanti Bros. Will Throw You A Wedding

Any couple who gets engaged on Valentine’s Day at a Primanti Bros.’ ‘Love at First Bite’ event can save some money and receive a free, all-expense-paid wedding ceremony.  The group wedding—officated by the restaurants’ brand ambassador Toni Haggerty—will be held at their original restaurant in Pittsburgh and Primanti Bros.’ “Almost Famous” sandwiches will be provided. 

Anyone interested just needs to show up and tell the general manager they’re going to pop the question.

“Sometimes folks–mainly guys–don’t need the added pressure of an expensive restaurant when they are trying to pop the question,” said Haggerty in a press release. “Here, they can have fun, a great meal, and a free catered wedding ceremony to boot. It’s a no brainer.”

Planter’s Mr. Peanut And Dr. Ruth Answer Your Love Questions

The famous sex therapist, Dr. Ruth, and Mr. Peanut team up to give you love and life advice for Valentine’s Day. The discussion launched on Twitter and you can either ask your intimate question on the social media platform (for the world to see) or through her hotline. Dr. Ruth is trying to target a millennial audience to promote her updated book Sex for Dummies.

Green Giant Partners With Farmers Only To Find You Love

Green Giant and Farmers Only are coming together to find you a match this Valentine’s Day. They’re offering a free week of premium access on February 14—using the code “GreenGiant.” Don’t feel any shame in signing up, the Jolly Green Giant himself created an account in his effort to find his special someone. In his about yourself section, the giant writes “As a Minnesota country boy though, I’m pretty grounded. I love to cook, travel, and laugh. I’m looking for someone to love me as much as I love my greens.”

Insomnia Cookies Brings Back Two Favorites For Valentine’s Day

Insomnia Cookies is returning two famous cookies to their menu, the Red Velvet cookie and the Heart Shaped Cookie Cake. Fans can have the cookies delivered or picked-up until 3 a.m. and you can even ship the cookies nationwide. The two items are only available for a limited time until February 18.

‘Qdoba For A Kiss’ Returns To Help Hungry Kids

Qdoba Mexican Eats is launching its ‘Qdoba for a Kiss’ promotion again this Valentine’s Day. The restaurant will be offering a free entree’ when a customer kisses anyone or anything and purchases an entree’ of equal or greater value. If you love your burrito bowl, you can kiss it and it will count—all kisses are welcomed.

Additionally, from February 8-14 Qdoba is partnering with No Kid Hungry to raise funds to help end childhood hunger. Diners can donate $1 or more to the campaign at a Qdoba and they can also post #QDOBAFORAKISS on their social media accounts and the chain restaurant will donate $1 to the nonprofit for each post containing the hashtag.

“Qdoba for a Kiss is our longest-running promotion,” said Jill Adams, VP of marketing at Qdoba in a press release. “We’ve been hosting this promotion for nearly a decade and what makes it especially unique is how many of our guests have made ‘Qdoba for a Kiss’ a Valentine’s Day tradition that they celebrate with their family and friends every year.”

Seriously EVP On Leveraging Influencers For Mobile Game Marketing

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Best Fiends, a mobile puzzle game, came out in 2014 and its success grows every year. In 2018, revenue for the game grew 65 percent, getting to around $69 million. It’s been downloaded over 86 million times and the game has about 1.8 million daily active players.

Philip Hickey, EVP of brand and marketing at Seriously—the creators behind Best Fiends—spoke with AList during the DEW conference in Marina Del Rey, California. Hickey talked about how he leverages influencer marketing got promote Best Fiends and the changes in the influencer space since he worked as vice president at Rovio, where he led marketing strategies of the highly popular game Angry Birds. 

In a broad sense, how are you using influencers?

We’re using influencers in two ways. First and foremost, it’s the easiest way to measure driving installs to our games. Secondly, to help build the brand. There is definite power of frequency and repetition that helps the brand build, but that’s the least measurable part—so we have to back it up in installs. What we’ve done primarily in the YouTube space is we’ve figured out a cost-per-view that works for us that backsets the cost to install and we can value it from there.

We use them for brand awareness and for reaching a new audience. Without many videos, we hope some our audience stays with us as they do and the community building has been a quarter of building Best Fiends. We always like every post, engagement and we follow, interact and we take feedback. By doing so many videos naturally, our audience stays with us. If there is a trust with the influencer and the product they’re selling, then the chance of sticking with us for long-term is highly likely.

Do you use larger influencers or many, smaller influencers

We use a bit of both. We measure by engagement, so when we were small and didn’t have a big budget we used a couple of massive influencers, but over time we’ve learned three categories of influencers that work well for us and that’s beauty and lifestyle, family and the LGTBQ community. We use everything from the biggest to the smallest influencers—as long as they’re authentic. We [also] look for influencers that are creative and put in the effort because it usually matches the business results we are looking for.

What social platforms are your influencers using?

We’ve tried everything. YouTube is the biggest and that works for us. We love it and the influencers can also showcase the game. But we’ve also done Instagram, Twitter, Facebook Live; we were the first brand to do a Periscope influencer campaign. We try everything to we see what works. However,  I think the tried, true and tested platform that works best for us has been YouTube.

How has influencer marketing changed since your days at Rovio working on Angry Birds?

It [has] changed massively. It’s funny, we’ve used some of the same influencers at Seriously that we used at Rovio, but for Angry Birds, someone paid us to do the integration. It’s a different transaction than with Best Fiends. I think the influencer space was unknown [then], but there was something bubbling that was super powerful.

I think it’s become a much more mature industry and I believe influencers have realized they are their [own] commodity and we [all] need to deliver on what is agreed upon. I’ve seen a lot more professionalism over the last couple years and a lot more conversation on how to do it right. We always believe in giving the influencer room to be creative. We generally give them three talking points and we let them be as creative as they can be speaking to their audience and it works much better.

What’s changed in marketing for mobile games since your time at Rovio?

The competition, the number of platforms and the consolidation of competitors have changed. It’s massively competitive. When I was at Rovio we used to look at other games as our competitors, and now we look at [platforms like] Hulu, Netflix as competitors. Anything where someone spends time on their phone or mobile device with, is [now] our competitor.

We are in the brand building business, we want Best Fiends to be the next generation IP and we would like to make a series and products down the road. The results of the game are continually improving every year, so we are building towards that.

Do you hire any agencies to help vet and manage influencers?

We do. We have a lot of direct connections because now we’ve been doing this for four years. In scaling influencer marketing, there is no easy way to do it. We want to vet every talent, so we look at what they’ve done like what their last couple videos do, the relationship of comments and likes in the video and its still a very manual process, so we work directly and we look at everything.

We also have a couple of agencies that have been good partners. I think there are [also] exciting platforms emerging like Matchmade. It’s an interesting formula because it streamlines the process, the middle man and helps the direct connection a bit better.

What do you think is the future of influencers?

I think you’ll see influencers regularly become part of a brand’s marketing mix which wasn’t necessarily true before. The first question everyone in the influencer space asks themselves is why would I want an influencer, what do I want out of this relationship or transaction, and then you go from there.

I think people are getting smarter about what they want and influencers are getting brighter in how to deliver what brands want, so the relationship should be good on both sides.

Report: What CMOs Need To Know Before In-Housing

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Creative services are increasingly being shifted from agency to in-house. Many CMOs are choosing to make the shift in order to acquire more brand knowledge and efficiency—but it isn’t always smooth sailing.

According to the “2019 In-House Creative Management Report,” creative and marketing leaders are falling short because creative teams are experiencing a slew of challenges including low morale and the relationship between creative and marketing teams. For CMOs, the work doesn’t stop after simply bringing a new team in-house.

The survey conducted by InSource and InMotionNow analyzed over 500 respondents that work in brand creative and marketing departments. Over 70 percent of them hold creative roles and around 51 percent are in managerial positions. Those surveyed work in teams of various sizes and industries.

“As in-house creative services departments mature and become more embedded within their organizations, more is asked of them on an almost daily basis,” says Andy Brenits, president of InSource in his introduction to the report. “If marketing managers merely see the creative team as their go-to resource for execution of tactics, they are missing out on the actual value this in-house resource can be to them. The creative team has problem-solving and idea generating capabilities that extend far beyond executing design and content.”

The study found 45 percent of creative say their team morale is high and 44 percent of them say their company invests in training, The rest of the respondents are either neutral or disagree with these statements. But there has been an improvement over the last year. Around half of those surveyed agree the relationship between marketing and creative teams has improved.

How the teams collaborate is very indicative of the core connection. Not surprisingly, the numbers aren’t very contrasting when it comes to feelings about collaboration. About half feel the partnership is effective and around 22 percent believe it’s not.

So how do you improve the rapport between creative teams and marketers? Timm Chiusano, VP of production and creative services at Kernel, believes it’s how the organization is structured and mutual respect. Even though the two teams are separate, they need to have a clear understanding of each other’s work and goals.

“When you reach this level of understanding, the entire organization can harmonize like a symphony,” said Chuisano in the report. “The quality and turnaround time of creative work is incredibly more effective. It sparks greater creativity: if you have a deeper understanding of the purpose, you are in a better position to find a creative solution to achieve it.”

In the survey, teams with stronger relationships attribute it to better creative briefs, morale and open communication. Ineffective teams noted a lack of leadership support and a growing volume and speed of creative work. It mirrors what the survey found when respondents were asked what the top challenges in-house creative teams encounter are: speed and volume of creative work.

More effective teams say collaborating on the creative brief, streamlining workflow and feedback helps. The report found creatives don’t get enough information during the briefing process—around 72 percent say getting this information is wasted time that could be used creating. Those that spend less than four hours on administrative tasks are more likely to be on teams with better outcomes.

Simultaneously, a timely review process is just as vital. About 16 percent of respondents that finish reviews in two rounds or less are 80 percent more likely to get projects approved in three days or less. Feedback and tracking results also improve efficiency with the business impact being the most valuable when measuring creative work to both the individual and the organization.

IAB Report Outlines How DTC Brands Continue To Evolve

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The direct-to-consumer brand economy is getting stronger and it continues to transform the traditional marketing landscape. A new report by IAB titled “How to Build a 21st Century Brand 2019,” shows how DTC brands are disrupting the industry and the ways they’re finding success. This report comes a day after IAB released a list of the 250 DTC brands to watch.

Most importantly, these direct brands are acquiring individual consumers from a cost-per-acquisition to a lifetime value strategy through Facebook, podcasting, building community and direct delivery.

On February 11, at the IAB Leadership Meeting, CEO Randall Rothenberg addressed the direct brand transformation. Rothenberg began the presentation by saying “In broad strokes, the business of our business is changing.”

The power of these disruptor brands comes from personalization through customer data collection and managing individual customer relationships. According to IAB, CAC-to-LTV is the “new purchase funnel” and the heart of the direct brand lifecycle. Community building is a big part of this. Consumers are more in control of what they buy and are receiving honest information about a brand from other consumers is critical. The report showed 70 percent of Glossier’s online sales come from peer referrals and Fabletics’ customers in areas with physical stores spend more through all their channels.

The report also uncovered omnichannel shopping is foremost, while strictly buying via brick-and-mortar stores is taking a back seat.

Last year, was the “peak retail apocalypse” according to IAB. Over 12,000 stores were forecasted to close compared to 9,000 in 2017. The future of malls seems bleak, around one out of every four malls could be closed by 2022.

For brands to survive, they must change their model, or they won’t survive the competition. Consumers are increasingly getting most of their information and goods through mobile. Around 40 percent of e-commerce is from mobile. From 2015 to 2017, there was a 133 percent increase in how much time adults spent on an app or website on a tablet. In those three years, the time spent watching live TV decreased by 14 percent.

DTC businesses, like Birchbox, Dollar Shave Club and Warby Parker are acquiring customers through mobile and via many platforms. Some even pioneered their own marketing methods. For example, Ipsy—a monthly subscription beauty bag—started marketing through YouTube influencer videos and Glossier launched its own media “Into the Gloss,” a beauty blog. However, the report found around 90 percent of DTC brands launched with a Facebook dominant strategy.

You’ve heard it before: storytelling and the content are vital to connecting with consumers.

The report highlighted Bombas, an athletic sock brand that advertised on podcasts, and measured their campaign performance using vanity URLs which led to a sign-up form to get a coupon code. The report says, “In a given week, ~50-60 percent of new customers could be attributed from paid channels… with podcasting ranging from 15 percent to 40 percent of that.”

“After more than 100 years, the consumer brand economy is moving away from an ‘indirect brands’ model,” said Rothenberg in a statement. “These indirect brands that you all know by their household names long dominated through owned and operated, high-barrier, capital-intensive supply chains. Revenue resulted only after a series of third-party handoffs from brand to publisher to retailer. In contrast, the new ‘direct brands’ model that builds value through low-barrier, capital-flexible, leased or rented supply chains, and revenue results from the direct relationships between the company and its end consumers. Any brand that wants to survive must prepare for this new reality.”

Instagram To Add IGTV Previews; Twitter Reveals Daily Active Users

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As the marketing world recovers after SuperBowl LIII and looks ahead for what 2019 has in store, social media platforms don’t snooze. Here is what’s happening with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and Pinterest this week.

Instagram IGTV Will Clutter The Users’ Feeds

Instagram intends to add IGTV previews to users feeds.

Why it matters: The company’s major intent with IGTV was to compete with larger video content sites, such as YouTube and Twitch. The feature, however, didn’t receive a lot of enthusiasm from Instagram users.

The details: Instagram told Techcrunch that the users will see brief, one-minute previews in their Feed and will be able to control the audio. To watch the full version of the video, the user will have to tap the IGTV icon.

As for IGTV app itself, Sensor Tower reported that after seeing 1.5 million downloads in its first month in 2018, IGTV app has only grown to 3.5 million total downloads worldwide.

Twitter Reveals Q4 Results And Daily User Pool

In its Q4 earnings report, Twitter disclosed the number of engaged users who come to the site each day. The company has 126 million daily active users.

Why it matters: Even though the new report shows Twitter’s lesser size in comparison with other social networks (Facebook has 1.2 billion daily users), the number keeps growing, with a nine percent increase YoY.

The details: Here are the highlights from the report.

  • Q4 2018 ended with revenue up 24 percent YoY
  • According to Twitter, the platform saw a 16 percent YoY decrease in abuse reports “from people who had an interaction with their alleged abuser on Twitter”
  • Average monetizable daily active users were 126 million in Q4, up 9 percent YoY

Pinterest Is Completely Automating “Shop the Look” Tool  

Pinterest is completely automating its “Shop the Look” tool, the company shared on Wednesday.

Why it matters: The tool automation will make it easier for the “inspiration searchers” to find and shop the products, and brands will be able to better market and sell their products on Pinterest.

The details: The update increases “Shop The Look” Pin coverage by 22.5x across billions of Pins and products, and in early testing has already lifted engagement by 7 percent, the company reported. Previously, Pinterest had experimented with a human-in-the-loop approach to match product links with Pins but required a more effective method of scaling across the billions of images the platform hosts. As a solution, computer vision was used to fully automate the process of matching products to user preferences and needs.

Facebook Acquires Its First Blockchain

According to Cheddar, Facebook made its first acquisition in the blockchain industry. The company bought a small blockchain startup, Chainspace.

Why it matters: The sharp move signals Facebook’s ambition to be a big player in the application of blockchain.

The details: As per Cheddar, at the moment, more than 40 people work in Facebook’s blockchain division, and Facebook has also demonstrated eagerness in hiring other teams behind developing cryptocurrency and blockchain-related projects similar to Chainspace.

A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that the company had hired employees from Chainspace but declined to comment on specific hires, Cheddar reported.

Snapchat Stops Losing Users, Reports Stable Q4 Numbers

Snapchat isn’t gaining a ton of new users, but the company has stopped losing them, Snapchat’s Q4 report shows.

Why it matters: At the end of last year, marketers were concerned with Snapchat losing popularity, but the report demonstrates strong and steady numbers.

The details: The company remains stable at 186 million users per day, after seeing a decrease from 191 million in Q1 to 188 million in Q2 to 186 million in Q3. 30 percent more people are now watching Publisher Stories and Shows every day compared to last year, and each person is consuming more of these Stories per day on average. Snapchat increased reached more international markets, including France, Germany, Ireland, Norway, the UK, India, and the Middle East in 2018. It reached record revenue of $390 million in the holiday quarter, up 36 percent year-over-year to beat the $378 million Wall Street estimate, and Snapchat lost just $0.04 per share compared to Wall Street’s $0.08 loss estimate for a beat in Q4 earnings.

Facebook Is Developing A Feature For Business Messaging

Axios reported on Tuesday that Facebook is in the process of developing a messaging for businesses feature that will allow businesses access and manage Instagram Direct Messages and Facebook Messenger messages simultaneously.

Why it matters: Since countless businesses worldwide use Facebook’s messaging platforms as a communication tool, the feature promises to make communication more convenient.

The details: In business messaging feature, Instagram Direct messaging will be added to a page host’s messaging inbox within the Facebook Pages Manager app on both web and mobile. At the moment, the feature only lets businesses control messages coming from Facebook Messenger. It is important to note that the tool will only be available to business page managers and Facebook users would not be able to see the difference when their message is answered, Axios reported.

Twitter Reports Data On Purpose-Driven Marketing Campaigns In Super Bowl 2019

The winners of its #BrandBowl, which celebrated the most successful Super Bowl tie-in campaigns via tweet, were not the only focus of Twitter’s Marketing Insights team this week. On Wednesday, Twitter Marketing also posted a brief summary of data on purpose-driven marketing campaigns.

Why it matters: The data shows that purpose-driven campaigns were met by the users with a lot of positive engagement and are worth emulating in approaches to marketing strategies.

The details: According to Twitter, Microsoft’s,”‘We All Win” message was the absolute winner. Here is a quick overview of the data highlights:

  • 42 percent more brands activated a “purpose-driven” message on Twitter during #SB53 vs.#SB52.
  • 88 percent of Tweets about purpose-driven ads were positive.
  • 85 percent of Tweets about purpose-driven ads were from women (compared to 42.15 percent men)
  • 58 percent of all Tweets about purpose-driven ads were related to Microsoft.

Twitter Announces Winners of #BrandBowl 2019

This case study published by Twitter today showcased the brand campaigns that inspired the most engagement and activity on the platform.

Why it matters: Several brands chose not to buy the on-air advertising time at all this year and joined the #BrandBowl competition on Twitter in the fight for the Interception Award instead, which proved the growing power of social media in the world of marketing once again.

The details: Planters won the top prize for their sweepstakes; Game of Thrones & Bud Light’s co-branded spot spiked the discussion; Marvel Studio’s Avengers trailer was eagerly shared; Frank’s Red Hot dominated the feed by placing themselves on every other ad; Verizon’s tribute to first responders campaign had all eyes on it, the case study reported.

UK Publishers Are In Search For Snapchat Alternatives

Digiday reported Tuesday, that the UK publishers are looking for alternative ways to profit from their Snapchat efforts. Many consider piloting shows to sell to broadcasters and exploring eCommerce options, as the Snap’s six-second commercials in Europe hasn’t yet reached its full potential.

Why it matters: Since most UK publishers are using the platform in creative ways for other revenue opportunities, profits from ads in Shows isn’t the end goal for them.

The details: Snapchat told Digiday that it was too early to draw definitive conclusions from the success of Shows feature in the UK. The company is confident, though, that the audiences are growing and the company plans to add more content partners in 2019.

YouTube Reaches A Milestone At 2 Billion Monthly Users

According to Fortune, YouTube celebrates a new milestone of nearly 2 billion monthly logged-in users.

Why it matters: This number reflects the platform’s steady-growing popularity and thriving profit opportunities. And the impressive pool of users gives Youtube’s owner, Google, and its parent company, Alphabet, a chance to offer YouTube subscription services to a massive audience.

The details: The number of YouTube channels with more than 1 million subscribers grew twice in size in 2018. The number of content creators earning between $10,000 to $1 million grew more than 40 percent compared to a year earlier, as well.

Facebook Introduces Household Income Targeting Based On Household Income

Facebook now allows marketers to reach audiences based on their US ZIP codes’ average household income.

Why it matters: With the new feature introduced by the company, marketers can now tailor their creative content and incorporate income demographics to display more relevant ads to their audiences.

The details: As per the report published by the company, to build Facebook’s household income by US ZIP, the company ordered all US ZIP codes by their average household income and then grouped them into ranges. There are also some restrictions, as the reports stress the fact that the audiences are not available for Housing, Employment and Credit ads and are only available for inclusion targeting for other ads.

YouTube Is Changing The Pricing And Format Of Masthead Ads

According to Business Insider, YouTube is changing its masthead ad pricing model from cost-per-day to cost per impression.

Why it matters: The new model will make it more challenging and competitive for brands to advertise on the YouTube platform.

The details: YouTube’s masthead ads used to be charged on a fixed, cost-per-day rate, which means that a single advertiser could purchase one slot each day. But with the new pricing model implemented by YouTube, masthead ads will be sold on CPM (cost per impression), which will make it possible for multiple advertisers to bid and set the price for up to seven days in a row.

Instagram Is Working On Stories Quiz Stickers Launch

As spotted by code hacker Jane Manchun Wong, Instagram seems to be getting close to releasing a new “Quiz” sticker for Instagram Stories, Social Media Today reported on Saturday.

Why it matters: The feature would provide additional creative options for boosting engagement via Instagram Stories. Considering that 500 million users utilize Stories every day, Quiz Stickers can be potentially used by brands.

The details: The new feature should allow brands to create buzz around new products, obtain authentic audience feedback and educate the followers about brands through quiz questions.

TikTok Is Getting To The Top Of Social Media Food Chain

TikTok, the Chinese social media platform which allows users to create and share short video clips, is getting to the top of download charts and is becoming a huge competitor to Snapchat and even Twitter, according to CNBC.

Why it matters: TikTok hosts 500 million monthly actives users compared with Twitter’s 326 million, which makes it a desirable platform.

The details: Research firm App Annie reported that TikTok’s ranking in 2018 was No. 4 worldwide in downloads across iOS and Google Play.

Gap Brand Hires CMO; Lime Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

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This week’s executive shifts include TikTok hiring their first-ever general manager for the U.S., Gap Brand appointing a former Adidas exec, e.l.f. Beauty hiring a former bareMinerals exec, BankMobile appointing a new CMO, Nurture Life hiring a new chief marketing officer, former StubHub CMO joining Indigo Ag, Inc., Breeders’ Cup CMO stepping down, SpartanNash appointing a new CMO and LivSpace hiring their first-ever CMO from Flipkart.

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

Gap Brand Appoints Former Adidas Exec

Gap Brand has hired Alegra O’Hare as senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Previously, O’Hare served as vice president of global brand communications for Adidas Originals and Style. During that time, she was responsible for the award-winning Adidas Originals campaign ‘Original is Never Finished.’

“I have always admired Gap’s ethos, including the culture, creativity and heritage of the brand. These core values are what make Gap unique, and I am thrilled to join Neil and the team with the important task to shift brand perception, amplify our stories, and deliver a bold, new and exciting point of view to our consumers around the world,” said O’ Hare in a press release.

Lime Hires First Chief Marketing Officer

Lime, the electric scooter company, appointed Duke Stump as their first-ever Chief Marketing Officer. Previously, Stump served as EVP of brand & community at Lululemon, where he successfully launched their global campaign ‘This is Yoga.’

Before that, Stump spent over 15 years at Nike where he worked as vice president of product marketing. He also served as CMO at Seventh Generation.

TikTok Hires Former First-Ever GM For The U.S.

TikTok appointed Vanessa Pappas as general manager for the United States. Prior to joining the video-sharing app, Pappas served as YouTube’s global head of creative insights where she worked for over seven years. TikTok started testing ads recently and this new appointment shows the Chinese-owned company’s growing interest to target American audiences.

e.l.f. Beauty Hires Former bareMinerals Exec

e.l.f. Beauty appointed Kory Marchisotto as their chief marketing officer. Previously, Marchisotto served as the senior vice president of marketing for bareMinerals. She also worked at Shiseido’s Beauty Prestige Group for 16 years, where she worked her way up from a marketing manager to SVP of marketing.

“I’ve long admired the e.l.f. brand and its pulse on the beauty enthusiasts that e.l.f. serves, bringing innovative products to the market at incredible speeds and affordable prices,” said Marchisotto in a statement. “I’m very excited to join this talented team and help bring more consumers into the e.l.f. experience in new ways.”

Nurture Life Appoints New Chief Marketing Officer

Nurture Life, a provider of meals for children delivered direct to consumers, has appointed Christina Kline as their new chief marketing officer. Prior to joining Nurture Life, Kline served as CMO at Analyte Health, a platform that connects patients to diagnostic services.

“I am excited to be part of Nurture Life’s journey to disrupt the traditional baby, toddler and kid food industry,” said Kline in a statement. “It is an honor to join this growing organization and work with visionary co-founders authentically focused on addressing a growing health concern for children in the United States.”

Indigo Ag, Inc. Hires Former StubHub CMO

Indigo Ag, Inc., a company building systems to help farmers create sustainable food, appointed Jennifer Betka as the company’s first chief marketing officer. Betka has been brough in to help build Indigo Ag’s global brand.

Previously, Betka served as CMO for StubHub, where she raised the company from a secondary ticketing platform to the world’s leading ticket marketplace in over 40 countries. Betka also spent time as SVP marketing at Fandom and VP consumer and interactive marketing at the Los Angeles Times.

“Throughout my career, I have been committed to brands that enrich people’s lives,” Betka said in a statement. “Indigo is making a vast impact at a time when the effects of climate change have shifted conversation to action. By bridging consumers’ desire for transparency and access to healthier food choices with products and services that accelerate the adoption of more sustainable growing practices, this company has introduced a complex portfolio of solutions that touch the entire supply chain. This, in itself, creates a unique and exciting brand opportunity.”

Breeders’ Cup Limited’s CMO Steps Down

Breeders’ Cup Limited’s chief marketing officer Bryan Pettigrew announced he is stepping down to pursue other interests. His official title was SVP of marketing and sponsorship for the last four years.

According to his LinkedIn, “Prior to joining the Breeders’ Cup, Pettigrew worked for the National Thoroughbred Racing Association where he worked with horse industry leaders including the Breeders’ Cup, The Jockey Club, Stronach Group, Churchill Downs and New York Racing Association to develop national partnership strategies. ”

SpartanNash Hires New CMO

SpartanNash has hired Lori Raya as the company’s new chief merchandising and marketing officer. Before joining SpartanNash, Raya worked at Safeway/Albertsons for 31 years. Most recently she served as division president of Albertsons, where she led the post-merger transition with Safeway.

BankMobile Promotes VP of Marketing

BankMobile, a division of Customers Bank, has hired Regine Fiddler to be the company’s chief marketing officer. Fiddler served as vice president of marketing and product management for five years. Prior to joining BankMobile, she worked as VP of product management for Higher One, a financial technology company.

LivSpace Appoints Thier First Chief Marketing Officer

LivSpace, an online home interior design and renovation platform, appointed Kartikeya Bhandari as the company’s first-ever CMO. Previously, Bhandari served as Flipkart’s senior marketing director where he led the launch of Big Billion Days. Flipkart was acquired by Walmart last year for $16 billion.

Roak Brewing Co. Hires New VP of Sales And Marketing

Roak Brewing Co. appointed Aaron Lanctot as their new vice president of sales and marketing. Previously, Lanctot served as director of sales at Blake’s Hard Cider for three years and before that he worked as a regional sales representative for Rochester Mills Beer Company.

EMPIRE Hires Peter Kadin As VP

EMPIRE, a music label and digital distribution company, has hired Peter Kadin to be the company’s vice president of marketing. Kadin, who started out at The Chamber Group where he started out as an intern but worked his way up to working directly with the company’s big clients, like Future and Erykah Badu.

Kadin then took the position senior director of media and artist relations at Def Jam Recordings, but left last year to start his own agency, Kadin Creative.

Kadin told Billboard, “I’m thrilled to join the bold and innovative team at EMPIRE. EMPIRE has a keen sensibility for artist discovery and growth beginning at the earliest, most exciting phase of an artist’s career, and it couples that with the foresight to capitalize on future trends in the music industry and in culture as a whole.”

Salata Promotes CMO To President

Salata, a fast-casual restaurant, promoted their chief marketing officer Michelle Bythewood to the role of president, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. Blythewood had been in the CMO position since 2017. Prior to that was the VP of marketing at Cici’s before starting her own marketing agency Field Marketing Focus, of which she continues to be the founder and principal.

Symantec Hires New Chief Marketing Officer

Symantec has hired Debora Beachner Tomlin as the company’s chief marketing officer. Tomlin was previously the chief marketing officer at CSAA Insurance and vice president of marketing at Capital One. Tomlin also serves on the board of LiveRamp.

Greg Clark, Symantec President and CEO. said of the appointment, “We are thrilled to welcome Deb to Symantec. An accomplished and influential leader in the marketing industry, Deb brings tremendous experience leading marketing, customer experience, distribution and product teams. I am confident her expertise will help take our leadership portfolio and customer success to the next level in the market, and that she will be a strong addition to the Symantec management team as we execute our strategic growth plans.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, February 8. 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
Global Head (CMO) of Print Marketing HP Palo Alto, CA
Vice President, Marketing Strategy  Saks Fifth Avenue New York, NY
Head of Marketing  Sony Music London, UK
Head of Marketing Uber London, UK
VP Marketing Analytics DISNEY New York, NY

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

T-Mobile Avoids Celebrity Trend, Focuses On Simplicity For Super Bowl Ads

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This past Sunday, T-Mobile’s Super Bowl ads reminded marketers that brands don’t need celebrity or spectacle to garner a strong audience reaction. The mobile company aired four commercials during the game and two of their ads ranked in the top ten of Ipsos’ real-time, nonconscious rankings.

T-Mobile strayed from the methods of Pepsi, Olay or Stella Artois, and merely presented something we see every day: a phone screen where a text conversation was underway. On Ipsos’ rankings, T-Mobile’s “We’re Here For You” ad ranked number four and their “We’ll Keep This Brief” spot came in at number eight.

Mostly, the ads work because they’re relatable. Consumers identify with the awkwardness and miscommunication that comes with texting.

Two of the spots not only promoted T-Mobile but free offers for their customers. During the “What’s for Dinner” spot, the ad announced a collaboration with Taco Bell for free tacos every Tuesday and the “We’re Here For You” spot partnered with Lyft to promote free rides (both via the T-Mobile Tuesdays app).

However, not everyone reacted to the ads positively. Some viewers accused T-Mobile of stealing a meme from 2017 for the Lyft spot. But, unlike some meme-makers, but it turns out T-Mobile licensed the joke.

This is the second year Ipsos tested the ads in a real setting—the market research company recruited 37 people to watch the ads during the game at a Super Bowl party. Participants also brought friends to the viewing.

As for the “nonconscious” part of “Ipsos real-time, nonconscious ranking,” it refers to biometric data.

According to the press release, “each viewer was fitted with Shimmer’s NeuroLynQ system—a wrist bracelet and finger sensor to passively capture galvanic skin response (GSR).”

The data was used to find out which ads had the “strongest emotional impact on the audience during the event itself—not when tested in isolation.”

Overall, though, the ads were less engaging than 2018’s ads. “Not surprisingly, given the historic lack of touchdowns for most of the game, the overall score for the game was noticeably lower than the Patriots vs. Eagles contest of 2018.” said Pedr Howard, Ipsos’senior vice president for creative excellence in a statement.

“The $5.25 million question is whether the game itself impacts the engagement with the ads or whether we saw a dip in creative quality.”

Trump’s Branding Report Card: Thoughts From Two Marketing Professors

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Written By Daniel Korschun and Americus Reed, II

Donald Trump. Master showman. Savvy brand builder. Reality TV star. Forty-fifth president of the United States. Wait! You did hear that right. This is not a television show. After an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2000, Donald Trump began a years-long project to reinvent his personal brand. A journey to complete the most significant transaction of his life, the 2016 election. Last night he updated the country in his second state of the union address.

As two marketing professors, we always look for teachable moments. We decided to sit down and analyze the Trump brand, from a marketing and branding point of view. Our conclusion? He excels in some areas, but his branding has not kept pace with advances in marketing on how to create lasting brands.

Years ago, branding scholars often focused on the moment of purchase. Imagine a consumer standing in a supermarket aisle trying to decide between two brands of yogurt. In this scenario, each time a consumer goes to the supermarket, they choose by recalling key traits of each brand and then evaluate how well those traits match with what is important to them.

From this point of view, the job of a manager is to make sure that the most important traits pop into mind as soon as the consumer sees the brand. Traditional marketers do this by rote repetition. Drum-in a concept enough times and often it will stick. At that point, any mention of the brand will call the concept to mind (try to think of Clorox without thinking of “sterile,” or Activia yogurt without thinking of probiotics).

This time-tested approach is one of the President’s go-to techniques. A common critique of the President is that he does not stay on message. That may be true for some policy announcements, but when it comes to the language, he uses he has been remarkably consistent. From his catchphrase on the Apprentice (“you’re fired!) to his interviews, rallies, and tweets, he invariably describes himself as “strong,”“speaks his mind” and “a winner,” while labeling his rivals as “weak,” “politicians” and “losers.”

This latter point is reminiscent of the classic “Hi, I am an Apple (Hi, I am a PC)” ads, where Apple depicted itself as hip, cool, creative, media intensive, sleek and fun—while simultaneously branding Microsoft as stodgy, out of date, uncool, boring, and hard to use. Trump has branded his rivals in the same way (lying Ted, low-energy Jeb, failing New York Times, rat Michael Cohen, publicity seeking Lindsey Graham, and of course, the infamous crooked Hillary).

Layer on top of this simplistic branding approach the fact that many of the arguments made by Trump to persuade voters are based primarily on emotions. Emotional branding can be powerful because decisions that are based on emotions feel more like they come from an authentic sense of who you are. Once convinced, based on emotions, many people will resist changing their minds, even when presented with those stubborn things that we call, well, facts.

Therefore, top-notch emotional and simplistic branding of both himself and rivals led to a victory at the moment of choice—in the ballot box. Enough of the target market chose Trump over Hillary Clinton and became what we might call in marketing, “brand evangelists for 45”—those who might literally be willing to overlook a shooting on 5th avenue.

One might say that in terms of success in creating a legion of loyal customers, this approach gets an A. So where is the problem?

The President is trying to run the government like a master brand promoter creating reality television. There is no sense of customer history, context, using past customer data to inform future decision making across all aspects of presidential protocol. It is all moment by moment brand building to win the next news cycle’s sound bite.

Moreover, most brands eventually want a “larger target market.” For example, sportswear brand Under Armor started out niche, with “We Must Protect this House” aimed directly at hardcore athletes. In fact, they were the first company to get men to put on spandex and not feel silly. But at some point, they wanted to grow their base and reach more of a mass market. Candidate Trump converted many voters at the time of the election, but President Trump has been unable or unwilling to rethink his approach to speak to the larger market. Perhaps the larger market he needs to win again in 2020.

There is a second key challenge. His leadership style is drawing him into a classic marketing trap. Brands today realize that a strategy that was successful in attracting customers can be disastrous when it comes to retaining them.

Consider the classic way to attract customers’ discounts. Brands that rely on deep discounts quickly discover that the customers that are most attracted to great deals are precisely the ones who are fickle enough to defect when a competitor provides a discount of their own.

To overcome this challenge, the best marketers today retain customers by doing at least two things. First, they deliver on promises with each interaction. Exciting claims may help win a customer, but consistent actions keep a customer. The brand must be a reliable partner over time. And second, the brand should appeal not only to self-interest but also to the customer’s values and ideals. Patagonia does this by reminding customers that the brand’s raison d’être is as much about protecting the environment as it is about providing quality outdoor apparel. Nike was once a brand solely of performance (“Just Do It”) but now alludes to traits such as courage in addressing social ills (e.g., its campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick).

Donald Trump has always been effective at appealing to a small target market’s short-term interests, but he persistently struggles at maintaining longer-term relationships. For example, after bad experiences in the 1980s and 1990s, many American banks no longer extended him credit (background here and here). He cycled through contractors, some of whom complained about not being paid. He was able to brand his way out of some of these challenges.

His reversal on a prior agreement with Senate Republicans is in part what led to this year’s government shutdown. Some commentators have noted that Senate Republicans are merely waiting for the right moment to shift their allegiance. And ominously, the Mueller probe finds it all too easy to flip former confidants for whom it no longer serves their interest to be loyal to the President.

The breakdown is even more apparent among people less beholden to self-interest. In his resignation letter, Former Defense Secretary James Mattis said his role had been to serve “in defense of our citizens and our ideals,” not the President himself. Likewise, the late Senator John McCain could not bring himself to partner with the President, because “The world expects us to be concerned with the condition of humanity…[but] I’m not sure the president understands that.”

The world’s most successful brands today create long-term relationships that appeal to a combination of self-interest and values, and they do so with a chess-type eye towards long term market building and growing of the customer base. You need many customers on your train to successfully sustain your business model. President Trump’s brand builds on emotional persuasion rather than long-term value. And even though he tried to message to the country in last night’s state of the union address, with each passing day, the challenges we cite become more apparent. In our view, this portion of his branding report card gets an F.