Gillette Generates 1.5M Mentions From New Campaign

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This post was updated with social media statistics on January 16.  

Gillette is taking on several important and difficult topics associated with “toxic masculinity.” The Procter & Gamble-owned razor brand revisited its 30-year-old tagline “The Best A Man Can Get” and modernizes the concept with a bit of purpose-driven marketing.

The company announced its new marketing campaign by launching an almost two-minute ad titled “We Believe” on YouTube. It features a compilation of men facing current issues, like the #metoo movement, along with traditional societal pressures of what it is to be a man.

“Gillette believes in the best in men,” said Gary Coombe, president of P&G global grooming in a press release. “By holding each other accountable, eliminating excuses for bad behavior and supporting a new generation working toward their personal ‘best,’ we can help create positive change that will matter for years to come.”

The spot shows men of different ages and ethnicities looking into a mirror as the sounds of various TV news reporters say “Bullying,” “The Me Too movement against sexual harassment,” “masculinity,” while the narrator poses the question “Is that the best a man can get?”

The commercial ends with a call to action, “It’s only by challenging ourselves to do more that we can get closer to our best. We are taking action at thebestmencanbe.org,” to encourage viewers to click on their mission website.

Gillette is donating $1 million per year for the next three years to non-profit organizations creating U.S. programs to help men of all ages achieve their “best.” They want to promote and encourage respect between all walks of life, accountability for inappropriate behavior and groom role models for young boys to look up to. Their first partnership is the Boys and Girls Club of America.

“In our last decade of work on the theory of masculinity in modern America, we’ve sought to understand both the internal and external forces that shape men’s attitudes, beliefs and actions,” said Drs. William Seymour, Ramel Smith, and Hector Torres of the Building a Better Man Project in the release. “We’re honored to partner with Gillette as they seek to champion causes that can make a positive impact on men and boys.”

According to analytics company Talkwalker, as of 8:30 a.m. on January 16:

  • Gillette has 1.5 million social media mentions since 1/14 compared to less than 10,000 for the same period last week
  • 1.1 million of these mentions happened in the last 24 hours
  • The hashtag #TheBestMenCanBe was used 187,400 times over that same period
  • On Twitter, the brand’s original tweet has been shared over 167,000 times
  • The video within the post has been viewed 19.7 million times
  • Gillette’s YouTube video of the ad has been viewed 1.3 million times with 104,000 interactions

 

 

This Week’s Exec Shifts: Disney+ Hires Marketing Head; SodaStream CMO Departs

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This week’s executive shifts include SodaStream’s marketing chief departing the company, Warner Bros. picking up an EVP from 20th Century Fox, Target’s CMO taking on a new role, Land’s End naming a new brand marketer, Subway’s chief marketing officer retiring, a new CMO for Kum & Go, a marketing boss for Disney+, Roar Digital picks a new head marketer, Avon adds to its marketing team, Tourism Australia’s CMO leaves for Coles and new chief marketing officers for YETI and Mitsubishi North America.

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

Disney+ Finds Marketing And Operations Lead

Disney+ has announced the hiring of Joe Earley, who will be the SVOD service’s head of marketing and operations. Earley comes to Disney from The Jackal Group, where he served as president since 2016. The Jackal Group is a joint venture with Fox (now owned by Disney) to develop original scripted programming.

Before that, Earley was Fox’s COO and president of marketing and communications. Earley also had a stint as co-chair at PromaxBDA.

Disney’s $52.4 billion acquisition is expected to go through by March 1.

SodaStream Marketing Chief Departs

Former Weigh Watchers chief marketing officer, Maurice Herrera, who joined SodaStream last August, left the soda company after only four months on the job. According to Herrera’s LinkedIn, the marketer departed SodaStream in December and quickly landed at Avis Budget Group as SVP, head of marketing.

PepsiCo completed its acquisition of SodaStream in early December.

Former Coke Exec, Subway CMO Retires

Current Subway chief marketing officer Joe Tripodi announced his retirement. Tripodi joined Subway three years ago after spending almost a decade as the top marketer at The Coca-Cola Company.

Before Coca-Cola, Tripodi held the CMO title at several companies including Allstate, Bank of New York, Seagram’s and Mastercard. The interim CMO at Subway will be Ampersand’s Roger Mader.

Tripodi spoke to Marketing Week about his time at Subway, “This was one of the most challenging jobs I’ve ever had because it was a privately held company that had lived in a little bit of isolation for many years so I had to drive some significant transformation. The transformation at Subway was the business, the brand and the culture. The business is changing so much that it was just time to let other people come in and run it from there.”

Warner Bros. Hires Intl. Marketing EVP

Julien Noble is being to Warner Bros. Pictures marketing team as executive vice president, international marketing.

Noble comes to Warner Bros. after five years in worldwide marketing at 20th Century Fox, where according to Deadline, he worked on campaigns for Deadpool and Bohemian Rhapsody. Before Fox, Noble work for many years at Disney.

Target’s Changes CMO’s Title

Target announced a few leadership changes sandwiched between the company’s November/December sales report.

Rick Gomez, currently serving as Target’s chief marketing officer, will now hold the title of chief marketing and digital officer. Gomez will lead the digital team, guiding them in personalization and customer shopping experience. See Target’s full announcement here and more information on Gomez’s appointment below.

“Chief marketing officer, Rick Gomez, has been named chief marketing and digital officer and will now lead Target’s Digital team, focusing on its important role in personalization, loyalty and the overall shopping experience. Gomez joined Target in 2013 and was named CMO in 2017, with a focus on strengthening Target’s brand positioning and driving the business. Before Target, Gomez held various positions at MillerCoors, PepsiCo and the Quaker Oats Company.”

Land’s Ends Names Brand Marketing Head

Land’s End has named Rosalind Drisko as VP, public relations and brand marketing. Drisko comes to the company from Nautica, where she worked over a decade and most recently held the title of vice president of global marketing.

In a statement, Land’s End stated “Drisko brings a wealth of industry experience in progressive leadership roles and most recently was at VF Corporation, Nautica Apparel Brand as vice president of global marketing, where she led marketing and creative services. Drisko will lead the public relations, social media and brand marketing teams, which will continue solidifying the brand’s unique point of view in the marketplace and push awareness through partnership and collaboration opportunities.”

Kum & Go Picks CMO

Kum & Go, a convenience store chain, has hired TJ Freeborn as the company’s new chief marketing officer.

According to the company’s press release, “[Freeborn] has served in progressively advancing leadership roles for national category leaders, such as Wells Fargo and Discover, and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Branding and Customer Experience for loanDepot.”

Rubica Hires Chief Marketer

Consumer cybersecurity company Rubica has hired Emily Carrion as the company’s first chief marketing officer.

Carrion comes to the Rubica having been a former VP of marketing at both Textio and AnswerIQ. She currently serves on the board at the Seattle University Entrepreneurship Center.

Roar Digital Finds Marketing Chief

Roar Digital, a joint venture from MGM and GVC, has hired the company’s first chief marketing officer in the form of Matt Prevost.

Prevost comes to the company from Avon, where he joined in 2017 and served as chief digital officer. Prevost also served as chief marketing officer at Coral Interactive, from 2011 to 2015.

Deliveroo Hires Chief Marketing Officer

British food delivery service, Deliveroo, has added to their c-suite team with a new chief marketing officer. According to The Drum, Inés Ures will join the company.

Ures will join Deliveroo after spending the last three years at Treatwell as chief customer officer and chief marketing officer. Ures also served as CMO at Groupalia.

Tourism Australia Ex-CMO Joins Coles

Tourism Australia’s chief marketing officer Lisa Ronson will be leaving the organization in March for a position at Australian retailer Cole’s, where she will retain the same title. Ronson famously led Tourism Australia’s Crocodile Dundee campaign that premiered during the Super Bowl in 2018.

Avon Adds To Marketing Team

Avon added to its marketing team by picking a former Weetabix shopping marketer. Victoria Westwood will become Avon’s global senior brand manager, a newly created role according to The Drum. Westwood’s new role comes after restructuring and multiple executive appointments came late last year at Avon, including hiring Diageo N.A. vet James Thompson as chief beauty and brand officer.

Entercom CMO Departs

Entercom, a broadcasting company with a network of over 235 radio stations, will see their current chief marketing officer step down this week. Ruth Gaviria joined Entercom three years ago after many years at Univision. No word yet on what Gaviria will do next.

Kraft Heinz Canada Hires CMO

Kraft Heinz Canada has named Dana Somerville as their next chief marketing officer. Somerville was previously Kraft Heinz Canada’s VP and head of brand build, innovation and R&D, according to Strategy.

Mitsubishi N.A. Picks Up Chief Marketing Officer

Mitsubishi Motors North America has announced the hiring of Kimberley Gardiner as the company’s first vice president and chief marketing officer.

Gardiner comes to the company after spending some years at Kia Motors America as the company’s director of marketing communications. She also spent several years in marketing positions at Toyota and Lexus.

“Kimberley brings an enviable blend of analytical prowess, digital foresight and traditional advertising experience. Mitsubishi Motors North America is coming off its best sales year since 2007, and our company is on a roll. New vehicles are coming quickly to our showrooms and our dealer partners are engaged and investing in their customers’ experience; now is the time for creative, data-driven ways to tell our special brand story,” Mark Chaffin Mitsubishi N.A.’s CEO said of the appointment.

OCBC Bank Names Head Of Marketing

Singapore-based OCBC Bank has named Yvonne Low as chief marketing officer of the consumer financial services division.

Low most recently worked for a consulting firm and prior to that, she held the role of senior director, marketing, menu and digital innovation McDonald’s in Singapore. Low also spent a number of years at DDB Singapore.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, January 11. 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 

Executive Director, Chief Marketing Officer Lenovo Chicago, IL
Global Head (CMO) of Print Marketing HP Palo Alto, CA
Vice President, Marketing Strategy and Project Management Paramount Pictures Hollywood, CA
Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Origins North America Estée Lauder Virtual, USA
Head of Marketing Uber London, UK
VP Marketing Analytics DISNEY New York, NY

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

Instagram Ousts TV; YouTube To Remove Twitter Auto-Sharing

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This week in social media news, Instagram beats TV as the main platform to advertise to young people, YouTube will remove built-in Twitter and Google+ sharing options, Instagram will see its digital ad share double, Twitter will start streaming NBA games, Instagram will allow users to post to multiple accounts at once, Twitter is working on new publisher tools and Snapchat introduces end-to-end encryption to protect user privacy.

Move Over TV, Instagram Is The Top Way To Advertise To Young People

A study by Cowen, a financial firm, surveyed U.S. ad buyers and revealed they would pick Instagram over TV for new branding campaigns.

Why it matters: TV is losing its importance. The future is in social platforms.

Details: The financial firm surveyed 50 ad buyers to “to identify the primary platform they would use for a new branding campaign.” Business Insider reported that 61 percent of respondents targeting consumers ages 13 to 34 chose Instagram as the primary platform first, then YouTube/Google Video followed by Snapchat. For the demographic 35 and over, TV is still the choice platform for respondents to launch their new campaign.

YouTube Plans To Drop Twitter, Google+ Sharing Options

The major video sharing platform announced YouTube users will not be able to automatically share their content on Twitter and Google+ after January 31.

Why it matters: Users will need to find other ways to post automatically or do it manually.

Details: A Team YouTube employee wrote a post disclosing the removal and pushed the feature @mentions as a better way of social sharing.

Instagram Shows No Signs of Slowing Down

Facebook is struggling, but Instagram is its golden child. A study by Cowen—the same one that found Instagram is the main way to advertise to young demographics—also finds the photo-sharing platform’s ad share will double from 2018 to 2020.

Why it matters: Even though Facebook owns Instagram, consumers still see them as separate entities.

Details: Bloomberg reports Instagram’s “Stories” was a vital feature to make the app popular for campaigns. A representative from Cowen noted more ad buyers allocated some money to Instagram Stories last year compared to 2017.

Twitter Will Begin To Stream NBA Games

Twitter announced it signed a partnership with the NBA to stream parts of the game and they’ve come up with an innovative way to get viewers involved.

Why it matters: Sports personalities and news became a huge part of the Twitter ecosystem years ago. Companies like Twitter, Amazon and Yahoo continue to compete for these deals as we reinvent the way we stream TV and sports.

Details: To differentiate themselves from traditional channels like ESPN, Twitter is only streaming the second half of the games starting at the All-Start Game in February. Also, don’t expect to see the full court, the camera will only focus on a single player. During the first half, fans can vote at the @NBAonTNT Twitter account for the player they want the camera to follow.

Instagram’s ‘Self-Regram’ Allows Posting To Multiple Accounts

Instagram launches a new feature that lets users post to multiple accounts at the same time.

Why it matters: It’s a time saver, especially for high-volume brands and influencers.

Details: Instagram told TechCrunch the feature, called “self-regram,” will appear when a user is about to share a post. It will be in the same section where users can tag people and point location. The option will be labeled “Post to Other Accounts” to easily switch to another account. The feature will initially be available to iOS users, There is no word when it will roll out.

Twitter Works On New Publisher Tools

At CES 2019, Twitter announced its working on two new features—an events dashboard and activity tracker—to assist marketers.

Why it matters: The goal is to allow marketers to see who is interacting with their content on Twitter. Marketers will get topical information in real-time instead of after-the-fact.

Details: TechCrunch broke the news reporting Twitter is looking for more ways to monetize beyond traditional advertising. The events dashboard will show major events and breaking news in real-time and give insights. The new activity tracker brings the function in-house with access to direct data. There is no word when these features will roll out.

Snapchat Adds End-To-End Encryption to Secure Users 

In an effort to prevent videos and photos from being seized by outsiders, Snapchat adds end-to-end encryption.

Why it matters: In a climate of constant data theft and fraud, it’s a move by Snapchat to protect user privacy.

Details: Snaps were originally unencrypted and would be stored on servers for around 30 days. Now, Snapchat’s content will be less vulnerable to hackers or security services. The Telegraph also reported this new encryption is only for snaps and not group chats or messaging.

Twitter Will Start Testing New Features To Promote ‘Healthy Conversation’

Twitter told Engadget at CES this week it’s going to start the beta program of its updated conversation features in order to get users to talk to one another.

Why it matters: The changes will not only switch-up Twitter visually, but how we use it.

Details: Twitter is experimenting with new features, one of them will indicate when users are online and it might include a current status setting under your username; another feature is the “icebreakers” a prewritten tweet in order to initiate conversation. Twitter has also dabbled with the idea to let users pin the icebreaker to the top of their profile. Another feature being tested is an easier way of responding to threads and individual people.

Snapchat Brings Joy To Users Study Finds

Snapchat commissioned Apposphere to study around 1,000 users between the ages of 14 and 44 to get more information on their emotions, which apps they use and how much time they spend on them.

Why it matters: Snapchat hasn’t been super successful retaining users, but new information that Snapchat makes users “happy” could boost their appeal to advertisers.

Details: Brand commissioned surveys should be analyzed with a healthy dose of suspicion, but according to Mashable this one is similar to other independent studies. Per the study, about 95 percent of users feel happy using Snapchat compared to other apps. It also emitted feelings of silliness and playfulness.

Samsung’s Facebook App Is Just A Placeholder

Samsung users received news from Bloomberg that they couldn’t permanently delete their Facebook app, but it turns out to be just a disabled shell.

Why it matters: People like the freedom to chose the apps they download on their phone and feeling like its been forced upon you isn’t good from a brand perspective.

Details: Bloomberg reported Samsung owners couldn’t uninstall the Facebook app from their phone, but thankfully you can. Reverse-engineer wizard Jane Manchun Wong clarified the pre-installed app isn’t active until you decide to update it. In fact, it’s just the Facebook app manager/installer.

Twitter Impacts Financial Markets

Finding Trump’s tweets cause declines in the stock of certain companies, Barron’s went further to examine how much Twitter affects global markets.

Why it matters: Twitter impacts the news and markets, more than traditional news outlets do.

Details: The study compared Twitter with traditional news outlets in how they impact the euro zone’s sovereign bond market. They analyzed the Greek debt crisis because of its global interest and tracked the word “Grexit” to examine Twitter’s power.

PGA Tour Renewed Deal With Twitter

The association announced it will stream via Twitter, offering around 140 hours of free viewing during the 2018-19 season.

Why it matters: PGA Tour’s chief media officer Rick Anderson said the partnership with Twitter has led to “extraordinary feedback” from fans. They also saw an increase in sponsor enthusiasm and buzz around the sport.

Details: The live coverage will feature 28 tournaments and additionally a ‘Fan Vote Fridays,’ where viewers can vote via Twitter on the two featured groups showcased on Friday coverage. Viewers can also get pre-tournament access from the driving range weekly.

Bloomberg Media Plans To Broaden TicToc

The one-year-old news brand has proved its success, getting over 500,000 followers and around 2.2 daily views.

Why it matters: Bloomberg Media has plans to expand TicToc to other platforms like dedicated apps and TVs. The news site geared at millennials wants to be the main news outlet for younger generations.

Details: At the start of 2019, Bloomberg is getting ready to launch TicToc’s video platform and the outlet will be aired on TV screens in major airports due to a new partnership with Reach TV.

Instagram Causes Anxiety Compared To Other Platforms

Psychology of Popular Media Culture found Instagram affects our mental health in a bad way and those who use it for work like Influencers can suffer the most.

Why it matters: The author of the study believes Instagram can confuse our social comparison radar because we naturally compare ourselves to gauge social standing. Influencers are on Instagram all day long and many of those interviewed for the study revealed they feel “tied to a static, inauthentic identity.” Keeping Instagram realistic helps to turn the negative feelings around to more positive ones.

Details: The research found it increases depression and anxiety in users when they spent too much time on it. Additionally, viewing a stranger’s profile causes more anxiety than ones of people you know.

Facebook Rejects GRIS Ad For Being ‘Sexually Suggestive’

Devolver Digital, game publishers of GRIS, don’t understand why an ad for the game’s trailer was rejected, being deemed “sexually suggestive.”

Why it matters: Facebook made the promise to crack down on inappropriate, hateful content, but it seems there is some overkill. A Devolver representative told Kotaku “This is stupid” and that their appeal was also rejected.

Details: The ad, featuring a statue of a woman crumbling, doesn’t seem sexual even for the most critical of puritans. See for yourself.

Facebook Users Leaving To Other Social Media Platforms

Facebook’s market share is falling, while other ones like Pinterest and Twitter grew. Last year, Facebook’s market share dropped from 76 percent to 66 percent globally.

Why it matters: According to Forbes, Facebook is still king of social media with about 30 percent of the world still actively using the platform. However, if something drastic doesn’t happen to help Facebook’s image, we might just be seeing its demise.

Details: Facebook is still far ahead from other social media platforms, but the scandals are definitely making an impact on their numbers. In June, they reached an all-time low market share of 63%. Last year, YouTube’s market share grew 4.8 percent, Twitter rose 8.2 percent and Pinterest grew its market share the most by 16.3 percent.

Instagram Is Full Of Fake Influencers

Authenticity is a big priority in marketing, but some brands are paying out over $200 million on phony Instagram influencers.

Why it matters: As the primary influencing platform, Instagram’s strength lies in its focus on ecommerce. But, some influencers are buying fabricated followers in order to charge more for their product reviews. Neither marketers nor consumers like to be swindled by these influencers toting fake comments. Vetting should continue to get stricter as brands look to combat fraud.

Details: A report released by Captiv8 revealed about 11 percent of reactions on influencer channels are fake. The company believes this shows how the system isn’t perfect when spotting out real and automated engagement. Recently, Instagram and Facebook tasked themselves with removing millions of fraudulent accounts.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, January 11. 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.

Disruptor Brands Are Growing More With Facebook, Insights Suggests

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Facebook might have encountered a few road bumps in 2018, but the social media platform announced it has been essential for DTC brands. Facebook, in collaboration with Ipsos, debuted its new research during the first day of CES.

The study revealed roughly three in four disruptor brands have grown more compared to non-disruptor brands and about nine in 10 of those online companies reported that Facebook assisted with reaching customers. Most importantly, the research shows disrupter brands are more inclined to build their business on Facebook. Around 72 percent of those brands report fast or steady revenue growth.

“Our success on Facebook pushed us to think about international expansion for earlier than we would have otherwise,” said Dan Rosen, Hubble Contacts’ head of creative, in a Facebook blog post.

“I would urge companies not to underestimate Facebook’s depth; if you think a little bit harder, you can probably find more efficient spend opportunities on the platform.”

Hubble Contacts has always been pretty transparent with their investment in Facebook. In 2017, co-founder Jesse Horwitz told Forbes their marketing is mostly digital and noted they spent 95 percent of their ad dollars on social media giant. Co-founder Ben Cogan added there was no content lens spend on Facebook, so they had little to no competition.

The new research highlighted the use of Facebook and Instagram is good for consumers too. Customers are more likely to get more perks and incentives. Around 39 percent of the disruptor brands offer lower prices versus 23 percent of other brands, 33 percent offer free shipping versus 16 percent and 32 percent offer increased payment options versus 24 percent for non-disruptors.

Peloton, the at-home digital cycling platform, launched in 2012 and since then it’s been a game changer for the fitness world. It’s even been described as “Netflix for fitness.” In 2017, the startup made around $400 million in sales and it was recently valued at $1.25 billion. Despite its fast and large success,  Peloton admits social media is the most valuable way of interacting with consumers.

“In our first year of sales, when no one had heard of Peloton, Facebook was the only marketing channel that drove results for us at any scale. Five years later, Facebook and Instagram are still among our top methods for engaging with current and future Peloton Members,” said Graham Stanton, co-founder and SVP, digital sales & marketing for Peloton in a Facebook blog.

The study also noted how these disrupter brands support each other. Around 73 percent have collaborative connections with other companies on Facebook and nearly 80 percent share business information to others. See the rest of Facebook’s report here.

Cadbury Hijacking Other Brands’ Ads With Easter Egg Hunt Campaign

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It’s not quite Easter, but you can already join in an egg hunt. Cadbury announced a new campaign in which they will be hiding their popular Cadbury Creme Eggs in other brands’ TV, outdoor and print ads.

The Mondolez-owned is promoting the White Chocolate Cadbury Creme Egg with the new campaign. On their website, there are step-by-step instructions on how you can spot the eggs and maybe be a lucky winner and earn yourself £10,000 or about $12,730.

The underground hacker-style video about the campaign at huntthewhitecremeegg.com shows a woman with Cadbury Creme under her eyes instead of camouflage paint. The video delays and freezes as she explains how to play the egg hunt.

“White creme eggs are back, thousands of them, but these gooey goodies aren’t just in stores anymore,” she said. “Somehow these devious delights have infiltrated TV ads, social feeds, billboards, websites and who knows where else.”

A 10-second spot on Cadbury’s YouTube channel uses the same secret mission style theme. This time a man yells “Creme egg hunting season is back!” and proceeds to put the creme under his eyes. Not much explanation of the hunt, but the shot is followed by the campaign’s website in an effort to drive potential “hunters” to learn more.

Cadbury’s infiltration of other ads plays on the idea of brand hijacking and comes after Tide’s brilliant “It’s a #TideAd” during last year’s Super Bowl. “Hijacking” and brand safety have been huge issues in marketing lately, spawning extreme seriousness and humor. No one is quite sure how Cadbury will insert itself into other brand’s ads, however, the “hunt” doesn’t start until January 13. The campaign concludes on Easter, April 21.

According to Adweek, only 1,000 vouchers will be awarded for the white eggs and 30,000 vouchers for the traditional eggs.

Last year, Cadbury did another egg hunt through Facebook. The one-hour live event invited Australian users to search for the egg in a 360-degree virtual landscape. The first person to spot the egg won some chocolate goodies. The event attracted about 220,000 visitors. In 2017, the company got some heat from the Church of England for not using the religious holiday in their marketing, even though Cadbury dismissed the claim and said they did visibly use the word ‘Easter.’

This Week’s Exec Shifts: Kellogg Promotes For Chief Marketing Officer; Calvin Klein Hires EVP From Bulgari

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This week’s executive shifts include new chief marketing officers for Walgreens, Freshly, Tastytrade and Kellogg North America.

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

Kellogg Promotes For North American Chief Marketing Officer

Gail Horwood has been named chief marketing officer, North America, at Kellogg. Horwood has been with Kellogg for two years and previously held the position of SVP integrated marketing.

Horwood began her career in journalism, working for Conde Nast Traveler and Worth Magazine before taking the executive director position at InStyle. Afterward, at Martha Stewart Living, she was EVP digital programming & strategy and subsequently took a high-level strategy position at Johnson & Johnson. According to Horwood’s LinkedIn, as SVP of integrated marketing at Kellogg, she “[led] the Integrated Commercial Planning (ICP) team and omnichannel commercial planning model… overs[aw] experience planning, media, CRM, design, shopper marketing and digital.”‘

Calvin Klein Hires EVP From Bulgari

Calvin Klein, fresh off the exit of Raf Simons from the fashion house, has hired Steven Waldberg as the company’s executive vice president consumer engagement. According to WWD, Waldberg will report directly to Calvin Klein chief marketing officer Marie Gulin-Merle.

Waldberg comes to CK after serving as senior director global communications at Bulgari for the last year. Prior to that he served in marketing, communications and partnerships roles at Lancome, Maybelline and L’Oreal. According to WWD, Waldberg will be in charge of “marketing, public relations, communications, social and corporate social responsibility.”

Freshly Picks Up CMO From Spotify

Freshly announced the hiring of Mayur Gupta as the company’s new chief marketing officer, effective January 7. The meal subscription service picked up Gupta from Spotify, where he was VP of growth and marketing going back to 2016.

Gupta previously held the CMO title at Healthgrades and worked for a number of years in high-level marketing roles at Kimberly-Clark and SapientNitro. According to Gupta’s LinkedIn, he is also an investor in 2ndkitchen and TropicSport. He was also on the CMO advisory board at IBM.

In mid-2017, Nestlé invested $70 million in Freshly, and continues to own a minority stake in the company.

Tastytrade Promotes For CMO

In late December, Tastytrade, a financial media network, promoted Michelle Moore from marketing director to chief marketing officer. Moore joined the company in October of last year from CME Group where she was marketing manager of retail.

In a statement, Tastytrade’s co-CEO Kristi Ross said: “Michelle’s unique marketing expertise with retail investors will support our ongoing momentum and our passion for helping the self-directed investor community.”

Walgreens Appoints Chief Marketing Officer

Over the holiday break, Walgreens announced Vineet Mehra as the company’s new chief marketing officer. Mehra comes to Walgreen’s from Ancestry, where he served as CMO since 2017.

Mehra previously held positions at Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Avon and General Mills Canada. He currently serves on the board of directors at Effie Worldwide and will become the chairman of the board in mid-2019, according to his LinkedIn. Mehra’s appointment at Walgreens comes as the Amazon presents a major threat to the pharmacy industry in the form of Pillpack.com.

WCNY Appoint Marketing Head

WCNY, Syracuse’s PBS affiliate, has appointed Cristina Hatem as vice president and chief marketing officer. Hatem was previously the marketing communications manager at JADAK. She also had a four-year stint at Preferred Mutual.

RetailMeNot Promotes CMO To CEO

RetailMeNot, a coupon and discount code company, has promoted their chief marketing officer, Marissa Tarleton, to to the chief executive officer position. As CMO, “since 2015, leading the company’s brand, consumer and B2B marketing and communications initiatives, driving significant transformation for the business,” the press release stated.

Tarleton came to RetailMeNot after 13 years at Dell, culminating in the position of NA marketing vice president for Dell client solutions.

Standard Chartered Marketer Departs

Sam Ahmed, the global head of digital and retail marketing & insights at Standard Chartered, left the company according to Marketing. According to his LinkedIn, Ahmed joined the bank in 2017 and previously held positions at Mastercard Asia Pacific and Starbucks Asian Pacific.

Historic Hotel Figueroa Hires Chief Marketing Officer

Downtown L.A.’s Hotel Figueroa hired Greg Velasquez as the hotel property’s chief marketing officer. Hotel Figueroa reopened early last year after a lengthy renovation.

According to the press release, “Before joining Hotel Figueroa, Velasquez was the Director of Sales and Marketing at Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills and has previously held sales and marketing positions at several distinguished luxury hotel properties across the country including the Royal Palms Resort and Spa, L’auberge De Sedona, The Phoenician, St. Regis Houston…”

On the hiring, Velasquez said, “What most appealed to me about Hotel Figueroa is the building’s feminist origins. The fact that it was a place built by women, run by women, for other women is a powerful story and one that I would like to see carried through in all aspects of our partnerships and programming.”

Standard Chartered Marketer Departs

Sam Ahmed, the global head of digital and retail marketing & insights at Standard Chartered, left the company according to Marketing. According to his LinkedIn, Ahmed joined the bank in 2017 and previously held positions at Mastercard Asia Pacific and Starbucks Asian Pacific.

Carluccio’s Hires Marketing Director

UK Italian restaurant chain has hired Hilary Ansell as the company’s new marketing director. She comes to Carluccio’s from Gordan Ramsey Restaurants, where she also served as marketing director.

Greater Texas Credit Union Promotes for CMO

Greater Texas Credit Union has promoted Brandy Conway to the positions of senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Conway steps into the CMO role after spending 12 years as vice president of marketing at the credit union.

Conway previously worked in marketing at AOD Federal Credit Union.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, January 4. 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 

Executive Director, Chief Marketing Officer Lenovo Chicago, IL
Global Head (CMO) of Print Marketing HP Palo Alto, CA
Vice President, Marketing Strategy and Project Management Paramount Pictures Hollywood, CA
Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Origins North America Estée Lauder Virtual, USA
Head of Integrated Marketing, Fire TV Amazon Seattle, WA
VP, Retail Marketing Yamaha Buena Park, CA

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

Prague Tourism Launches ‘Censored’ Ad Campaign In New York

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The Czech capital of Prague launched a new advertising campaign “No spoilers. See it Live,” on the streets of New York City to attract U.S. tourists. The photos highlight popular landmarks in Prague—but they’re blurred out—to inspire Americans to see it in person. It’s a collaboration by Prague Airport, CzechTourism, Prague City Tourism and the tourism hub for Central Bohemia.

The OHH ads will be displayed in 1,000 locations across the New York City subway stations. There will also be 80 advertising spaces in Manhattan’s 5th Avenue/53rd Street station.

The official tourism website of the City of Prague displays a pixelated picture of Church of Our Lady Týn before fully revealing itself. Big bold letters state “You need to experience it,” welcome you to the site and right under it a description of all of the “magical” moments you can have in the city.

“Seeing the Prague skyline for the first time, watching the sunset disappear behind the silhouette of the Prague Castle, walking across the 600-year-old Charles Bridge… these are experiences you will remember for the rest of your life. To avoid ruining that first magical moment, we won‘t show you everything just yet – No spoilers!” the page states.

According to the Prague Airport’s board of directors chair Václav Řehoř, the number of passengers on direct flights to North America has increased by about 67 percent.

“Next year, we are expecting further increases thanks to a new line to Newark. This confirms the high potential of the US for increasing the number of connections to Prague,” Řehoř stated in a press release.

There has been a rise in tourism in the Czech Republic. In 2017, the Czech Statistical Office reported there was a record number of 20 million tourists and about 850-thousand of those were foreign. The Czech capital also made MasterCard‘s Global Destination Cities Index of the world’s most visited cities in 2016 and 2017.

This isn’t the first advertising campaign to play with the concept of “censored,” “blurred” or “pixelated” images. In The Raw sweetener famously published Craigslist personal ads with blurred dessert plates back in 2012. In 2015, Finnish beer brand Karhu—in response to restrictive legislation on alcoholic beverage advertising—pixelated the company’s beverage in a campaign poking fun at the tightening laws.

 

 

Pinterest Partnerships Head Posts Marketing Predictions; Facebook Announces Q4 Results Date

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This week in social media news, Pinterest shares insights on how to succeed in marketing this year, Facebook will release its 2018 full year and Q4 results, the social media giant is also is trying hard to be the main voice-activated device in your home and Mark Zuckerberg explains how Facebook is getting safer and Pinterest may go public early this year.

Pinterest Reveals How Marketing Will Change In 2019

Jon Kaplan, Pinterest’s Global Head of Partnerships, published a blog post with marketing predictions for 2019.

Why it matters: This time of year, many marketers and thought leaders publish predictions. It’s pretty ubiquitous. Kaplan’s are particularly interesting because Pinterest is currently so ascendant. The company is expected to go public early this year and should surpass $1 billion in ad sales in 2019.

Details: Kaplan published a blog post titled, “Three ways marketing will change in 2019.” Kaplan suggests marketers should pay attention to their consumer needs and branch out to meet them. He pointed out how REI has excelled in “bond building” by aiding people to go outside and by closing their doors on Black Friday they back up their claim they care. Kaplan also suggests brands focus on spreading positivity, especially in the midst of difficult times. One way is to move ad dollars to create context that brings joy.

Facebook Announces Date For Q4 Results

In the midst of a stock meltdown, Facebook announced the date the company will release their Q4 results.

Why it matters: It’s no secret Facebook had a bad year, will that continue into 2019?

Details: Facebook will release the company’s Q4 results on January 30. The conference call will start at 2 p.m. PT/ 5 p.m. ET. The public can check out a live webcast of the call through their Investor Relations site. If you miss it, the call will be replayed on the same site and a telephonic record will be available a week after January 30.

Facebook Is Trying To Dominate Voice-Activated Devices

According to a report from Business Insider, during the fourth quarter of 2018, Facebook spent more ad dollars than Amazon and Google in an effort to lead the voice-activated device industry.

Why it matters: Amazon and Google are still kings of voice-activated devices, and despite Facebook’s attempts, the Echo Dot was the best selling device during the holidays. However, experts believe Facebook will continue to aggressively ad spend this year, but it could be a battle for them to keep it up.

Details: Last year, Amazon spent $206 million on TV ads promoting Alexa and Echo—more than Google or Facebook. Amazon ran more than 25,450 airings using 56 spots according to data from iSpot. The data also showed Google spent $90 million for all of 2018 on TV ads promoting voice-activated devices. Facebook spent a whopping $131 million in TV ads boosting Portal—its video conferencing device—just in the fourth quarter.

Zuckerberg’s New Year Message

Mark Zuckerberg wrote an end of the year message about his continued focus on safety and despite the setbacks, he is proud of the improvements Facebook made last year.

Why it matters: It’s been a rough road for Facebook and Zuckerberg had to acknowledge the white elephant in the room. Some even claimed 2018 was the company’s worst year.  In his statement, Zuckerberg admits even though he’s proud of the improvements they’ve made he admits some problems may never be solved.

Details: Zuckerberg explained some of the upgrades Facebook did like tackling election interference by improving their systems for identifying the fake accounts and coordinated information campaigns. In order to confront terrorism and hate speech, he said they built AI systems to automatically identify and remove any sort of content related to it. He concluded his message by pointing out the many accomplishments the company made in 2018.

Pinterest Prepares To Go Public This Year

Pinterest might complete an initial public offering as soon as April.

Why it matters: Pinterest reached 250 million active users last September and is expected to generate ad revenue of over $700 million this year. The company is currently valued over at $10 billion. As far as tech companies go, Pinterest would be following in the footsteps of the recent IPOS from Uber, Lyft and Spotify–all of these were private for many years before going public.

Details: According to a Wall Street Journal report, Pinterest may launch an IPO in April. The WSJ article also states, “Pinterest has told bankers it could choose its slate of underwriters to run the initial-public-offering process as soon as January.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, January 4. 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.

CarGurus Reboots ‘The Detective’ Campaign With New Ads

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CarGurus—the online car shopping service—is continuing their hit spot “The Detective” with a new campaign the “Detective: The Story Continues.” The campaign will resume the hilarious tale of the car shopper, so obsessed with finding the right car, his house turns into a would-be fictional detective’s office.

“Since launching its brand marketing initiative in early 2017, CarGurus have seen both aided and unaided brand awareness double, with the majority of in-market car shoppers in the U.S. now aware of CarGurus when prompted. Additionally, the branding campaigns have helped CarGurus become the largest car shopping site in the U.S. by unique monthly visitors and grow its U.S. average monthly sessions 49 percent year-over-year in Q3 2018,” CarGurus said in the press release.

The purpose of “The Detective” was to show how easy it is to use the CarGurus app. In the spot, the wife of the grizzled husband offers to help and finds a relevant car in a matter of seconds. The 30-second spot accumulated five million views on YouTube.

The ads that will reboot the campaign “Parents” and “Obvious,” reintroduce the original “Detective” characters and continue the aim of the first commercial–which is to emphasize the tools within the CarGurus app. The new 30-second spots will air in both broadcast and cable television networks and YouTube.

“We’re excited to share more of their story as they complete their car shopping journey and to see them both turn into evangelists for CarGurus,” Sarah Welch, SVP of consumer marketing at CarGurus, said in a statement.

With “Parents,” and “Obvious,” CarGurus is going back to worked well for them, in character and humor, after spending the last year using testimonial-style ads, or spots like “Hood” or “Emma.”

“Despite testing several other approaches to telling the CarGurus story, the ongoing strong performance of ‘The Detective’ spoke for itself and we couldn’t resist the opportunity to check back in on our couple,” said Welch.

CarGurus was founded in 2006 by TripAdvisor’s co-founder Langley Steinert and it went public in October 2017. In late December, according to AppAnnie, CarGurus’ app ranked 62 in the “Shopping” category and 976 overall in Apple’s app store.

Sephora Updates Beauty Insider Program With More Personalized Perks

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Sephora announced it updated its Beauty Insider program giving members even more perks, especially for their birthdays. The updates allow customers to make the program more personalized. It’s one of the many ways Sephora has taken risks in order to improve the CX for its approximately 20 million customers.

Sephora’s loyalty program has three tiers, Insider, VIB and Rouge. Insider is the free membership prior to any purchase; VIB membership kicks in after a customer spends $350 in a calendar year and Rouge after a customer spends $1000.

In 2019, every member may choose a free gift during their birthday month and those rewards include items from Drunk Elephant and Kat Von D. Each tier of the beauty insider program (Insider, VIB or Rouge) receives this benefit.

Sephora also created a new online birthday boutique, where ‘VIB’ and ‘Rouge’ tier members can get three choices during their birthday month.

“Since its launch in 2007, Beauty Insider has provided members with countless opportunities to receive more value and engage with their favorite brands and products in a way that only Sephora can offer,” said vice president of loyalty for Sephora Allegra Stanley said in the press release.

“Our aim is to continuously adapt and grow our Beauty Insider program as clients’ needs and wants evolve. We are on a multi-year journey focused on raising the bar on client excitement and engagement in a prestige beauty loyalty program.”

The beauty company is finding new ways to make its customers feel special, often using tech to satisfy those needs. In October, Sephora hosted its own beauty convention. “Sephoria: House of Beauty” was an immersive two-day event in Los Angeles and featured interactive rooms and “personalized products.” Attendees could create their own eyeshadow palette, lipstick color or find their perfect foundation shade.

Sephora’s app is also aimed at intimate personalization. It has a “store companion” geofencing feature which gets alerted when you walk into their store—customers’ past purchases, product recommendations, offers and even store events are all available easily via phone.

Sephora has long experimented with their marketing, the company’s first foray into experiential concepts was its Beauty TIP workshops in 2015.