We’re rounding up the latest marketing insights from the week of August 3rd.



P&G Hikes Adspend 8% To $7.33BN In First Increase For Four Years

Campaign

Procter & Gamble increased its annual advertising expense by $575 million to $7.33 billion, an 8.5 percent increase, its annual report shows.

Why it matters: The move marks P&G’s first annual increase since 2016.


Understanding Channel Capability For Better Digital Marketing Strategy

The Drum

Customers in channel capability can be divided into existing or lapsed customers, competitor’s customers and potential new customers.

Why it matters: Understanding channel capability is critical for strategy to make sense given marketers think certain channels can reach types of people that they typically don’t.


This Nike Ad Took 4000 Hours Of Sports Footage To Make. The Result Is Stunning

Forbes

Nike’s new 90-second spot, “You Can’t Stop Us” draws on the sense of community to display the optimism of sports during a time when many sports events are canceled due to COVID-19.

Why it matters: Created by Wieden+Kennedy, the commercial matches an athlete on one half of the screen and mirrors another on the opposite side move-for-move as if they’re one person.


8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health

Harvard Business Review

The mental health of nearly 42 percent of people declined in April since the outbreak began, a study of global employees by Mind Share Partners found.

Why it matters: To support employees in times of uncertainty, managers should be open about their own mental health struggles, have regular check-ins with employees and communicate more than they think they need to.


Reels Leaves The Everyday Instagram User Confused

Adweek

Experts have been quick to call out Instagram Reels features that have blatantly been replicated or seem to be missing.

Why it matters: As users and marketers get used to Instagram’s TikTok clone Reels, marketers shouldn’t abandon TikTok just yet, but should have a unique purpose for posting on Reels.


TikTok Helps Gen Z Learn About Social Justice Issues, Study Finds

Mobile Marketer

Social activism posts on TikTok have inspired 54 percent of Gen Z to engage in discussions with family and friends, and 44 percent to sign petitions, a study from Reach3 Insights found.

Why it matters: Brands should tailor their TikTok messaging to reflect Gen Z’s awareness of movements.


Burberry Opens First ‘Social Retail’ Store In China

Retail Dive

In partnership with Tencent, Burberry debuted a 5,800-square-foot store in China designed for customers to interact with its products via social media content, QR code-induced contactless payments and their own animal character.

Why it matters: Burberry is the latest company to integrate WeChat into its strategy as part of a larger goal to reach digital savvy shoppers.


As Advertising Plummets In Q2, NYT’s Total Digital Revenue Exceeds Print

AdExchanger

During Q2, The New York Times added a record 669,00 digital subscriptions, bringing its total subscriber count to 6.5 million. Still, its digital advertising decreased 32 percent to $39.5 million, while its print ad business declined 55 percent. 

Why it matters: The company plans to sell fewer ads but with larger formats, which it’ll target with privacy-forward ways.


Contactless Tech May Make Or Break Small Businesses

Adweek

Eight in 10 consumers worldwide have changed the way they pay in order to reduce contact, and 54 percent of American consumers said they’d switch to a new store that installed contactless payment systems, Visa’s ‘Back to Business’ study revealed.

Why it matters: In response, 67 percent of small businesses have created ecommerce sites, or adopted touchless technology.


Marketers Warily Continue To Spend On TikTok But Some Are Building Escape Clauses Into Their Contracts

Business Insider

Obviously founder Mae Karwowski said, “We’re just having really candid conversations with our clients and writing into the contract that they have the ability to move this to a different platform if they so choose.”

Why it matters: The Trump administration has allowed Microsoft to bid for TikTok in the US after initially announcing plans to outright ban the app.


Meredith And Kroger Partner On Data Play For CPG Advertisers

Adweek

Kroger Precision Marketing and Meredith Corp. are offering a new integrated media service providing consumer packaged goods brands with closed-loop sales data, custom reports and shoppable display ad units.

Why it matters: Expanding upon the targeting capabilities of Meredith’s proprietary shoppable display and recipe units, the service will enable participating CPG brands to measure the impact of their campaigns on sales.


Reframe How You Think About Self-Care

Harvard Business Review

Your reason for forgoing sufficient sleep might seem logical, but sleep loss hinders cognitive capacity by degrading alertness and attention.

Why it matters: Investing in proper sleep, nutrition, exercise and play yields the self-control necessary to practice empathic listening and the energy to be fully present. 


No Longer The Exception: 69% Of Brands In-House Programmatic

AdExchanger

A survey from IAB and Accenture Interactive found 69 percent of brands have either partially or completely moved programmatic buying of display, video and/or connected television (CTV) in-house. 

Why it matters: Brands are inclined to in-house programmatic following increasing data privacy regulations and the imminent demise of cookies.


3 Actionable Insights From Simon Sinek

The Drum

New York Times best-selling author Simon Sinek suggests leaders in the age of COVID-19 should consider the wellbeing of human beings before considering their performance and results.

Why it matters: Brands thriving in the pandemic are those that have put their customers, not profits, at the center of the equation, says Sinek.


Grocery Apps Get Smart During The Pandemic

Grocery Dive

Grocery apps have become the full store experience for many shoppers during lockdowns, inspiring retailers to create a unified omnichannel experience for customers.  

Why it matters: In April, the Walmart Grocery app’s average daily downloads ballooned 460 percent compared to January, according to App Annie data. Similarly, Target, which expanded same-day grocery pickup to over 1,000 stores in 47 states, saw a 98 percent surge in daily downloads of its app.