Sephora Promotes For CMO; ANA’s SeeHer Appoints Co-Chairs

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This week’s executive shifts include Sephora promoting for a CMO, Papa John’s welcoming a new global CMO, Twitter hiring a new head of brands, WFA naming a new president, Boston Beer Company appointing a chief marketing officer, WFA naming a president, EA’s layoffs, SoundCloud appointing an SVP, Warner Bros. Records promoting for SVP and NorCal Cannabis shoring up their marketing team.

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

Veteran Marketer At Sephora Promoted To CMO

Sephora has promoted senior vice president of marketing and brand Deborah Yeh to the position of chief marketing officer. Yeh has been with Sephora since 2012, and famously oversaw Sephora’s Sephoria branded event along with many other brand initiatives. She was previously vice president of marketing at Gap and managed marketing planning at Target.

SeeHer Appoints Co-Chairs

ANA’s gender equality initiative, SeeHer, appointed two chief brand officers to co-chair positions. P&G’s Marc Pritchard will join AT&T’s Fiona Carter with the goal of “increasing accurate portrayals of girls and women in media 20 percent by 2020.”

“As the largest trade association with all the leading marketers, we were in the unique position to bring scale to the movement from the outset,” said ANA CEO Bob Liodice. “SeeHer is good for business and good for society. With Marc’s and Fiona’s expertise and personal commitment, we will certainly reach, and likely exceed, our goal for 2020.”

Papa John’s Welcomes A New Global CMO 

On Thursday, Papa John’s announced the appointment of Karlin Linhardt as the pizza delivery company’s global chief marketing officer.

Most recently, Mr. Linhardt held the role of senior vice president of marketing for North America for Subway Restaurants. At Subway, he led brand management and guest experience for 30,000 restaurants and designed the company’s global brand transformation plan. He also has 10 years of experience working at McDonald’s, where he was in charge of strategic business and marketing efforts across multiple brand categories.

“I am excited to join Papa John’s and begin working with the talented leadership and marketing teams to build upon the work underway,” Linhardt said. “I’m a fan of Papa John’s high-quality product and I look forward to helping tell that quality story to customers in new ways.”

Twitter Hires New Global Head of Brands

According to Adweek, Twitter has hired Katie Ford as its new global head of brands.

Previously, Ford has served as a chief client officer at Amobee and spent more than 24 years at Publicis agencies Leo Burnett, Starcom and Spark Foundry, serving as president of the latter shop and directing  P&G and Coca-Cola accounts.

At Twitter, she will lead the team managing Twitter’s global ad partnerships, as well as key accounts.

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at Twitter as head of global brands, where I will have the pleasure of partnering with the world’s biggest brands that are driving innovation at a global scale. There has never been a more exciting time to join the company, and I am looking forward to continuing the momentum established by the team,” Ford said.

Cannes Lions Names Simon Cook Managing Director

Cannes Lions partner company, Ascential plc., has reportedly announced the appointment of Simon Cook as managing director of Cannes Lions to replace Jose Papa.

For Cook, this is a step up from his current role as VP Creative Excellence and in his new role, Cook will lead the overall business.

In the past, Cook has worked in the branded communications industry and worked agency-side before joining the business.

“Creativity, in its broadest sense, is powered by people. As the team and I take this exciting next step, we will be dedicated to helping people and their businesses unlock their creative potential because we believe that creativity is a catalyst for business and personal growth. I am delighted to guide this team as we continue our mission to connect, inform and empower the global, creative marketing community and help them make the case for effective, creative problem-solving, every day,” he said.

Boston Beer Company Announces Chief Marketing Officer

The Boston Beer Company has appointed veteran marketer Lesya Lysyj as the company’s chief marketing officer. Lysyj comes to the brewer of Samuel Adams after spending the last two years as US president of Welch’s and serving the same position at Weight Watchers from 2013 to 2015. Lysyj also previously served as chief marketing officer of Heineken.

“I am thrilled to be joining The Boston Beer Company and returning to the beer industry.  I have long admired and respected what Jim Koch and his leadership team have accomplished to date building a portfolio of brands and remaining true to brewing the highest quality beer,” said Lysyj in the announcement.  “I look forward to leading the team of exceptional marketing professionals that will develop and execute the Company’s marketing strategies.”

WFA Appoints Raja Rajamannar As President

The World Federation of Advertisers has appointed Mastercard’s CMO Raja Rajamannar to the position of president. He takes over for David Wheldon, current CMO of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Rajamannar also serves on the board of the Ad Council.

“The opportunity in front of marketers today to make a difference for their brand, their business and even the world is tremendous. I am honored to pick up and carry the torch as President of WFA, an organization committed to elevating and advancing the activities of our profession, and a role I am convinced will become even more important in the years to come,” said Rajamannar in a statement.

SoundCloud Appoints Senior Vice President

SoundCloud appointed Anthony Gabriele as the company’s senior vice president, subscriptions and marketing. Gabriele comes to SoundCloud after three years at Apple, where he was the director, subscription marketing. He also had stints at Dow Jones and Amazon.

“SoundCloud stands apart. It’s where creators build their audiences, and where fans find what’s next in music,” said Gabriele. “I’m excited to join the team. As an artist myself, I’m passionate about bringing tools to creators, and great experiences to listeners.”

EA Lays Off 350, Including Marketers

EA announced a massive layoff this morning in a statement posted on their website. In the statement, EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson said it was important for the company to “address our challenges and prepare for the opportunities ahead.” The layoffs will specifically affect “marketing and publishing organization, our operations teams.”

According to Kotaku, EA’s chief marketing officer Chris Bruzzo also addressed the layoffs in an email saying, “We have a vision to be the World’s Greatest Games Company. If we’re honest with ourselves, we’re not there right now. We have work to do with our games, our player relationships, and our business.”

Warner Bros. Records Promotes For International SVP

Warner Bros Records announced the promotion of Ben Larsen to the position of senior vice president, international marketing. This is Larsen’s second promotion since he joined the company in 2015, where was previously VP, international marketing and international marketing director.

Before joining WBR Larsen was a senior marketing manager at Warner Music Group.

NorCal Cannabis Hires More Marketers

On the heels of the company’s CMO announcement, NorCal Cannabis announced two more marketing hires this week. Alex Lopoukhine joins as the director of brand and product marketing and Nish Nadaraja joins as director of retail marketing.

Lopoukhine comes to NorCal Cannabis from TripAdvisor, where he was most recently director of global business development, experiences. Prior to that he worked the same position at Viator, which was then purchased by TripAdvisor, and worked for three years at LivingSocial.

Nadaraja comes after a stint as an independent consultant focusing on helping brands with, “brand development, community management, social media strategy, events, consumer loyalty and content.” Prior to that, he worked for five years at Yelp as marketing and brand director, and, notably, was one of the company’s first employees.

Editor’s Note: Our weekly careers post is updated daily. This installment is updated until Friday, March 29. Have a new hire tip? We’re looking for senior executive role changes in marketing and media. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Job Vacancies 

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

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

Red Roof Finds Niche In Traveling Cornhole Players, Launches ESPN Campaign

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Economy lodging chain Red Roof launched a global campaign that focuses on a niche pastime—the game of cornhole. The beanbag-tossing game has gained significant popularity in recent years, and it just so happens that this “Passionist” audience crosses over with Red Roof’s target demographic.

Cornhole is played by tossing beanbags into holes on an angled board on opposing sides of a field. Points are awarded based on whether the beanbags make it into the hole or rest on the board. Rules vary depending on how casually or professionally the game is played.

What started as a backyard and tailgate tradition has grown into a professional sport. During The Ocho, a one-day event for alternative sports on ESPN 2 in 2017, the Championship of Bags Cornhole competition was the most-viewed. According to Sports Media Watch, more people In the 18-49 age group watched cornhole on that day than the competing game coverage of Major League Baseball, the WNBA or the final stage of the Tour de France.

If you find that statistic surprising, you’re not alone. Red Roof used this theme for a series of 30-second TV spots that play on the idea of surprising its customers the same way. The camera takes us through crowds of people toward excited cheering. As we break through the crowd, we find people playing cornhole.

“Not what you expected? Neither is Red Roof,” says the ad.

Two thirty-second spots will air on ESPN, ESPN2, during the broadcasts of the American Cornhole League (ACL) tournaments and streamed on ESPN3 through August 11.

Red Roof also partnered with the American Cornhole Organization (ACO) to sponsor the Corny 40 Player program.

“As we continue to listen to consumers and respond quickly to their evolving interests and travel motives, Red Roof learned that this new niche of traveler who engages in fringe sports has emerged”, said Red Roof chief marketing officer, Marina MacDonald in a statement. “Through an integrated marketing program, we are catering to this growing group of cornhole players and fans who are looking for convenient and affordable lodging beyond their expectations as they travel across the country participating in and following tournaments.”

Select Red Roof properties will receive a regulation-sized cornhole set for guests to use during their stay. Guests will be encouraged to share photos on social media with hashtags #RedRoofLovesCornhole and #PassiontravelwithRedRoof.

Guests who travel for cornhole tournaments will be offered a 15 percent discount, in addition to other promotions and contests around the events.

 

YouTube TV Expands; Facebook Updates Ad Library

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

YouTube TV Service Is Now Available In Every US TV Market

YouTube TV nationwide rollout concludes in a small Montana town, officially making the service available in every TV market in the country.

Why it matters: Advertisers can now reach audiences in 210 US television markets with YouTube offering the same service at the same price to everyone in the US, which can’t be said about regular cable TV.

The details: It’s important to mention that some of the channels are not available in certain areas. Availability can be checked by zip code on the YouTube TV website.

Facebook Introduces A New Ad Library And Report

Facebook announced on Wednesday that it will catalog all ads run by all Pages, and not just ads with political affiliations.

Why it matters: The Ad Library offers insights about who saw the ad, as well as its spend and impressions and keeps ads for seven years.

The details: Ad Library updates will include: “Bringing in all active ads any Page is running—not just ads related to politics or issues—creating one place to see ads on Facebook,” “Adding more information about Pages in the Ad Library” and more.

Twitter Partners With Samba TV

Adweek reported on Thursday that Samba TV, television data and analytics company, is partnering with Twitter in the effort to help measure the social network’s effectiveness in driving tune-in.

Why it matters: This collaboration will give programmers vital information about the engagement on Twitter and tune-ins to better primetime broadcast and cable TV programming, streaming originals and sporting events.

The details: Tim Perzyk, Twitter vice president of market insights and analytics, said, “Twitter is home to the world’s most valuable audience when they’re most receptive, and that includes when they’re watching TV. As advertisers look to enrich their marketing strategies with complimentary TV and digital media buys, Samba has emerged as a key partner in helping us evaluate and improve our partner performance.”

Instagram Brings Interactivity To Its Stories Ads 

This week, Instagram introduced Interactive Stories ads.

Why it matters: Interactive Stories ads aim to help bring people closer to brands. They’ll allow businesses to be more creative and playful on their feeds in order to build better connections and even encourage people to watch longer. Thus, according to the company, in 9 out of 10 beta campaigns, the polling sticker increased 3-second video views.

The details: Some advertisers have already tested the polling sticker in ads. Dunkin’ achieved a 20 percent lower cost-per-video-view using the polling sticker, and Next Games’ polling ad drove 40 percent more app installs.

“We’re always open to testing ad products that give people a new experience and memorable touchpoint with our brand. Delivering ads in Instagram Stories with the polling sticker showcased our new product story seamlessly and encouraged participation while driving results that matter,” said Melanie Cohn, Senior Manager, Brand Stewardship at Dunkin’ Brands.

Here is how to start using Interactive Stories ads:  

  • In Ads Manager, choose Instagram Stories as your only ad placement
  • Check the box “Add an interactive poll,” where you usually upload your creative and edit your ad’s text
  • Add the polling sticker

Instagram Spotted Testing a Video Scrubbing Option

Social media code hacker, Jane Manchun Wong, caught Instagram testing video seek bar.

Why it matters: This new feature should add a new way to search through posted videos, enabling the user to find specific moments, and therefore increasing engagement with video content.

The details: Instagram already has a similar feature on IGTV, but the new video seek bar will make it easier to locate specific moments within uploaded content. It will allow seeing how far along the user is in the video, fast-forward, rewind and watch an elapsed part without having to wait for the video to restart.

Adobe, Microsoft And LinkedIn Collaborate To Boost Account-Based Marketing

LinkedIn announced in a blog post on Wednesday, a collaboration between their parent company, Microsoft and Adobe to challenge account-based marketing competitors.

Why it matters: By extending LinkedIn account-based marketing capabilities to Adobe Experience Cloud users, LinkedIn will help them identify and target the right audiences on the platform with the right content and therefore, improve the success of their campaigns.

The details: According to GeekWire, the new features combine certain data sources and provide marketers with useful information about the teams and individuals that make buying decisions. The goal of the collaboration between the companies is to build a more personalized and targeted experience for sales teams. The LinkedIn integration aims to create extensive profiles in Adobe’s Marketo Engage and Microsoft Dynamics 365 for sales.

“The ability to leverage the power of data to find the right opportunities and use insights helps marketing and sales to plan their next move with a member of the buying committee,” said Alysa Taylor, corporate vice president of business applications and global industry at Microsoft, in a statement. “Together with Adobe and LinkedIn, Microsoft can help to deliver an end-to-end solution that ultimately accelerates lead conversion and can create opportunities for improved servicing and better cross-sell, resulting in the higher lifetime value of the account.”

There Are Very Few Brand Deals For Creators On Snapchat 

Digiday reported that while Snap CEO Evan Spiegel promised that the app would build “more distribution and monetization” opportunities, creators are seeing a dramatic decline in the availability of brand deals and communication from Snap.

Why it matters: Could it be a sign that Snapchat is losing the fight to Instagram, TikTok and other platforms?

The details: Both brands and influencers are turning away from Snapchat. Their reasons, however, are different. For brands, it is a lack of audience insights and discoverability limitations, as noted in the Digiday story by one executive. For influencers, it’s the mysterious disappearance of branded content from their feeds.

EMarketer Predicts Reddit Crossing $100 Million Mark In 2019

According to eMarketer’s latest ad forecast, online blog platform, Reddit, is on the way to crossing the $100 million mark this year and doubling its ad revenue by 2021.

Why it matters: “Reddit’s users are tech-savvy and highly engaged, making them attractive to advertisers,” Monica Peart, director of eMarketer forecasting, said in a statement.

The details: Per the forecast, in 2019 Reddit will reach $119.0 million in net US ad revenue, giving it a 0.1 percent share of the US digital ad market. And by 2021, its revenues will more than double to $261.7 million, bumping its share to 0.2 percent.

“The company has retooled its ad offerings over the past year, which included the launch of new ad formats like autoplay in-stream video, cost-per-click, app install and ‘Top Post Takeover,’ which allows brands to have their ads appear on the site’s front page,” Peart said. “Like most of the companies for which eMarketer produces estimates, advertising is not Reddit’s only source of revenue.”

YouTube Launches Its First Ever ‘Experiential House’

On Tuesday, YouTube introduced the ‘YouTube House’ pop-up in New York, which showcases a range of different elements of focus for YouTubers and showcases the various aspects of the platform’s offerings.

Why it matters: In a blog post about the pop-up, the company said that its goal is to demonstrate that “YouTube isn’t just a place for watching random videos, but a community where people congregate for music, fitness, food, culture, and so much more.” This is likely an overall brand campaign.

The details: YouTube House features dedicated areas for YouTube TV (YouTube’s recently expanded TV-alternative offering), YouTube Gaming, virtual reality, a fitness studio, a kitchen and YouTube Music. In addition, YouTube will also offer creator merchandise for sale.

Twitter Invites The Fans Of @MLB 2019 To Choose A Featured Player Every Day

Traditionally, Twitter offers a virtual space for The Major League Baseball fans to view and discuss live video and near-real-time highlights of the games. The most exciting piece of news, though, is that this year, the fans will be able to choose which player’s at-bats will be featured live on Twitter that day.

Why it matters: The sports event and the new initiative will bring more engagement to the platform and provide great opportunities for compelling content creation.

The details: AdWeek reported that every day in the morning, starting on Opening Day and running throughout the season, @MLB will tweet a reminder for fans to choose that day’s featured hitter. Live-streamed shows on @MLB for events will also be produced, including the London Series (bitter rivals the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will face off in London Stadium June 29 and 30), the Home Run, the All-Star Game, the trade deadline and the postseason. In addition, highlights of every home run hit during the season will be posted on @MLB, for the first time ever, and special hashtag-triggered emojis for all 30 MLB teams will be available in English via @MLB and in Spanish via @LasMayores.

Thirty-Seven Percent Of Mobile Internet Traffic Worldwide Comes From YouTube

The report conducted by Sandvine reports that YouTube generates 37 percent of mobile traffic around the world.

Why it matters: This matters because of the sheer magnitude of traffic (upstream/downstream) going through YouTube.

The details: According to the report, users consume more content (per megabyte) on YouTube than on any other app. This includes social media and other video-centric platforms such as Netflix. To compare, the report revealed that Facebook generates only 8.4 percent of mobile web traffic and Snapchat–8.3 percent.

EU Approves Article 13: Controversial Copyright Law

On Tuesday, The European Parliament voted to pass Article 13, a controversial new law that will reform the ways in which copyrighted content posted online will be governed.

Why it matters: Under Article 13, all internet platforms will be liable for content uploaded by users. Some popular online services might suffer greatly from the new law. “YouTube, Facebook and Google News are some of the internet household names that will be most directly affected by this legislation,” the European Parliament said in a statement. However, memes, gifs and snippets will be protected more than ever before.

The details: Here are some notable parts of Article 13:

  • Internet platforms are liable for content that users upload
  • Some uploaded material, such as memes or GIFs, now specifically excluded from directive
  • Hyperlinks to news articles, accompanied by “individual words or very short extracts”, can be shared freely
  • Journalists must get a share of any copyright-related revenue obtained by their news publisher
  • Start-up platforms subject to lighter obligations

eMarketer Foresees Snapchat Ad Business Will Grow In 2019 

According to eMarketer’s predictions, Snapchat’s U.S. advertising business will grow at 24.3 percent this year.

Why it matters: Monica Peart, senior forecasting director at eMarketer, said, “Self-serve programmatic buying has expanded Snapchat’s reach to more advertisers, especially small and medium-sized businesses that can invest in ads at lower bid prices. However, moving the vast majority of their ad inventory into this lower cost structure has tempered earlier growth estimates.”

The details: Previously, eMarketer lowered Snapchat ad revenues forecast twice because of the company’s shift to selling ads programmatically, which negatively affected its ad prices. EMarketer expects Snapchat’s U.S. monthly user base to decline 2.8 percent this year to 77.5 million. But, they expect Snapchat to increase its worldwide monthly user base 11.3 percent to 297.7 million in 2019.

YouTube Delivers This Year’s Upfront Pitch

Digiday reported on Tuesday that YouTube is targeting TV advertisers with its 2019 upfront pitch.

Why it matters: YouTube’s main goal with this year’s upfront pitch is to convince advertisers that it can effectively compete with traditional TV. The catch, though, is the minimum spend commitment.

The details: The video platform will consider production quality and the likelihood that people will view videos on TV when selecting channels to include in its Google Preferred program, which packages the top 5 percent of YouTube channels into category-specific bundles that advertisers, Digiday reported. YouTube will also manifest its streaming TV service as a standalone inventory option and will start to roll out its free, ad-supported YouTube Originals shows.

Most Social Media Users Share Info Privately

According to a study by WeAreSocial and GlobalWebIndex, 63 percent of users share information via private messengers and so-called “dark social,” or those channels that are difficult for marketers to track.

Why it matters: If it’s harder for marketers and platforms to track user data, it’s harder to serve them relevant ads. This could be the reason Facebook is pivoting to focus on encrypted messaging.

The details: Facebook Messenger is the most popular private messenger (82 percent), followed by WhatsApp and Instagram DMs. Entertainment was the most popular subject in ‘dark social’ channels, followed by games and then clothing.

Snap Actively Pitches Ad Space To Pharmaceutical Companies 

CNBC reported that Snapchat’s owner, Snap, is currently attending pharma marketing conferences to attract pharmaceutical companies for advertising on the platform.

Why it matters: To achieve this goal, Snapchat is positioning itself as a social media platform that is friendlier to young people than Facebook and Twitter, making users more comfortable in sharing private information.

The details: In February, Snap representatives spoke at DigiPharma Connect conference, which is regularly attended by pharmaceutical companies’ digital marketing executives, including companies like Roche, Bayer and Amgen. One of Snap’s selling points was the positive culture that reigns on the platform, which might serve the companies well. Legally, pharma companies must report any adverse events about their products to federal agencies. That includes social media comments. A more relaxed atmosphere on the platform could lead to less negative comments about the product, especially if there is no space to leave a comment next to ads.

Pernod Ricard On Reddit

According to Digiday, Pernod Ricard, the alcoholic beverage conglomerate, is buying ads on Reddit with good results.

Why it matters: “Reddit is a very raw and organic platform,” said Simon de Beauregard, Pernod Ricard’s U.S. director of engagement told Digiday.

“This experience has proven that the platform could deliver extremely solid results and we now know better how to maximize its potential to offer the best seamless engaging experience to our audience, so we could test it more in the future.”

The details: Some of the important takeaways include:

  • Video ads for Absolut played automatically in subreddit forums dedicated to specific topics on both mobile and desktop versions of the site between October and December
  • Absolut targeted the ads to key audiences in subreddits on topics, such as “funny” and “LGBTQ”
  • Video completion rates were used to measure the shorter 8 to 10-second video ads (which were 2.5 times higher than Reddit’s benchmark)
  • 70 percent of the views for the shorter video ads happened on mobile

Nilla Wafers Announces The Result Of The Anniversary Social Video Campaign

The cookie brand, Nilla Wafers, announced results from the company’s last year’s 50th-anniversary campaign, dedicated to the release of lemon-flavored wafers.

Why it matters: According to the case study, the Nilla Wafers’ Facebook and Instagram campaign boosted ad recall by 32 points and reached 11.9 million users of the social networking apps from March 15-31, 2018.

The details: As a part of the campaign, vertical video ads designed to be mobile-first on Instagram Stories were served to U.S. women ages 18 to 54. The video creative showed a box of Nilla Wafers straining to contain the new cookies and then exploding to send cookies and confetti flying across the screen. Each ad showed a “shop now” call-to-action button, linking to the product website.

Jeffy Bell, partnerships manager at social video ad platform Vidmob, which helped in campaign creation, said in the case study, “Instagram Stories assets elevated the media mix by captivating attention with full-screen vertical video.”

Editor’s Note: Our weekly social media news post is updated daily. This installment will be updated until Friday, March 22. Have a news tip? We’re looking for changes to and news surrounding social media platforms as they relate to marketing. Let us know at editorial@alistdaily.com.

Booking.com, Madame Tussauds Offer VIP Sleepers To Promote Events Booking

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Travel site Booking.com has partnered with Madame Tussauds to offer VIP sleepovers in one of seven wax museum locations. The activation follows a successful Halloween promotion in which guests spent the night inside The San Francisco Dungeon.

Beginning March 28, Booking.com customers can book a private one-night stay for up to four people inside a Madame Tussauds museum. The $99 “Ultimate Slumber Party with the Stars” package includes VIP entry into the museum, dinner, snacks and a breakfast basket and a goodie bag filled with Booking.com and Madame Tussaud’s swag.

Guests will also be assigned a private photographer and stylist called a “selfie butler” to make sure they always look their best for photo ops. Limited tickets are available for Madame Tussauds locations in New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Orlando, Nashville and Washington D.C.

Several nights have been booked just hours after the promotion went live on Thursday.

The “Ultimate Slumber Party with the Stars” promotion comes on the heels of a Halloween promotion that Booking.com ran in San Francisco. Visitors were given VIP access to the last show of the evening at The San Francisco Dungeon in Fisherman’s Wharf, then treated to ghost stories, a séance, souvenirs and breakfast.

“We’ve had an incredible partnership with Merlin Entertainment that also runs the San Francisco Dungeon,” Todd Dunlap, managing director of Booking.com in the Americas told AList. “It was so successful we decided to take it national and have Madame Tussauds be bookable for overnight stays across the country for the very first time. This [activation] “ultimate sleepover” seemed like a natural home run for our consumers.”

Last year, Booking.com called its Experiences portal that allows guests to pre-register local happenings once they have booked accommodations. To accommodate changing plans, consumers can book experiences and only pay once the QR code has been scanned on-site.

Travel activities, which includes tours, activities and events, is the third-largest segment in travel, according to Deloitte, accounting for 10 percent of global travel revenue. Revenue generated by travel experiences is expected to reach $183 billion by 2020.

In a self-obsessed world, Booking.com’s partnership with Madame Tussauds make sense—after all, guests have been taking pictures with celebrity wax figures long before the “selfie” was even a thing.

“We know social inspiration is a big part of bookers travel decision-making process and certainly these types of experiences generate great social content,” added Dunlap. “But, we also want bookers to take action and connect them with any type of trip that might not be as Instagram worthy—whether it’s a staycation to de-stress from work, a quick trip to visit family or a weekend road trip.”

 

Tommy Hilfiger Taps Influencers For Adaptive Clothing Campaign

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Tommy Hilfiger unveiled its Spring 2019 Adaptive clothing line, continuing an inclusive tradition that began in 2016. The campaign includes a push on social media with influential members of the disabled community including athletes and performers.

The Spring 2019 Tommy Adaptive collection features clothing designed for individuals with disabilities, for whom getting dressed can be a real challenge. One in five Americans lives with a disability, Tommy Hilfiger cites on the collection’s page.

A series of video ads have appeared across Tommy Hilfiger social channels that show disabled models living their lives and following their dreams. The videos include Mia, a small girl with Down Syndrome who is able to dress herself thanks to the collection. Other videos star Dimitry Kim, an amputee dancer, Gavin McHugh, a young surfer and actor with cerebral palsy, Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, an influencer with ALS and more.

McHugh and Spencer each have around 10,000 followers on Instagram, respectively.

Simple daily routines are something that many of us take for granted. Everyday battles like fitting a prosthetic leg into a pair of jeans, dealing with autism-related sensitivity issues or zipping a jacket with one arm create a whole market for fashion that accommodates more consumers.

The Tommy Adaptive collection looks much like the rest of the designer’s clothing, but buttons have been discreetly replaced with magnetic closures, hidden hook and loop panels adjust hems, jackets feature one-handed zippers and other adjustments.

In 2016, Tommy Hilfiger launched a disabled children’s collection that swapped buttons with hidden magnetic closures and expanded fastening necklines. The inclusive design expanded to adults with the Spring 2018 Tommy Adaptive collection, with a campaign called “Independence.”

The “Independence” campaign was directed by James Rath, who was born with ocular albinism and nystagmus. The branded short film included Paralympian gold medal track star Jeremy Campbell, autistic chef Jeremiah Josey, motivational speaker Mama Caxx and paraplegic dancer Chelsie Hill.

Other companies like Target have tried to make the fashion industry more inclusive in recent years, but Tommy Hilfiger was the first major fashion brand to take the leap. Target launched its Cat and Jack line for disabled children in 2017 and recently expanded its Universal Thread women’s line to include more disability-friendly options.

Global retail market research firm Coresight Research Coresight predicts that the global adaptive apparel market will reach $288.7 billion in 2019 and grow to $349.9 billion in 2023. In the US, the adaptive apparel market will reach $47.3 billion in 2019 and grow to $54.8 billion by 2023.

 

 

Unilever Debuts ‘Trusted Publishers Network’ In Battle Against Ad Fraud

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Unilever is marching forward on its battle against online ad fraud with the Unilever Trusted Publishers network. The new group of strictly vetted networks must meet Unilever’s standards of viewability, verification and brand value.

The Trusted Publishers network is comprised of yet-to-be-named digital platforms and publishers across global, regional and local levels. Each must meet stringent requirements according to Unilever’s “3Vs” that include viewability, verification and [brand] value.

In addition to meeting Unilever’s standards, members of the Trusted Publishers network impose strict expectations on whoever advertises with them regarding ad fraud, ad formatting, brand safety, traffic quality, data access and more, according to a press release.

Keith Weed, Unilever’s renowned chief marketing and communications officer, will retire in May 2019 but not before he issues another blow to would-be fraudsters. Weed will discuss the topic on Thursday at the WFA Global Marketer Week conference in Lisbon, Portugal.

“Online advertising credibility is still a global, industry-wide problem and as the world’s second largest advertiser, we have a responsibility to use our scale and influence to address this issue,” Weed said in a prepared statement. “The Unilever Trusted Publishers will add more rigor to how Unilever advertises online.”

According to a 2018 study by Dianomi, click fraud accounts for up to 90 percent of clicks for online campaigns. Despite this, Forrester found that only 19 percent of marketers had taken systematic action to prevent fraud as of 2017.

Last year, Unilever debuted its Digital Responsibility Framework that focuses what the consumer packaged goods (CPG) giant will and will not invest in. Unilever said that it would not invest in any platform or environment that promotes division, hate, fraud or a lack of influencer transparency. The brand also tackled gender stereotypes with its #Unstereotype Alliance and committed to partnering only with networks that create a better digital infrastructure.

Unilever did more than threaten digital ad networks, however. Instead, it formed an alliance that will, if all goes well, create a global solution committed to privacy, consumer experience (CX) and ad ecosystem innovation first. Partners for this initiative include Facebook, Twitter, Google, Nielsen and Kantar Media.

It’s not often that a company makes public demands of this nature, but Unilever is one of the top ad spenders on the planet. The giant made good on its threats, too—Nielsen reports that Unilever spent 29 percent less on ads in 2018.

Despite lower ad spend, Unilever reported a 51 percent increase in annual net profit for the fourth quarter of 2018. Driven by growth in India and other Asian markets, the company

reported a net profit of 9.8 billion euros ($11.2 billion) in 2018 compared to 6.5 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in 2017.

 

SuperData: Mobile AR Will Fetch $3.4B In 2019, Opportunity Looms For Brands

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Branded mobile AR apps should offer utility and delight if they are to reach consumers in this $3.4 billion industry, says SuperData. Led by social media and retail, the mobile AR industry is poised to increase its revenue by more than double in the next two years.

SuperData, a Nielsen Company, and Friends with Holograms partnered to create a whitepaper called “What Brands Need to Know About Mobile AR.” The report covers augmented reality users, revenue predictions and trends that today’s brands should be aware of.

Mobile AR already has access to over a billion smartphone users and will generate $3.4 billion by the end of 2019, SuperData predicts. This figure is expected to reach $9.6 billion by 2020.

At 84 percent, social media apps are the most popular type of AR apps used by US consumers as December 2018. Online shopping apps come in second with 41 percent, followed by AR games like Pokémon GO.

Whitepaper co-author Stephanie Llamas is the vice president of research and strategy, as well as head of VR/AR at SuperData. She told AList that social media apps are the most popular among mobile AR users, largely because the implementation meets consumers where they already are.

When launching a branded AR app or activation, it’s important to not only meet consumers in this way but to offer them the opportunity to have a unique, emotional response.

“It’s not using [AR] for the sake of using it, but using it in a meaningful, emotional way,” Llamas said. “It’s about really understanding how you can access an audience easily. If an application isn’t something that consumers would download already like a retail app, you want to be really thoughtful about how you introduce your brand through AR to customers.”

The whitepaper identifies two main requirements of a successful AR brand strategy—utility and delight. While “delight” seems pretty straight-forward, the “utility” part may not be. Llamas explains:

“You don’t want to have a cumbersome app that people are going to have to download for a consumer packaged good (CPG) or something like that,” she said, adding, “You don’t want to ask for productivity on part of the consumer, [but] you want to access them through what they already do.”

Three in five mobile AR users are millennials, SuperData found, with users 18-35 skewing female. The average age of adult mobile AR users is 13 years younger than non-users (33 versus 46 years old), the report states, attributing this fact to the popularity of social media apps. On average, the mobile AR audience spends about a half hour using AR apps and capabilities and accesses them at least twice a week.

“[Mobile AR] is something that is definitely on the horizon,” said Llamas. “Not paying attention to this trend means that other competitors are going to get to consumers first through AR.”

Interested in mobile AR? Don’t procrastinate, Llamas added.

“Understand that the penetration is growing quickly. This isn’t like VR where it’s going to be much slower growth to general consumption. Everybody has this capability in their smartphone already so when a more interesting concept comes out, brands have more opportunities to seize creative new ways to access consumers.”

Marketing Innovation Is Being Driven By Just A Few Global CMOs

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The top 17 percent of global marketing leaders are driving innovation by adopting an agile, “living business” mindset, Accenture reports.

Way Beyond Marketing: The Rise of The Hyper-Relevant CMO explores the role CMOs play in driving a brand’s growth agenda. A survey of chief marketing officers and CEOs was conducted between March and May 2018 and was limited to companies with at least $500 million in annual revenues. Respondents included 935 chief marketing officers and 564 CEOs across 17 industry groups in 12 countries—Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Accenture found that innovation and “transformation change” is being pioneered by a small group of CMOs among participating brands. These leaders are prioritizing changing customer needs by investing in better integration and collaboration.

This, Accenture asserts, will allow a brand to achieve a “living business” mindset. The company defines living businesses as those that unlock sustained growth by continuously adapting to evolving customer needs to achieve hyper-relevance.

“CMOs need to lead an effective, joined-up customer experience at all touch points, at pace and at scale, to drive growth,” said Mhairi McEwan, managing director and marketing practice lead for customer insight and growth at Accenture in the report.

The pioneering minority CMO group prioritizes transparency, innovation and hold their brand to higher standards—that is, standing for something bigger than a product or service. These CMOs look for disruption outside the usual channels, Accenture observed. For example, 56 percent of what Accenture refers to as “Pioneer CMOs” buy more through multichannel experiences than the conventional single channel, compared to other CMOs in the study at 33 percent.

In addition, they are 17 percent more likely than other CMOs to expand beyond traditional agency partners and 18 percent more likely to be “engaged with the possibilities of digital platforms.”

Two-out-of-three CEOs surveyed by Accenture were not confident in their CMO’s abilities. That being said, Accenture gives advice to CMOs on how to make their mark.

“In essence, there are four key actions they must take,” said McEwan, “using advanced customer insight and analytics to shape the future, building the marketing and sales capabilities of their people and organization, leveraging partnerships to create innovative new products, services and solutions and delivering cost-effective technological activation of personalized and scalable marketing programs.”

If that all sounds daunting, it’s important to note that the top 17 percent of CMOs in Accenture’s study are more likely to rely on professionals with the skillsets they desire. For example, 87 percent of “Pioneer CMOs” said they would rely on immersive experience designers, compared to 65 percent of others in the study. Other roles they would turn to include growth hackers, chief storytellers, marketing monitors, customer experience curators, futurologists, reality checkers, trust leaders, cause matchmakers, AI designers and consumer psychologists.

Wayfair Takes Pop-Up Strategy To Next Level, Announces Permanent Retail Store

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Home lifestyle brand Wayfair has announced that its first brick-and-mortar location will open this fall. Until then, four pop-up locations will allow consumers to interact with designers and combine the experience of physical shopping with online ordering.

Wayfair has used pop-up store activations to engage its users in the past, but the new location in the Natick Mall in Natick, Massachusetts will serve as the brand’s first permanent destination. The new store is scheduled to open in early fall 2019 and will feature “an engaging format with convenience and ease,” Wayfair stated.

Retail shoppers will be able to receive free design consultations, view products and order them for home delivery.

Four other pop-up locations will activate this summer that will offer a curated selection of seasonal home decor, decorative accents and wall decorations.

“With the opening of our new retail store, we are offering our customers a new way to enjoy Wayfair’s exceptional shopping experience as we continue to transform the way people shop for their homes,” said Niraj Shah, CEO, co-founder and co-chairman of Wayfair in a prepared statement. “We look forward to inviting our customers further into the world of Wayfair, welcoming them to step inside our newest shopping experience guided by the knowledgeable support and expertise of our in-store design team.”

The upcoming Natick location is no coincedence—Wayfair operated a pop-up shop inside Natick Mall during the 2018 holiday season, along with a second location at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, New Jersey. Massachusetts is also home to Wayfair headquarters.

Whether the Natick pop-up received more foot traffic or is simply closer to home was not explained. Wayfair did not immediately respond for comment.

Many direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands often open their first retail locations in their home states, observed retail real estate firm JLL Research in a 2018 study. Wayfair joins a number of direct-to-consumer brands that are combining digital and physical retail for a complete experience. The study observed that digital-native brands expressed plans to open 850 stores over the next five years.

It is very likely that Wayfair weighed its options by analyzing customer behavior, however. The brand built its own CRM from the ground up and uses that single view to create an entire picture of each customer’s journey.

In October, Wayfair announced MyWay, a subscription service that offers discounts and personalized recommendations similar to Amazon Prime. The company also uses technology to close the imagination gap when making home decor purchases. Wayfair offers a mixed reality app called Wayfair Spaces for Magic Leap One that allows users to preview items in their homes.

Apple TV+ Marketing With Celebrities, Relies On Exclusives Over Ad Revenue

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Apple unveiled its new subscription entertainment platform, Apple TV+ on Monday, creating a monetized home for the brand’s original programming. The announcement focused heavily on storytelling and creators like Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Oprah Winfrey.

Apple TV+ launches this fall as a separate subscription service accessible from within the Apple TV app. It will house the brand’s original content and while specifics were not provided, Apple is marketing celebrities to sell the promise of quality.

The promotional video featured J.J. Abrams, Jennifer Aniston, Damien Chazelle, Sofia Coppola, Ron Howard, M. Night Shyamalan, Octavia Spencer, Steven Spielberg, Hailee Steinfeld and Reese Witherspoon, all talking about the process of storytelling.

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Another video announced that Oprah Winfrey would be coming to the Apple TV+ platform, although it did not specify in what capacity. Even Sesame Street’s Big Bird made an appearance.

Unlike Netflix or Amazon, AppleTV+ will not host a catalog of licensed content in addition to originals. Instead, it was designed to attract new subscribers based on exclusivity. Apple users will still be able to access partner networks like HBO and Showtime through the standard Apple TV offering, but it will require switching over to another app.

While Hulu, Disney, VUDU and others prepare to woo advertisers next month at IAB’s Digital Newfronts, Apple TV+ will be ad-free.

This may seem like a strange move for a service launching in 100 countries, but as one marketer pointed out, Apple may not be focusing on revenue so much as perceived value.

It remains to be seen if Apple TV+ original content is inspiring enough to pay for yet another subscription. According to Deloitte, 47 percent of US consumers are becoming “fatigued” by the growing number of subscriptions and services required to watch what they want. The average US consumer subscribes to three services as it is, Deloitte found.

Unlike many of its competitors, Apple has the ability to bundle services like music, games, TV and news. Apple TV+ also has the ability to reach the brand’s existing global user base.

In a note to Wall Street investors called “Apple Poisons Netflix,” Needham analyst Laura Martin asserted that Apple has strong consumer awareness and no marketing costs.

“Netflix has an inferior competitive position to Apple over time, as we see it, in both: a) customer acquisition costs; and b) content costs,” wrote Martin “Apple has zero consumer acquisition costs since it will first target its captive 900 million global unique users, which are the wealthiest consumers in the world.”