Table of contents for August 19, 2019 in Adweek

After a summer of negotiations, CBS Corp. and Viacom on Tuesday announced an all-stock merger of the two companies, creating a media behemoth that will boast $28 billion in revenue and 4.3 billion cumulative TV subscribers around the globe. The combined company, named ViacomCBS, isn’t as big as some of its competitors. But despite ViacomCBS’s smaller size, the new company has an advantage: its considerable portfolio of streaming assets. When CBS and Viacom’s various streaming offerings come under one giant umbrella, the company will have about a half-dozen existing subscription and ad-supported services, some of which have been around for years and already boast millions of subscribers. They range from subscription video on demand (SVOD) platforms to free ad-supported video on demand (AVOD), along with livestreaming options that feature television…

A plant-based patty that might convincingly pass as meat? As recently as a year ago, when most of us still thought of “veggie burgers” as flat discs made from mushrooms or black beans, such a creation still felt like near-future science fiction. But this has been a sizzling summer in the plant-based protein world, with leading faux-meat brands securing big deals almost weekly, sparking media coverage and international discussion of the trend along the way. In short, meatless is having a moment. And the stakes are beefy: Billions of dollars of brand value are being built behind the scenes by the key architects of this movement, fueled by product innovation, strategic brand partnerships and growing consumer demand. Most recently, Impossible Foods and Burger King announced the national rollout of the…

Just like no two major league sports are alike, the same goes for esports. Some say there is still a lot of confusion among agencies and brands when it comes to knowing where to advertise. “I think for a ton of those brands, it’s really about educating themselves,” said Mike Murphy O’Reilly, director of esports at Minute Media. Eric Haggstrom, eMarketer analyst, shared a similar sentiment: “When we do talk about this large audience, it is fragmented across multiple titles. So just because someone is an esports viewer doesn’t mean they watch Fortnite.”…

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MARKETING & ADVERTISING EVENT/EXPERIENCE INVENTION NEW BALANCE RUNNING APPAREL VMLY&R, KANSAS CITY Runners love to crush a beer after crushing a personal best. Tapping into this motivator, New Balance created the Runaway Pub to support its sponsorship of the Virgin Money London Marathon. Using a mobile app that connects with running app Strava, runners could turn their miles run into currency for free beer. “More than a pub, the Runaway became a hub for runners,” says Jason Xenopoulos, VMLY&R’s CEO, New York, and CCO, North America. “They urged for the pub to remain open after the marathon.” Over 23,000 runners logged more than 532,000 miles through the app—the equivalent of more than 20,000 marathons, or almost 63,000 pints. —Rae Ann Fera MARKETING & ADVERTISING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION INVENTION BEHR PAINT |…

For the one in 59 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, school and other public places may feel like a sensory overload. With that in mind, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats has partnered with Autism Speaks to create Love Notes: textured, heart-shaped sensory stickers designed to provide comfort to children who respond positively to tactile experiences. Edelman helped to create the program, while Starcom provided media support. Interested parents can visit the Rice Krispies Love Notes site to request a pack of Love Notes.…

When is a burger not a burger? When it’s made of plants or veggies, say legislators in Mississippi. According to a law that took effect on July 1, companies there are prohibited from using meat terminology to advertise vegan or vegetarian products. Violators face up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine. Plant Based Foods Association and Upton’s Naturals are suing the state, while others in the category are keeping watch. (Similar battles are happening in Missouri and Arkansas). Meanwhile, industry players tell Adweek they believe it’s a First Amendment issue likely to be decided in their favor, and they doubt there’s any confusion among consumers. “We’re very careful not to call it meat. It’s an alternative,” Burger King’s president, North America, Chris Finazzo said of the Impossible…

Custom dog food brand Ollie has ambitions to advertise on linear TV. But before taking the plunge, Ollie intends to learn what it can from streaming. This month, the direct-to-consumer company is testing a monthlong video advertising campaign on Hulu. The 15-second dog-dense spots mark an effort to diversify from social media, where Ollie presently spends most of its marketing dollars, and help hone the brand’s approach to longer-form video marketing, said co-founder and chief experience officer Gabby Slome. “The entry point is more palatable than a [traditional] TV ad,” Slome said. “These are our baby steps, of walking before we run.” Switch on the ad-supported video service of your choice, and you’ll notice Ollie isn’t the only DTC brand testing the temperature of the streaming waters. DTC brands eager…

MEDIA VR/AR INVENTION WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN ROOM-SCALE, IMMERSIVE VR EXPERIENCE ISOBAR U.S., NEW YORK “Aeronaut,” the VR video for Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan’s solo album, Ogilala, is a virtual-reality feat. The room-scale experience was filmed using 106 cameras and blends 2D content inside a 3D VR world that viewers can experience from their own perspective, heightening the impact of lyrics that touch on loss and mourning. But for all the innovation that came from a partnership with Google, Viacom and Isobar, it’s the emotional impact that most resonates, says Dave Meeker, executive producer of “Aeronaut” and chief innovation officer at Isobar. “It is very moving. What began as technical exploration became a very meaningful experience that taps into something very human.” —R.F. MEDIA MOBILE INVENTION ORIGINALS NMD | ADIDAS…

Measurement firms are hoping to rack up their own points in the growing world of esports advertising. A flurry of major brands have signed on for sponsoring the rapidly growing world of esports. In July, Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Snickers all announced sponsorships of the Madden NFL 20 Championship Series. Earlier this month, Honda became the exclusive automotive partner of the Riot Games League of Legends Championship Series. Even dating app Bumble is getting into gaming with plans to sponsor an all-female team for Fortnite. But there’s another trend this year as well. As the volume and variety of esports streaming becomes increasingly mainstream, ad-tech companies have been creating new ways to measure the impact of brand sponsorships across various streaming and social platforms. With more spending comes the need…

Tell us about what you are doing now. I am chief marketing officer for one of the world’s most renowned and iconic brands—Duracell. I led the Duracell brand carve-out of P&G into Berkshire Hathaway in 2016. With this move now completed, the brand is in a cruising mode, and I am working on all brand disciplines across the globe to reach new heights. How did you get to where you are today? One step at a time. Multiple countries, categories, geographies, locations and brands. The most important thing for me has always been focus. There is a Japanese saying: “When you wash a cup, all you should think about is washing a cup.” It sounds simple but requires a lot of self-discipline in the age of constant distractions and accepted…

Consumers expect more personalized, relevant and assistive experiences, and machine learning is an invaluable tool to help meet those demands. A subset of artificial intelligence, machine learning is helping marketers create smarter customer segmentations, deliver more relevant creative campaigns and measure performance more effectively. In fact, 85% of executives believe AI will allow their companies to obtain or sustain a competitive advantage, according to Boston Consulting Group research. So, what exactly is machine learning? At its core, machine learning is a way to quickly label and analyze huge data sets. People can do this on their own, but a machine helps do it faster and on an infinitely larger scale. MIT Technology Review Insights research found that 66% of marketing leaders agree automation and machine learning will enable their team…

We can all agree rush hour is pretty miserable, but this past April, commuters in Mexico City got a bit of a reprieve: the ability to order Whoppers to their cars. The inspiration for the campaign came after Gustavo Lauria, chief creative officer of We Believers, spent an hour in a car on the way to a meeting with Burger King CMO Fernando Machado. Recalling that Machado wanted an idea relevant to Mexico, Lauria—fresh from his commute—arrived at the meeting and said, “What if we deliver Whoppers in the middle of traffic jams?” Machado approved the idea in less than five minutes, no formal presentation required. Planning was a bit more involved. They had to identify traffic hot spots and restaurants, and what combination would enable 30-minute deliveries. After that,…

BEST PRACTICES PARTNERSHIP INVENTION DOVE BEAUTY PRODUCTS PUBLICIS SAPIENT, MIAMI Seventy percent of women worldwide say they don’t feel represented by images in media and advertising. So Dove set out to show real women as they wanted to be presented. Partnering with Getty Images and Girlgaze, Project #ShowUs features over 5,000 photographs of women from 39 countries with zero digital distortion, all searchable on Gettyimages.com. “We’re already seeing widespread adoption of our hashtag, and industry is already adopting the use of the imagery and committing to their own change of representation,” says Rachel Bradshaw, senior manager, brand strategy at Publicis Sapient. Since its launch in March 2019, over 900 companies in 40 countries have downloaded more than 7,500 images from the collection. —R.F. BEST PRACTICES TALENT INVENTION AD COUNCIL/GRADS FOR…

Some brands are wary of factoring eco-friendliness into their strategy, but as climate change becomes less of a debate and more accepted as a crisis, consumers are prioritizing the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions, according to new research from data insights company GlobalWebIndex. While less than half of consumers said they’d pay more for sustainable, eco-friendly products in 2011, 57% say they would today. Moreover, 61% say they’re likely to switch brands if they realize theirs isn’t environmentally friendly. “Consumers, especially the rising buying power of Gen Z, are choosing brands and directing their loyalty based on the eco-friendliness of packaging and product materialism,” said Virna Sekuj, strategic insights manager, GlobalWebIndex. “This means brands are under immense pressure to not only adapt their materials, but also to educate their…