Table of contents for October 31, 2023 in Adweek

Millions of Americans are setting out to trick-or-treat tonight, donning an array of costumes that increasingly include their favorite brands—not just characters like Spider-Man and the Little Mermaid, but actual packaged goods. A bag of Cheetos, a bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup, a Crayola crayon, a White Castle burger box—all are official, licensed costumes selling at Spirit Halloween this year, to cite just one retail outlet. But is a goofball Halloween costume merely a gesture to a handful of devotees, or does it genuinely benefit a brand? This year at Bush’s Best, head of consumer experience Kate Rafferty and her team came up with two wearable baked bean cans for Halloween. “We’re a lighthearted brand, and looking silly for Halloween is part of our brand DNA,” she said. “We view…

In 2020, brands and agencies pledged to devote more marketing spend to Black-owned and Black-targeted publishers. But the immature advertising infrastructure of the sector—a lack of programmatic pipes—as well as scale challenges, soon bottlenecked the effort and benefited incumbents in the space. Since then, in a bid to address these technical issues and capitalize on the growing demand for multicultural media, a new cohort of Black media collectives has emerged. These organizations, which include Bomesi [Black Owned Media Equity and Sustainability Institute], B Code, Blavity360 and Group Black, have over the last three years pioneered an approach to the collective model that represents a radical departure from previous incarnations, prioritizing collaboration and tech support, according to interviews with founders and media buyers. “Collectives have become key in addressing certain scale…

Visitors to the Musée du Louvre in Paris can view a selection of Egyptian artifacts as they would’ve appeared when first created. Egypt Augmented, created by Snap’s AR Studio, reveals the original shapes, materials, colors and decorations of selected works in the Department of Egyptian Antiquities through AR. Snapchat users around the world can also try an augmented reality Face Lens that allows them to wear Egyptian funerary masks inspired by relics at the Louvre.…

There was once a time when UPS was the unlikeliest brand to be associated with fashion. With its ubiquitous (some would say drab) brown color scheme, nothing about the shipping company seemed to connect with an industry often characterized by its kaleidoscopic usage of color. This unexpected, radical connection makes UPS uniquely situated to usher the fashion world into an era of inclusivity and weave more creatives of color into its fabric. Seeing an opportunity to elevate its brand recognition, refresh its image and connect with the companies that comprise the $400 billion U.S. fashion industry—many begin as small businesses for which shipping services are essential—UPS became a sponsor for American fashion’s biggest event: New York Fashion Week (NYFW). The partnership, which just celebrated its third season in September with…

Americans’ disposable income is estimated to reach $22.8 trillion by 2026, up 23% compared to 2021. More than in past decades, this buying power will come from a diverse group of shoppers. The University of Georgia’s Selig Center for Economic Growth anticipates that in a few years, more than $1 out of every $5 of U.S. disposable income will belong to Black, Asian, multiracial and Native American consumers. In 2000, that number was 66 cents. Hispanic consumers are also set to grab a large share of this shift in disposable income: 12.1% by 2026. Increases in total buying power are moving faster in some parts of the country than others. Utah, Colorado, Washington and Idaho saw the biggest surges between 2010 and 2021. “As the U.S. consumer market becomes more…

When people ask Sara Wilson about her former position at Facebook (now Meta), which began in 2013, she includes a caveat: “I worked with influencers, but now ‘influencer’ is a dirty word, so we call them ‘creators.’ “The early social media version of an influencer is largely negative,” continued Wilson, who is now the founder of digital strategy consultancy SW Projects. “In two dimensional terms, it described somebody who was using their looks to create a brand.” The growing library of terminology, and whether the various references to this talent carry a notable difference, is a contested topic across each side of the industry—with some rallying harder than others to explain why the conversation matters. In a 2021 survey from influencer marketing platform Mavrck, 57% of respondents said they used…

‘I had an incredible mentor in my father, who dedicated his career to diversity.’ IN 2022, ADCOLOR CONDUCTED A STUDY TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE STATE OF THE WORKPLACE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO THE RETENTION OF HISTORICALLY EXCLUDED COMMUNITIES IN ADLAND. WHILE THE STUDY HOMED IN ON MACRO FACTORS THAT IMPACT INCLUSION AND RETENTION, IT ALSO SHINED A LIGHT ON OTHER ISSUES. One is the importance of an organization’s affirming diversity climate, which means the company has created an atmosphere where diversity is valued. This leads to a mutual appreciation for different cultures that shape the work environment. Enter this year’s five recipients of Adweek and Adcolor’s 2023 Beacon Award. Jiah Choi (Wieden+Kennedy New York), Jason White (Wieden+Kennedy Portland), Darla Price (Ogilvy New York), Tesa Aragones (AKQA North…