Indice dei contenuti per October 14, 2019 in Adweek

When Radiohead hit the road for an international tour 11 years ago, part of the mission was to spread a human rights message through a partnership with MTV Exit (End Exploitation and Trafficking). “Social responsibility-branded entertainment marketing” was the “next big wave,” with companies popping up at festivals and staging events to show their commitment to various causes, from the environment to volunteerism. Brands were beginning to realize that people want products that reflect their values. But even then, marketers knew the challenge was seeming authentic about their commitment after the event was over—which ended up being a big reason why DTC brands have been so successful. They’ve built their values into their foundations, like making clothes with ocean-bound plastics and sourcing their supplies locally. The kids who went to…

With a rallying cry of “We are humans, not robots,” workers in Amazon’s warehouses have walked out multiple times this year over issues like a 30-hour-per-week cap and working conditions. While a spokesperson for the National Labor Relations Board said it does not track employee protests, staff at retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair and Whole Foods have signed letters to executives and/or walked out over a range of issues this year alone, including government contracts, carbon footprints, gun sales and earning a living wage. This, in turn, reflects a passionate labor force that’s willing to speak up and take action based on their values and concerns in an increasingly polarized society. While businesses will continue to carefully weigh policy decisions, experts say their employees will also continue to protest values-based…

Lena Waithe says she moved to Los Angeles from Chicago in 2006 knowing she wanted to conquer it. And with 22 projects in active development with some of the biggest names in the business—including Amazon, BET, Disney, HBO, Netflix, Showtime and Universal—as well as a star-making turn on the Netflix series Master of None, which earned her an Emmy, she’s arguably done just that. Season 3 of The Chi, a drama Waithe created for Showtime about the South Side of Chicago, is now in production. She did a food tour of L.A. with David Chang for his new Netflix limited series Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner, premiering Oct. 23 (the show also features Chrissy Teigen and Kate McKinnon). And next month, she’s bringing her talents to the big screen with the…

During a recent phone interview, Arlene Biran created a respectable-looking Labrador retriever on the Etch A Sketch. “If you practice, you will get better,” she said. “And it makes you feel proud when you’ve finished.” Biran, vp, marketing and global business lead of activities and building toys at Etch A Sketch owner Spin Master, thinks the sense of accomplishment it gives its fans could explain the brand’s enduring appeal as it nears its sixth decade of life. “Whether your picture is amazing or not, it’s an artistic achievement,” added Biran. Spin Master acquired the iconic drawing toy from Ohio Art in 2016. Biran considers it a crown jewel of imagination-driven toys and a massive get for her company—also home to Air Hogs, Hatchimals and Paw Patrol. “It’s a dream to…

In recent weeks, six major media companies announced they would pair off to combine their forces: Vox Media and New York Media, Vice Media and Refinery29, and Group Nine and PopSugar. Media buyers are excited because it could mean more opportunity for innovation, better technology and an easier process for them to purchase inventory. “Given the marketplace realities,” said Alexandra Levy, CEO of Silicon Alley Media, “providing more scale and offering greater buying efficiency is a requirement these days to compete with the big three,” referring to Amazon, Facebook and Google. Publishers, too, are quick to highlight how their acquisitions fit with their existing audiences, which they can use to compete for digital ad dollars using their rich reader analysis tools. Expanding established events, like Refinery29’s 29Rooms, and having the…

PROS Widespread reach with tons of creative formats available to reach consumers on-site and through all sorts of apps. Great for hitting customers at the top of the marketing funnel, driving eyeballs or getting quick conversions. In some cases, it averages out being cheaper than other in-feed placements. CONS Though marketers can set certain guardrails and blacklist certain sites, there’s still a possibility of ending up on a low-quality publisher. With low-quality publishers can come low-quality traffic: Clicks and impressions are high, but conversions could be low. Because these companies constantly reevaluate their publisher partnerships, scale can fluctuate.…

McDonald’s recently launched its first African-American campaign in 16 years. Why now? While this is the biggest launch we’ve had in 16 years, our relationship with the African-American consumer is not new. With more than 300 African-American franchisees whose restaurants represent approximately $2.7 billion in sales, McDonald’s has served as a community pillar for decades—from providing resources like tuition reimbursement to the many employees in the more than 1,500 McDonald’s restaurants in African-American communities. Black & Positively Golden is a refresh. … We realize the demographic has evolved, and because of that, so are we. What drove the decision for both a national and local focus for the campaign? We conducted extensive consumer research to really understand what’s driving our consumers, what they care about and how we, as a…

‘I think that is what my job is. Every single day, I get to be me and I get to share myself with the world.’ It all started with a bowl of 7-Up Salad in 2017—a combination of soda, marshmallows, lime Jell-O, cream cheese and a slew of other ingredients—or as Kalen Allen ended up describing “a stomachache waiting to happen.” A recipe tutorial caught the eye of the Temple University student, who made a cheeky reaction video. You may have seen it. If you didn’t, Ellen DeGeneres and 5.6 million other people saw the viral video. Soon, the queen of daytime television reached out to him and brought him on the show to offer him a gig. Of course, he accepted. If you would have asked him in college…

Shepard Smith, one of Fox News Channel’s original hires in 1996, is stepping down from his role as chief news anchor to “begin a new chapter,” he said in a statement. His last show was on Friday. Smith has been a stern critic of the Trump administration, butting heads with some of his conservative colleagues at Fox News. In January, Adweek named Smith one of its 30 Most Impactful TV Newsers of the Past 15 Years. “All anyone can do is be ready for change,” he said at the time. “And that’s part of what makes it all so exciting.”…

DENVER With Colorado as one of the first states to legalize recreational cannabis sales, small-business owners jumped quickly into weed tourism with offerings like the Puff, Pass and Paint classes and the Blaze and Gaze graffiti walking tour. SEATTLE Another pioneer in recreational sales, Washington offers cooking classes but substitutes hemp for cannabis per state law. LAS VEGAS Industry experts think that Sin City will become a hub for weed tourism, apart from any activity on the famous Strip. Current tours include a stop at Cannabition, a cannabis-centric museum that features “the world’s largest bong.” WILLAMETTE VALLEY, ORE. Homegrown Weed & Wine Tours visits local dispensaries and wineries in a choose-your-own-adventure-style ride on a “chill bus.”…

In a way, it’s nothing new. We have been hearing about the connection between excessive thinness, retouching, lack of self-esteem and eating disorders for a million years. In the ’90s, there were the Superwomen and the depression caused by unattainable depictions of having it all. Today there is a whole host of other mental health issues exploding all around us, and we should take a look at advertising’s role in those, too. It starts early. When a girl’s selfie doesn’t measure up, she can be ruthlessly bullied. Loads of selfie-surgery apps smooth skin, whiten teeth, make eyes rounder and noses thinner, but what happens when their actual faces and bodies look nothing like these images? Women who previously sought cosmetic surgery in order to look better in selfies are now…

AUDIT INTERNALLY FOR EQUALITY We look across all levels in the company and ask ourselves: What are you doing to support equality in your role and everything that you do? We came together as a marketing organization and audited everything we’re doing and said: Could we be doing more? And we all agreed that we could. … The first thing was making sure that we have diversity reflected in our meetings and decision-making. Then, making sure that in all of our recruiting and talent development, we are ensuring a diverse population. To elaborate, that’s not quotas in hiring. That means making sure there’s diversity in the interview pools. BUILD INCLUSIVITY INTO YOUR DNA We did the six principles of inclusive marketing because we looked and said: How can we make…

Contrary to the way Los Angeles has been stereotyped, “it’s not slow paced,” says Emma Grede, co-founder and CEO of Good American. “I’ve never been busier in London or New York as I am here.” L.A. is also not burdened by East Coast propriety. “Los Angeles offers a freedom from tradition and convention that few other cities can match,” says Paddy Spence, CEO of Zevia. “Nobody tells you to ‘act your age’ or asks where your grandparents went to college.” It’s also in an earlier time zone—”which usually gives us the last word of the day,” quips Jonathan Shokrian, founder and CEO of MeUndies. In other words, L.A. is many things, and the 16 execs profiled here are living proof. They’ve been producing big gains and unexpected solutions for everything…

Humans have been brewing beer since ancient Egypt, and for a while during medieval times it was actually safer to drink low-alcohol small beer than water (of course, they weren’t operating heavy machinery). Nonalcoholic beer didn’t come around until—you guessed it—Prohibition, when brewers trying to stay in business made a simple tweak to their brewing method to comply with the 1919 Volstead Act. A century later, we’re seeing a second nonalcoholic drinking trend, but this time it’s not out of necessity. Millennials are avoiding alcohol as part of a broader pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, driving a resurgence in mocktails, alcohol-free “spirits” like Seedlip and even the first nonalcoholic brewery, WellBeing Brewing Co. in St. Louis. Wellness has truly become its own kind of hedonism.…