Table of contents for March 2, 2020 in Adweek

Ulta Beauty will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2020. How do you keep that challenger brand spirit? As the world and consumers change, we’re always writing the next chapter in our success story. In the past decade, Ulta Beauty has more than tripled the number of stores in operation, increased our revenue by more than 500% and become the No. 1 beauty retail destination for Gen Z. We keep that challenger brand spirit by driving for today, while imagining the experiences of tomorrow and continuing our bold mission to use the power of beauty to make the world better. How important are influencers to your marketing strategy? People have conversations with individuals and not with brands. That’s why we are building engagement and conversation through authentic, credible, engaged individuals who…

Want to know how the media industry is changing? Take a glimpse at the job description of any publisher’s chief technology officer. While the position isn’t a new one for media companies, the role sits at the frontlines of an industry that’s constantly evolving to stay alive. The job’s expansive responsibilities could very well symbolize just how many battles media companies are waging. Media companies like Fortune and Verizon Media have had to recently consider what they want in a CTO. Is it ad tech? Web architecture? Keeping bots at bay? Some, like Condé Nast, opt for a hybrid CTO-chief product officer role that attempts to tie tech and product together in one position. But no matter the company, the CTO has become a vital position inside publishing houses—and for…

BEST RETURNS SOLUTION BEST THIRD-PARTY MARKETPLACE BEST PAYMENTS PROVIDER BEST AUTO RETAILER BEST QSR BRAND BEST RETAIL REBOOT BEST OVERALL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE BEST ONLINE GROCERY STORE BEST WINE AND SPIRITS BRAND BEST OVERALL ONLINE RETAILER BEST CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE PLATFORM BEST CROSS-BORDER COMMERCE TECHNOLOGY BEST BUY NOW, PAY LATER SOLUTION BEST CANNABIS RETAILER BEST CONSUMER ELECTRONICS RETAILER BEST MEN’S GROOMING RETAILER BEST OVERALL BRICK-AND-MORTAR RETAILER BEST OVERALL GROCER BEST POS SYSTEM BEST FULFILLMENT TECHNOLOGY BEST SHIPPING AND LOGISTICS BEST FOOD AND BEVERAGE BRAND BEST STREETWEAR RETAILER BEST WOMEN’S FASHION RETAILER BEST WELLNESS RETAILER BEST VENTURE CAPITAL COMPANY BEST FULFILLMENT SERVICE PROVIDER BEST ECOMMERCE PLATFORM BEST BEAUTY RETAILER BEST MEN’S FASHION RETAILER BEST POP-UP BEST OVERALL DTC BRAND BEST SECURITY/ANTI-FRAUD SOLUTION BEST RETAIL ANALYTICS COMPANY BEST RETURNS SOLUTION Returnly Returnly offers what…

WHEN IT COMES TO being an upstart challenger brand that’s broken rules and tapped tech to win over fans, there are few in the game that come close to DJ Khaled and his masterful marketing for… DJ Khaled. Khaled first graced Adweek’s cover in 2016 when he was then known as the “King of Snapchat,” an ascendant hip-hop star who was leveraging social media in innovative ways to take his fame to the next level. We’re talking megaendorsements, music and movies. Back then, Khaled boasted 14.3 million followers on Snapchat. Today, on Instagram, he has over 18 million and nearly 5 million on Twitter. Fresh off his wild Hard Rock Super Bowl spot with an all-star cast that included Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez and Pitbull (Khaled also DJ-ed the pre-game,…

Go through any agency’s doors, and more likely than not, you’ll see it’s awash in millennials and even Gen Z. In an industry obsessed with the latest and greatest, this doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. Advertising’s fixation on youth is having a real impact on older, more seasoned employees who feel as though their age is working against them. But now agencies are finally waking up and making changes to address ageism, particularly as workers with years of experience push back against the notion that younger employees are by nature more digitally savvy and cheaper. CHANGING MINDSETS Internally, some agencies are beginning to rethink their recruitment strategies to ensure older candidates get a fair shot. Barry Lowenthal, CEO at media buying and planning agency The Media Kitchen, said they…

To try to stay relevant in an industry becoming overpopulated with streaming services, several broadcast and cable networks have begun setting new linear strategies and leaning into what sets them apart from digital. FX, however, is taking a different approach. It will be expanding its linear brand into the streaming world with FX on Hulu, a new branded hub rolling out March 2 on its corporate sibling’s platform. FX Networks chairman John Landgraf called the move a “transformative opportunity for the FX brand.” FX on Hulu will be the streaming home for FX’s current and legacy series as well as several FX series airing exclusively on the streaming service, including the sci-fi limited series Devs, debuting March 5, and limited series Mrs. America, beginning April 15. All FX and FXX…

Apps push notifications, increase brand awareness and reduce load times. Insights into an app’s engagement should help design and improve app experiences. Third-party research firm Decibel found the most used retail apps are Amazon, Best Buy and Walgreens—of all respondents Decibel surveyed, 26% said they use the Amazon app. More men use each of the apps included in the survey than women do. Decibel believes this may be a reflection of shopping habits, as women prefer to shop in person. But not all apps are created, or experienced, equal. The younger or older a person is, the more critical they are of the app experience. The survey also found there are demographic differences when it comes to rating customer experience. Men think the Topshop app has a better experience, while…