Table of contents for October 17, 2016 in Adweek

Creepy clowns are terrorizing the nation, forcing perhaps the most famous clown of all into temporary hiding. Last Tuesday, McDonald’s announced it would cut back on Ronald McDonald’s appearances at events due to the scary clown craze. Since August, people wearing clown masks—some carrying knives—have been spotted around the country, often near schools or in retail locations. The phenomenon has since spread around the globe, with clown sightings over the last month in the U.K., Australia and Canada. As a result, Ronald McDonald, who has been the fast-food chain’s mascot since 1963, is laying low for now. In a statement, the company told the AP that it was “thoughtful in respect to Ronald McDonald’s participation in community events” as a result of the “current climate around clown sightings in communities.”…

Like all good brand marketers, retail advertisers wanting to drive brand awareness and increase sales are always looking for the best platforms and storytellers to help meet their bottom lines. A new study from Advertiser Perceptions sheds light on what these retail advertisers are thinking when planning their next ad budgets. “A performance mindset pervades retail marketers now,” said Randy Cohen, president of Advertiser Perceptions. “We’re seeing the biggest increases in targetable, immediate, online advertising as a result.” Notably, about a quarter of the segment using broadcast TV plan to decrease their spend over the next 12 months while two-thirds will increase social media spend in the same period. More below.…

Jet.com sells an enormous array of products: books, toys and games; household products; health and beauty supplies; sporting goods; appliances and furniture; auto accessories and groceries. SO WHAT DOES LIZA LANDSMAN BUY ON JET? “That’s a terrifying question,” she laughs. “Everything. My oldest son just went to college, and he’s a big seltzer drinker. I’ve been sending him somewhat healthy snacks, and seltzer in mass quantities, every week. Because we sell groceries now, I do almost all of my food and grocery shopping on Jet. I just bought two heating and air conditioning units for each of my kids’ rooms since we have the classic New York apartment where the heat gets stuck on one end and the air conditioning on another. “I have a pretty strong rule about when…

Stewart K. Widdess probably didn’t think he was making history. For the time being, all he had to make was a name and a logo. It was 1961, and Widdess was the publicity man for Dayton’s in Minneapolis. A downtown landmark since 1902, Dayton’s was a fancy department store that sold things like fine jewelry and cashmere sweaters. But its owners had decided to go into the discount business with a new store for the suburbs—and charged Widdess with naming it. The publicist’s staff waded through some 200 possible names before settling on Target. “As a marksman’s goal is to hit the center bull’s-eye,” they explained, “the new store would do much the same in terms of retail goods, services, commitment to the community, price, value and overall experience.” So…

1 The EBTH conference room was inspired by Mad Men. The team wanted the feel of a 1960s ad agency. They added a California twist with succulents from the area and California pottery that had a ‘60s vibe. 2 Touches from the California West are infused throughout the office. “The pottery is from Joshua Tree and the print is Pablo Picasso, called Toros Y Toreros,” Lee said. 3 “This is a midcentury impressionist piece of a woman, signed ‘Kent,’” Lee said. “I chose it because it almost feels like she’s a protector of the space. That’s why she’s on the front wall. She’s watching over the space for us.” 4 The EBTH team wanted the lobby area to have a mini-library vibe. The bookshelf is stocked with selections bought on…

Your role at iCrossing is new. Why did you want to join the Hearst-owned agency? When [Chris Hughes] sold The New Republic, I was approached by Hearst and iCrossing with this idea of collaborating together. ICrossing is a neutral agency [and] uses Hearst’s expertise to extract insights, data and editorial knowledge that helps brands become better content marketers. What’s a typical day like for you? A lot of my day is spent with the editorial and data teams at Hearst, not just the Hearst portfolio but also all of Hearst’s investments—everyone from A+E Networks, Complex and AwesomenessTV—and figuring out their expertise on each side. [For example], AwesomenessTV understands Gen Z. Vice understands millennials and Cosmo understands women. [Then I] extract all of that knowledge and see if I can productize…

With an estimated $4.87 trillion rung up in brick-and-mortar sales in the U.S. alone in 2015, according to eMarketer, retail remains a cornerstone of the American economy. The rapid rise of ecommerce, which accounts for more than $300 billion, has caused traditional retail’s growth to slow. Trying to secure a bigger share of that latter amount from Amazon is Jet.com, which recently was purchased by retail giant Walmart. Christine Birkner explains the thinking behind the upstart, through the eyes of its marketing exec Liza Landsman. But etailing isn’t the only disrupter to the retail world; Kristina Monllos examines the new trend of gender neutrality, both in retail marketing and the products themselves, led by the likes of CoverGirl and Target. Finally, Robert Klara pits arts-and-crafts chains Michaels and Hobby Lobby…

‘As androgyny and gender fluidity become the norm rather than the exception in today’s cultural landscape , brands are faced with the challenge of tackling gender norms both in their advertising and the products they offer.’ CHIEF —RUTH STRATEGIC BERNSTEIN OFFICER , CO-FOUNDER AT YARD AND James Charles may not seem like the typical ambassador of a beauty brand—and he’s not. Meet CoverGirl’s first CoverBoy. No doubt the half-century-old brand raised a few eyebrows last week when it introduced its latest model. But this was no mere stunt. Coty’s CoverGirl says Charles will be an important part of growing the brand moving…

Emperor XT $5,305 and up Whether you’re working on an important project or deep in a gaming binge, sometimes you just need to be able to tune out the world around you. Modeled (and named) after the emperor scorpion, the Emperor XT from MWE Lab is made for those marathon screen sessions when minimizing visual distractions is a must. The steel structure can be customized with features like a reclining Italian leather chair, integrated Bose or Cambridge audio systems, LED illumination, retractable monitor stand, side tables, seat heater and even a cup holder. With a setup this plush, you may never want to go back to the real world. Buy it: mwelab.com AUDIO Juiced Up Mophie Power Capsule $40 The problem: You got a fancy new pair of Bluetooth headphones…

Specs Age 70 Claim to fame Host of MSNBC’s Hardball With Chris Matthews (weeknights at 7 p.m.) Base Washington, D.C. Twitter @HardballChris What’s the first information you consume in the morning? History. I start the day knowing most of what’s happened in politics since World War II, so it’s always there as a point of comparison. Everything is a mash-up of past and present in my brain. For instance, [Alicia Machado] is very much a case of how you treat the little people if you’re a big shot, and this is what happened with [Republican presidential candidate Thomas Dewey] back in ’48 when he yelled at some train conductor and said he ought to be fired because he accidentally jolted the train, and that really hurt Dewey. These things happen…

At the Association of National Advertisers’ annual Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando, Fla., this week, CMOs from Procter & Gamble, McDonald’s and Georgia-Pacific will be sure to address Facebook’s recent video flub and ramifications for tracking social video. The tech giant revealed that it inflated the amount of time users spend watching video by up to 80 percent, drawing the ire of advertisers who felt they were misled by nonaccredited data. But the problem goes beyond just Facebook, as other digital platforms also use their own sets of metrics. Still, most marketers prefer the standards of industry measurement authority the Media Rating Council. One week after Facebook’s video miscalculation was discovered, the ANA called for an audit of the platform’s metrics and asked for third-party verification through the MRC.…

The hero’s journey is an archetype that appears across literature, movies and TV—and even in the world of business where every entrepreneur is the main character of his or her own story. The call to build something great is no less significant or full of adventure than a protagonist’s journey in a blockbuster film. The typical hero’s journey begins with a call to leave a previous life behind and move into a new condition with unfamiliar rules. Such an adventure is inevitably filled with countless ups and downs, as the hero confronts unforeseen challenges and undue pressures to succeed. Following on this hero’s journey concept, here are four entrepreneurial learnings of mine which I hope will help inspire anyone starting his or her own heroic business odyssey: Build a culture…

Michaels FULL NAME Michaels Stores FOUNDED 1962 SLOGAN “Where creativity happens” HOME BASE Irving, Texas NUMBER OF LOCATIONS 1,262 2015 SALES $4.9 billion AGENCY OF RECORD Zimmerman Advertising (Omnicom) SNAPSHOT Chuckle if you want, but arts and crafts is big business in America—and not just with glue-gun-wielding grannies. According to Mintel, 45 percent of 30-somethings sold a homemade craft online last year. And when it comes to shopping for all the necessary supplies, chances are they go to Michaels (or Hobby Lobby). Founded by five-and-dime scion Michael Dupey, Michaels is the mother ship of craft stores. Each hangar-size location stocks some 36,000 items, from coloring books to glitter paint. As CEO Chuck Rubin has put it, “We’re not Apple.” And Michaels really isn’t: At a time when ecommerce threatens the…

FACT The company was sold in 2001 but declared bankruptcy again in 2008. Today, Polaroid is still operational and will release a digital instant camera this year. The Polaroid instant camera was once a ubiquitous part of Americana that permeated every demographic, documenting real-time slices of life ranging from a toddler’s first steps to weddings and even captured a series of renowned portraits from famed photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. And the world has Edwin Land (pictured) to thank. Land, a rogue scientist who conducted research by sneaking into labs at Columbia University, created the first Polaroid camera in 1948, just 11 years after founding the Polaroid company, which initially focused on another Land invention—a polarizing polymer used in instant film development. But it was the camera that turned the company into…