Editor’s note: Industry consultant Shelly Palmer is taking his popular newsletter and turning it into an Adweek article once per week in an ongoing column titled “Think About This.” We’ve been running a data science experiment over the past few months. Our first goal was to compare and contrast the amount of data we could…
Faith in the media, they say, is at an all-time low. But perhaps there’s light not only at the end but throughout this tunnel, as viewers and readers turn back to veteran media organizations to get reliable information. Some are even thanking President Trump for this turn of events. If you haven’t heard of it…
Digital media is poised for a major role in the 2020 election season. While we all know that elections are decided based on numerous factors, no one can deny that messages conveyed to would-be voters via media (whether it’s paid, earned or owned) plays a major role in swaying the minds of the masses. Part…
While soundbites provide the ubiquitous “gotcha” moment in politics, visual content remains the bread and butter for campaigns that are trying to position their candidates as approachable and authentic. From website hero images to Instagram selfies, visuals transcend the fickleness of the news cycle and provide a curated way for candidates to control the narrative…
Three years after the 2016 presidential election, America is still coming to grips with the chaotic circumstances that surrounded it. And whatever may happen in 2020, it cannot rival the historical significance of an event that was christened as “the first real internet election” by Politico. Representing the confluence of technology and culture at a…
Most people reading this will not know the name Tom Townsend. Among his many enviable qualities was humility. You certainly wouldn’t have known about him or his work from anything he did to promote it. Still, you should know Tom for his advertising legacy–and so much more. Tom was an accomplished creative leader in advertising….
In the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira were announced as the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show performers. While the selection of two incredible Latinx musicians is certainly worth celebrating, these celebrities only represent one piece of a larger, more diverse, picture of Latinx heritage that is seldom depicted in advertising and…
The gaming industry is one of the most revolutionary and innovative fields around, and with the competition being so fierce, it has no choice but to be. Looking at some of the gaming giants, here are five lessons brands can take away and implement in their marketing strategies. Create a community Fortnite’s evolution over the…
I was saddened to read about the end of Barton F. Graf. Over the last decade, Gerry Graf and his team has done some great work that’s pushed the culture and the ad industry. As a fellow entrepreneur in the advertising and marketing world, I feel for Gerry as he described his journey. The reality…
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…
Companies looking to reach the growing podcast audience have been creating their own shows, known as branded podcasts. These company-produced podcasts have proven to be an excellent method for growing brand awareness. Just like in the 2000s when every company needed to start a blog, now every brand’s head is spinning about starting a podcast….
For marketing directors, knowing and understanding their target audiences is a rule of thumb. Without such knowledge, getting into the heart of their audiences or becoming top-of-mind will be difficult. Marketing logic works as follows: Since I understand you and know what you are looking for as a consumer, I can connect with you, and,…
Last month I completed my first year in America. My role here is to help marketers generate growth by finding consumer segments that are prominent in their category but still have not become loyal to one brand. Coming from Latin America, I needed to learn specifics in order to help. It became clear from day…
Mattel is no stranger to criticism over its Barbie brand. From limited, gender-specific professional choices to unrealistic body standards, the toy company has navigated its fair share of complaints involving the 60-year-old doll. Though Mattel has introduced several diverse, groundbreaking dolls this year–including the Barbie Fashionista line featuring two dolls with physical disabilities, the Inspiring…
A late Thanksgiving this year means there are five fewer shopping days and one less weekend between Black Friday and Christmas than last year. In fact, 2019 has the shortest holiday season since 2013. That year, retailers front-loaded the holiday by starting promotions in early November, opened stores on Thanksgiving for the first time ever,…
Femtech is not just rising; it’s exploding as quickly as the category came to be. Since 2014, femtech companies have raised over $1 billion in funding, despite the term “femtech” itself not being coined until two years later. Frost & Sullivan, a market consulting firm, predicts that femtech could have a market potential of $50…
Brands like Nike and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna are not only reflecting culture, they are moving it forward. What’s their secret? They prioritize their connections with youth culture and their socially conscious beliefs to make a real impact. That being said, this is undoubtedly delicate terrain to navigate because it can’t be done for the…
I was a first-timer to the ANA Masters of Marketing conference and my first impression was simply one of scale: 3,000 delegates, reflecting the size and significance of the U.S. market. Having two ears fully tuned to the uniqueness of that market and the needs of some of our most important U.S. clients was incredibly…
I’ve been known to watch non-Oscar nominated movies while I multitask around the house, so it wasn’t really surprising when Netflix suggested Falling Inn Love. I was curious about the female lead Christina Milian, who I recognized as a Latina that had been up-and-coming a few years back. How, I wondered, would they represent her…
This month, network TV returns once more with a shiny slate full of fall debuts. It’s an annual ritual of foreordained failure, with the vast majority of shows unlikely to survive to see a second season. This winnowing is accepted as the cost of doing cultural business, but, increasingly, the networks themselves have to fear…
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
