As publicists, brand marketers and agency owners, many of us are not prepared for coronavirus. Most of us have never lived during a pandemic, let alone personally experienced one. This is where crisis communications training will become invaluable. We are used to helping clients with short term PR fiascos or crisis com issues. But make…
In my view, a good CMO needs to be doing two things at the same time. First, you need to drive sales. I doubt any CMO will last too long if the brand is tanking in sales. Second, you need to make your brand “future-proof.” The general rule is that the pressure you will get…
Menswear brand Bonobos is run by a woman–me–and has an executive team that is dominated by women. For some, that may be surprising. After all, you might imagine that in order for us to truly understand our audience, cater to them and drive business results, we should live in their shoes. I beg to differ….
History is filled with successful female leaders and pioneers–Cleopatra, Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great, Joan of Arc, Maya Angelou, Ada Lovelace, Amelia Earhart. Today, some of the most successful, well-known brands are led by strong female CEOs like Mary T. Barra at General Motors, Michele Buck at The Hershey Company or Jill Soltau at JCPenney….
Black consumers are trendsetters and tastemakers for consumers of all races. Their choices create a halo effect on the masses, thanks to their relentless pursuit of innovation and cultural expression. Music is a reliable indicator of this effect, as black artists like Drake, and most recently Lil Nas X, dominated almost every chart in the…
Is the collapse of Brandless a sign that the DTC model is potentially another dot-com bubble ready to burst? This is, firstly, a pertinent question we must ask. Secondly, we need to be hyper mindful of the first major collapse of a billion-dollar DTC brand. The DTC model is a thing of genius. Over the…
Brands and advertisers are challenged to connect with African American audiences. Yet many brands fail to engage the African American community, whose shopping purchases are at least $1.3 trillion annually. Reaching this audience is key for businesses to expand their customer base. African Americans are influential in the success and failure of a brand. With…
Valentine’s Day, with its history of phone orders for flower delivery, can be called the original direct-to-consumer holiday. And the 24-hour festival of affection captures modern retail’s challenges, chief among them the urgency of a very specific delivery deadline in addition to the customer’s need to be kept apprised of the order’s progress. In the…
Brands have always struggled to maintain market visibility during election seasons. The media space becomes invaded by political messaging. This has only intensified in 2020’s unique political climate. U.S. voters are more politically charged than at any other time in recent history, throwing the polarization of the electorate into even sharper focus. The widening gap…
Close your eyes and imagine a college professor. Who comes to mind? In my mind’s eye, I see my favorite professor: a bespectacled, golden-skinned and immaculately dressed black woman, who epitomized excellence. While I attended a historically Black college (HBCU) where black professors are plentiful, for many future and current marketing professionals in the U.S.,…
With the noted exceptions of extended hangovers, a few gray hairs and a deep nostalgia for pre-Tattoo You Rolling Stones, I don’t feel old. I’m 48. Only 48. In fact, I find myself at the very fulfilling intersection of having much to teach and a strong desire to learn. But 48 in advertising makes me…
Black creators have been watched, mimicked, repackaged, diluted and presented to American audiences for years and not given due credit. In the wake of America’s newfound wokeness as it crashes into cancel culture sees public outrage as a form of monetization. But with so much happening in the world, this outrage is temporary. A brief…
This year’s Super Bowl welcomed a brand-new first-time advertiser: Facebook. To make its Super Bowl debut and promote its Groups feature, Facebook selected Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone to star in a 60-second spot. At ages 54 and 73, respectively, these two iconic celebrities both hail from a powerful consumer demographic: the 50-plus audience. Facebook…
Your favorite social networks, online games, apps and those used by your children are home to an alarming and growing number of in-network demeaning, destructive and even life-threatening behaviors. While some networks are investing in human and technological resources that impede these behaviors, most aren’t doing nearly enough. What’s worse, brands in part subsidize this…
The Super Bowl is an advertiser’s ultimate gamble. Expectations of creativity and craft are high, and frankly, it’s the one time of year when people aren’t actively trying to avoid the advertisements. The work is put to the test on a national stage, and with millions of dollars already invested, the stakes don’t get any…
We’ve witnessed yet another Super Bowl that had everything from iconic sporting moments to a star-studded halftime show to the highly-anticipated clash of creative advertising forces. As is the case with such an event, the stakes are as high for the brands on the ad inventory as they are for the players and coaches on…
The NFL’s recent public service ads are a stark contrast from the NFL’s position just three years ago. Back in 2016-2017, when Colin Kaepernick first took a knee to protest the oppression of people of color in America, largely executed by police organizations around the country, the NFL was appalled. It basically drummed Kaepernick out…
Being a part of the Super Bowl is an enormous opportunity for any company or advertising agency. For Pinnacle Advertising and Marketing Group, it is a chance to show the world that a boutique agency from Schaumburg, Ill., could compete on the world’s biggest stage with global network agencies. Click here for more. Six years…
Super Bowl is basically advertising’s Christmas. (Although, so is actual Christmas.) These two iconic moments in the adland calendar are when the industry goes all out. However, these two occasions seem to have different rules to the rest of advertising. Christmas ads seem to compete on schmaltz, charm and story. Super Bowl ads compete on…
Here at Bumble, we try not to do anything halfway. When we first thought about outreach to sports fans, we didn’t buy banner ads on a basketball website. Instead, we entered into a groundbreaking partnership with the Los Angeles Clippers, becoming the first women-focused brand to see its logo on a major professional sports team’s…
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