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Hello CMOs. It's time again for oddball rapper/brand mascot content tie-ups, and the latest effort from Kraft Heinz and agency Mcgarrybowen Chicago does not disappoint.
Rapper Lil Jon (famous for his “yeah!” catchphrase) and the Kool-Aid Man (famous for his “Oh yeah!” catchphrase...you could argue that it didn’t take a genius to put these two together) join forces for a hip-hop holiday drop that’s guaranteed to ingrain itself in your head for the rest of the way.
If that sounds like all you really want, really want for Christmas, the track—“All I Really Want for Christmas”—is available on all good streaming services. Or you can check out Adweek’s review here. Yeah!
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AI was one of the marketing buzzwords of 2018 (and 2017, and most likely the year before that, and it will probably continue to be until the end of time when our robot overlords finally take over). Other than talking about it on conference stages and in agency pitches, though, how are marketers actually using artificial intelligence?
The promise is that AI can help marketers reach consumers in ways that are faster, better and cheaper. But, as CMO Today editor Nat Ives writes, executives can wind up actually wasting time and money when they try to give the technology a shot.
Part of the issue is that marketers have been quick to use AI as a solution without finding the actual problem it solves or purpose it serves. Often the best applications of AI are unglamorous, non-consumer-facing solutions, such as using it to prevent fraudulent transactions.
The article also contains two useful questions for marketers to ask AI vendors pitching them their wares: 1) How many Ph.D.s are on staff? 2) Does your company focus on my category?
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| Children of the Revolution |
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PHOTO: JOEL SAGET/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
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The hits keep coming for Facebook. On Monday, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People returned a donation from Facebook and called on its supporters to boycott the social network with a weeklong #LogOutFacebook protest starting today.
The call followed a Senate-commissioned reports released Monday that showed how the Internet Research Agency, a Russian troll factory, targeted black voters on social media as part of its 2016 election interference campaign. One of the reports concluded that while other platforms have faced scrutiny, the use of Instagram by the Russians to spread disinformation has been underappreciated.
Elsewhere, “Why I’m Leaving Facebook” outpourings eclipsed the “Why I’m Leaving New York” confessionals in 2018. The latest to join the list? Veteran technology journalist (and Wall Street Journal alum) Walt Mossberg, who said he’s leaving “because my own values and the policies and actions of Facebook have diverged to the point where I’m no longer comfortable there.”
Still, Facebook can continue to count on support from marketers, Digiday reports. That’s as long as the platform still provides them a return on their investment, of course.
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Singer Robbie Williams is a new brand ambassador for WW. PHOTO: EDUARDO VERDUGO/ASSOCIATED PRESS
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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. And you know what that means...we’re just days away from the big marketing pushes from weight-loss and wellness brands, making us feel guilty about our over-consumption.
Fresh from its rebrand from Weight Watchers, WW has added two new brand ambassadors to its roster: actress Kate Hudson and British singer Robbie Williams, Ad Age reports.
WW is planning its biggest splurge on advertising since changing its name and hiring Anomaly as its global brand strategy and creative agency, according to Ad Age, although the company declined to comment on its spending plans.
And Oprah fans, don’t worry. You get an ad, you get an ad, everybody gets an ad! Oprah Winfrey continues to star in WW’s global campaigns. “She is such a critical lynchpin for the brand,” said WW Chief Brand Officer Gail Tifford.
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| Three Wishes With...SAP’s Alicia Tillman |
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This week, as we wind down the year, we are asking leaders across the marketing and advertising industries to share their wishes for what 2019 might bring. Today, we speak to Alicia Tillman, CMO of SAP. Below are edited excerpts from our interview.
Your one wish for marketing in 2019?
This year we saw a lot of significant steps by brands to begin to join conversations on prevailing social issues. I think in 2019, consumers are really now asking, ‘So what are you going to do about it?’ My wish is that brands really turn focus into action.
Your wish for media in 2019?
We live in an era of a lot of fake news and toxic content, and as a result trust is at an all-time low. My wish for media is that we ensure that a consistent and truthful message is portrayed because we owe it to each other to be open, honest and transparent.
Your one wish for the industry SAP operates in?
My wish is that we continue to use technology as an enabler to create once-in-a-lifetime customer experiences, but at the same time realize that behind every great technology is a human being, and strike a balance between technology as an enabler but people as the idea-generators and the innovators.
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Clorox has hired the chief marketing officer at online retailer Boxed, Jackson Jeyanayagam, to be vice president and general manager for the direct-to-consumer part of its Nutranext dietary supplement business. [CMO Today]
Dentsu Aegis Network has acquired digital agency Digital Evolution Group for approximately $150 million as it looks to bolster marketing technology capabilities at its digital agency Isobar. [CMO Today]
Fox News show “Tucker Carlson Tonight” is facing an advertiser boycott after host Tucker Carlson delivered a controversial Thursday night monologue about immigration in the United States. Fox News said on Friday night, “We continue to stand by and work with our advertisers through these unfortunate and unnecessary distractions." [The Hollywood Reporter]
CBS said it won’t pay former chairman and chief executive Leslie Moonves any of his $120 million severance package after reviewing the findings of a probe into allegations that he sexually harassed and assaulted multiple women during his tenure at the media company. A lawyer for Mr. Moonves on Monday said the CBS board’s conclusions were without merit. [WSJ]
HQ Trivia has decided to delay a new gameshow and its new ad deal with Google following the death of the company’s CEO Colin Kroll. [Ad Age]
Netflix has tapped former ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey as a vice president of original content, stepping up the rivalry between the streaming-video giant and ABC parent Disney. [WSJ]
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