TWICM 219: The Singles: Grindr IRL with Madonna, ON taking On Nike, Walkers Little Moments of Joy

Bella Harrison and Ed Parkin from Tracksuit join That’s What I Call Marketing to discuss Grindr’s push into real-world experiences, On’s entry into football and Walkers’ growing brand preference, exploring what each story tells marketers about building brands and measuring progress.

Three brands, three different challenges: giving people more reasons to use an app, taking a specialist sports brand to a wider audience, and keeping an established favourite relevant. Conor Byrne, Bella and Ed examine the strategies alongside Tracksuit’s brand health data, discussing what is moving, what remains uncertain and which measures matter.

In this episode, we cover:

– Grindr’s “Global Gayborhood” ambition: how a surprise Madonna performance, events and broader services support its move beyond a hook-up app, and why its younger audience deserves closer attention.

– On’s move into football with Kylian Mbappé and Thierry Henry: building on its running and tennis credentials, competing with Nike and adidas, and the questions facing a premium brand entering the boot market.

– The difference between recognising a brand and thinking of it first, and how expanding into another sport could give On more opportunities to come to mind.

– Walkers’ brand refresh, new flavours and football partnerships with Lionel Messi, David Beckham and Thierry Henry, alongside a rise in preference from 29% to 36%.

– Why flat awareness or usage figures do not tell the whole story, and how audience differences, category context and preference can help marketers make a stronger case for their work.

– “What the Actual?”: the discussion around Sydney Sweeney’s Novig campaign, PNC Bank using the Titanic in its advertising, and why the Laughing Cow has stopped laughing.

A useful listen for marketers interested in brand strategy, customer insight, experiential marketing, sports marketing, brand building, marketing effectiveness and commercial impact.

That’s What I Call Marketing is the podcast for marketers who care about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.

Follow the show for more conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, professors, authors, thinkers and practitioners.

Find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com

THE SINGLES — IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKSUIT

The Singles is our monthly look at the marketing stories getting people talking, using Tracksuit’s brand tracking data to bring evidence and context to the conversation.

A huge thanks to Tracksuit for supporting the series, and to Bella Harrison and Ed Parkin for helping us understand the brand performance behind the headlines.

Explore Tracksuit’s always-on, affordable brand tracking platform: https://www.gotracksuit.com

TIMESTAMPS

01:50 Grindr: real-world events and the “Global Gayborhood”

02:58 Madonna, community and experiences people share

04:08 What the brand data shows for Grindr

05:33 Reaching younger audiences in a changing dating category

06:41 Putting audience and category data into context

07:37 Giving people reasons to use Grindr beyond dating

09:14 On enters football with Kylian Mbappé

10:08 Building on running and tennis

10:53 Premium positioning and the realities of buying football boots

13:06 On’s brand growth and the opportunity to come to mind more often

14:36 Thierry Henry joins On as Director of Football

15:16 Thierry Henry and Ireland’s long football memory

16:10 Walkers: refreshing an iconic brand

17:45 Why Walkers’ seven-point preference gain matters

19:46 Competing across the wider snacking category

21:25 Familiarity, trust and choosing a brand

22:05 Using brand metrics in budget conversations

23:27 What the Actual? Sydney Sweeney and Novig

25:10 PNC Bank’s Titanic advertising

26:08 The Laughing Cow stops laughing: one to watch

That’s What I Call Marketing is where marketers come for real conversations about brand, B2B, creativity, effectiveness and the future of the profession.

Hosted by Conor Byrne, the show features conversations with CMOs, marketing leaders, agency leaders, authors, thinkers and practitioners about what good marketing looks like in practice.

Listen, follow and find more episodes at: https://www.thatswhaticallmarketing.com

Connect with Conor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conorbyrneirl/

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