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Top of the Marketing Charts - August 2024


It's been a very mindful, very demure month and so hopefully reflects that! It has been a month full of lawsuits, dancing, toilet paper and donuts, so let's get straight into it.

 

🏅Elite Olympics?

SportsBet made waves with its hilarious 'Elite Average Games' Campaign ahead of the 2024 Paris Games. The campaign taps into Australia’s deep-seated love for sports, delivering a series of ads that blend humor with patriotic fervor. This is a great example of a brand really knowing the local sense of humour. I remember collecting a series of Aussie moments to send to my colleagues in the US before so they could understand the local sense of humour, and yes the Honey Badger was in the mix! So the team behind the campaign has definitely crafted content that uses jokes and humour that really only Aussies would fully appreciate. Rambo Goraya, executive creative director at Sportsbet was quoted as saying: “Feedback on our previous Elite Average Games campaigns were so positive we felt we had to go around one more time in 2024. Everything from knocking footies out of trees, throwing a million decorative pillows off the bed to everyone’s favourite Len Loosefoot and his brilliant Dad Dancing skills are on display this time around. It’s all good fun, designed to entertain and capped off with more Aussie gold!”. In probably a very unexpected twist, one of the pieces was Len Loosefoot Dad Dancing, which when you look at it now definitely makes you think about Raygun. And speaking of Raygun, I would love to know what brands are going to start working with her, she is super smart and seems to have a really great personality, hopefully she gets some positive brand activations out of her fame. Nice work Mark Migliorini Kathy Schokman Yuta Kobayashi Daniel Atkinson Rambo Goraya Callan Mckean


 

💼 X CEO’s Legal Threats


Well you won’t have missed Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), video where she has taken a stance in a move to reclaim lost advertising revenue. She announced that X is suing several advertisers who have boycotted the platform, allegedly (!) accusing them of breaching contracts and contributing to the financial difficulties the company has faced since its rebranding. The lawsuits are allegedly targeted at companies that pulled their ads amidst concerns over content moderation and the platform’s new direction under Elon Musk’s ownership.


Yaccarino's decision to go public with the legal threats has ignited debate in the advertising world. Some industry experts argue that this move could backfire, driving away potential advertisers who fear being entangled in legal disputes. However, Yaccarino is framing the lawsuits as a necessary measure to protect X’s business interests and assert the platform’s value to advertisers. She is also using this opportunity to reaffirm X’s commitment to providing a safe and effective advertising environment. As X navigates these turbulent waters, the outcomes of these lawsuits will likely set a precedent for how the company handles advertiser relations moving forward. An immediate casualty has been The Global Alliance for Responsible Media which announced it will dissolve after it was accused of orchestrating a boycott. ​​ What is your view on this approach by X? Share your thoughts in the comments. ⤵


 

👥 Teamwork.com: The Client, Part Two


Teamwork.com has struck gold again with the follow-up to its highly successful campaign, “The Client.” The sequel, “The Client, Part Two,” delves deeper into the chaotic and often comedic world of client-agency relationships. The campaign captures the absurdity of these interactions, from last-minute requests to unrealistic expectations, all while highlighting the solutions that Teamwork’s project management software provides.

What makes this campaign stand out is its use of humorous storytelling to connect with a B2B audience. Each scenario depicted in the ads is exaggerated, yet painfully familiar to anyone who has worked in an agency setting. By turning these challenges into a humorous narrative, Teamwork.com not only entertains but also educates potential customers on the value of their software.  By continuing to shine a light on the often-overlooked struggles of agency life, Teamwork.com is positioning itself as the go-to solution for managing complex client relationships. As I told Laura D'Angelo in a message. “What is terrifying is I actually know of a situation like this where a junior brand manager was actually told how to write emails to the agency I was in! So this actually happened!!!” Be less of a client!  Do you think these are great B2B ads or do you think they are not right for the category, leave your thoughts in the comments. ⤵


 

🚽 Who Gives a Crap’s About Sports Sponsorship


Who Gives a Crap, the eco-friendly toilet paper brand known for its cheeky marketing, is venturing into the world of sports sponsorship in a way that only they could. The brand has chosen to dip into sports sponsorship with Lewes Football Club – the self-dubbed Equality FC – for a two-year sponsorship deal. As part of the club’s ‘Impact on the World’ strategy, the club has committed to raising money for Who Gives A Crap’s charitable foundation that supports equal access to clean water and toilets. Emily Kraftman , UK MD of Who Gives A Crap said: “This is not your normal sponsorship; it’s about driving donations not fame. As big fans of Lewes FC and what they stand for, we couldn’t turn down the opportunity to help drive change across football and society through our partnership. We look forward to successfully wiping the opposition together whilst supporting equal access for all to clean water and toilets” This definitely seems to be a great partnership between two (and I type this word with extreme caution) purpose led brands, but they are. I know Emily says it is not about driving Fame, but there has to be a commercial outcome for it, so I expect WGAC need to activated the shit out of this one.


 

☕ Starbucks CEO Shuffle

Starbucks has made headlines with the abrupt ousting of its CEO, a move that has industry insiders speculating about the future of the coffee giant. It quickly announced Brian Niccol as the new CEO. Niccol currently serves as Chairman and CEO of Chipotle. Since becoming CEO in 2018, Niccol has transformed Chipotle. His focus on people and culture, brand, menu innovation, operational excellence, and digital transformation have set new standards in the industry and driven significant growth and value creation. Revenue has nearly doubled, profits have increased nearly sevenfold, and the stock price has increased by nearly 800% during his leadership, all while increasing wages for retail team members, expanding benefits, and strengthening the culture. So it is expected that this will be what he does at Starbucks. Of course the big news was Niccol had planned to “commute” to work in a hybrid working set up. Now lots of us commute, the difference here is that he will commute by private jet,  what leaves a sour taste is the idea he can use a private jet to nip 1,000 miles between California and Seattle. Is this a storm in a coffee cup (sorry) for the brand?  

 

🚗 Uber’s Ad Revenue Surge


Uber is making significant strides in diversifying its revenue streams, with its latest financial report highlighting a notable increase in ad revenue. The company has shifted focus towards in-app advertising, leveraging its vast user base to offer targeted ads that appear during rides and in other app interactions. This move is part of a broader strategy to reduce reliance on ride-hailing fares and explore new avenues for growth. In their investor report they announced that “Our revenue run-rate from Advertising exceeded $1 billion. Expanded Journey Ads to programmatic buyers, enabling advertisers across our top markets to more easily buy Journey Ads through their preferred demand-side platforms, increasing our addressable market”

The success of Uber's advertising strategy can be attributed to its ability to offer highly personalised ads based on user data, making them more relevant and less intrusive. Uber has also been experimenting with new ad formats, such as interactive and video ads, which have proven to be more engaging for users. By integrating these ads seamlessly into the app experience, Uber is providing brands with a unique platform to reach a captive audience while maintaining a positive user experience. As Uber continues to refine its ad offerings, this revenue stream is expected to become an increasingly important part of the company’s financial portfolio.

 

🍫 Sweet Snacking

Mars made a bold move to expand its footprint in the snacking industry with the acquisition of Kellogg’s snack division, Kellonova, in a deal worth billions. And before we get into let us just remind ourselves of the online uproar when the Kellonova “brand” was introduced, people thinking Kelloggs had lost its mind…but clearly they knew the bigger picture plan.  This acquisition is a strategic play for Mars, as it seeks to diversify its portfolio beyond its well-known confectionery brands and into the growing market for healthier snack options. With Kellonova’s products under its wing, Mars is poised to become an even bigger player in the global snack industry, offering a range of products that cater to both indulgent and health-conscious consumers.


This deal is particularly significant as it allows Mars to tap into Kellonova’s established distribution networks and customer base, especially in emerging markets where the demand for snacks is on the rise. Mars plans to leverage its own expertise in brand building and innovation to create new products that blend the indulgence of its candy brands with the health appeal of Kellonova’s offerings. It will be of course fascinating to see, as the brands come together, how this impacts or plays out in terms of marketing, where they will look for efficiencies of scale.

 

⚽Premier Beership

Guinness has once again proven its prowess in sports sponsorship, recently announced as a Premier League sponsor, it launched its activation campaign as the season starts. I would love to see the media budgets, because they are definitely making sure we know about it. The campaign will feature four new adverts, global out-of-home advertising, ‘Lovely Game for a Guinness’ creative in pubs and retail outlets, sponsorship of the Premier League’s Goal of the Month award, and a fleet of 20 tankers bringing the "beautiful beer to the beautiful game". There are four films for TV and social media that are, unsurprisingly, about shared passion and love for football. The first one is about Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides, where 10% of the population play for the only football team on the island and the idea is to celebrate how the passion for the game and the Guinness brand reaches and brings together the most remote communities. It is wonderfully shot, feels very guinness in tone, the community and shared love of sport and beer (0.0 too) are all there. Is it all a bit obvious? I think so, but it works, and I am sure Diageo tested the shit out of it, oh and did I mention the spend (well I don’t know what it is but they are spending heavily behind it). This is a clever global play by Guinness, the Premier League is one of the biggest global football leagues and football is loved in so many countries. Clearly lots of evidence has lead Guinness to know that the next wave of Guinness drinkers (wide reach) are going to come from the football terraces. Stephen. O'Kelly , Global Brand Director, Guinness said so himself: “The Premier League isn't just football, it's a global occasion…..For Guinness, it's an amazing opportunity to continue the success of the Guinness brand globally.” Meanwhile Guinness 0.0 is the biggest non-alc beer in the UK.

 

🍩 Damon Instigating Dunkin 


Think Boston and you think Chowdaw, Fenway Pawk, Affleck & Damon, Dunkin Donuts (also my friend, author and future guest David Wolman !). And now the Instigators - well maybe not, but this piece from, well I am not sure who it is from, but features The Instigators, Matt Damon, Casey Afleck & Dunkin Donuts is really enjoyable. It is definitely an interesting way to cross promote things that are very Boston and to me this seems like it is a case of using star power to lift all boats. What is interesting, and I talk to people about this when it relates to Global Marketing, is how this very local piece works and resonates across the world. Probably down to fame - yes as a strategy fame works, congrats Jillian Nelson

 
🔥 Snoop’s next episode with Solo Stove

So remember the Snoop's Solo Stove SuperBowl Spot that bombed and the CEO allegedly got the boot as a result. Well something must have worked because Snoop is back for the next episode and they are really leaning into the mistakes from the first outing, and get really blunt about it all!!! Luana Bumachar , chief marketing officer of Solo Brands has said this is a “deliberate nod to how brands engage influencers to promote their products….This isn’t just marketing – it’s blunt, direct, unapologetic and entertaining” It sure is. Oh and very well branded too (after 5 seconds).

 

🍔 McDonald's Japan AI Ad

McDonald’s Japan created an AI-generated ad campaign, crafted entirely by artificial intelligence. Collaborating with the creative minds at LumaLab (LumaLabsAI) and the popular digital influencer Kaku Drop, McDonald’s Japan is embracing the future of advertising from the visuals to the scripts Kaku Drop is a virtual personality who has gained a massive following on social media, especially among younger audiences. With a mix of humor, relatability, and eye catching digital art Kaku Drop was the perfect choice to help promote McDonald’s Japan’s new AI-driven campaign. In the ad, Kaku Drop takes viewers on a fun and visually stunning journey through a world of vibrant, realistic looking ai generated Japanese girls eating McDonald’s french fries. Tom Goodwin was quoted, in relation to this, as saying “A lot of AI work makes me realise quite how brilliant most non-AI work is. We have a taste, a logic, a craft, a respect, a softness, an empathy that makes human work so very good”. I think we run the risk of applying our lens and world view on this and not understanding the market more,  I have done work on and for creative in Japan and the market is wildly different in terms of creative, it is fascinating. I don't disagree with Tom's view that human work is more powerful (for all the reasons stated), but I do think taking a firm stance that this is not good is wrong.

 

📉 Bartlett’s Influencer Blunder

Steven Bartlett is such a huge success, known as a marketing expert and influential figure in society and culture. He is huge. The thing is when you reach those heights people are just waiting to knock you down. And Bartlett has been, it seems to me anyway, vilified. A headline in the Independent was “Downfall of a CEO? The real reason Steven Bartlett became the man we love to hate” Yikes. The backlash seemed to reach boiling point when  Bartlett's nutrition adverts with ZOE and Huel were banned by the ASA for being 'misleading'. These ads, facebook sponsored posts, shared in February and March sees Bartlett praise the products. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) claimed that the ads were 'misleading' as they did not make it clear that Bartlett had a financial interest in both brands. And that is their job to do, but I would be more worried about misleading nutritional claims (not saying there were any, but then I might get the backlash). I think broadly it is good that the ASA is picking up on these sponsored influencer posts. Now not that Steven Bartlett cares a jot over what I think, but this whole thing seems like a massive over reaction. Of course if you do read this Steven, I did send you that email about coming on That’s What I Call Marketing…I refresh the inbox hourly for a response!

 

📱 Ronaldo’s YouTube Takeover

I was chuffed when we hit 1,000+ subscribers on YouTube. I over took my 11 year olds capcut football video page. Celebrations all round. Then Cristiano Ronaldo goes and ruins it all gaining  19,729,827 in one day. ONE DAY. Yes it was a record. He is up to over 50+ Million now. Now these numbers are HUGE, but remember MrBeast has 300+ Million. What is interesting about all of this is the reason behind it, eventually Ronaldos career is going to come to an end (GOAT) and he is clearly starting to position his brand differently. He has been able to leverage his fame on the pitch but he is thinking what next and how he keeps in the spotlight. It isn’t for the money, clearly, but he just wants to keep brand Ronaldo relevant. He is also trying to soften his image, I believe, when you look at some of the content like Georgina RATES MY OUTFITS from the last 20 years… (just the 17m views!!). His content is in Portugese and dubbed, which is interesting - why shouldn’t it be really. It is an interesting play from Team Ronaldo, he isn’t disliked but probably isn’t universally loved, so it will be interesting to see what content they run with to build up his likeability. I for one want him to do a version of Demure!!   

 

🍽️ Being Fresh in 13 markets at once

Hello Fresh is launching an ambitious global campaign that reflects the brand's response to the evolving demands of consumers worldwide. As meal kits become an increasingly popular solution for busy households, Hello Fresh is positioning itself as the leading provider by emphasising the convenience, variety, and quality of its offerings. This campaign is tailored to resonate across 13 markets. Patrick Stal SVP international marketing at HelloFresh Group, speaking to The Drum , revealed that the in-house creative team "merged this bold new creative direction with innovative AI practices to fuel a truly integrated global campaign." But did not expand on what those practices were. It would be great to hear more about them. The fast-paced, 30-second ad brings you into lots of different types of homes and families and showcases them with on screen graphics of the food. The campaign also marks HelloFresh's first foray into sonic branding - which is definitely a good move for International brands (did somebody say just eat?) ? What do you think of this campaign? Does it hit the mark, will it travel well or is it too generic to connect? Share your thoughts in the comments. ⤵

 

😡I am looking back in Anger 



I didn’t manage to get myself tickets to see Oasis play next summer. Rage. I am not going to offer up lessons in marketing from the oasis reunion, trust me LinkedIn will be full of them. But the reforming of the band is a great reminder of one of the best stunts the band pulled. A month after a gig had to be cancelled due to technical difficulties (In hindsight, lets go with a massive fight!) Noel Gallagher promised a refund to Oasis fans. Gallagher tried to back track but eventually sent out the refund. And this is where the genius comes in. So they sent out tens of thousands of cheques for about £45 each.


An accompanying letter read: "Thank you for your application to receive a payment as a goodwill gesture for the problems experienced at the Heaton Park show. Please find attached the cheque in respect of this offer. No further correspondence will be entered in to." - the total value of all the cheques was 1million quid. And this is where genius sets in The cheque, legal tender, was emblazoned with an unlikely logo. "Oasis: Bank of Burnage," it read. And it bears Liam and Noel Gallagher's signatures.


Now if you got one of those, what would you have done!!! More lessons from Oasis to come over the next 12 months.

 

🍜Social Curry

There is an instagram of a dad embarrassing his daughter using Gen Z phrases like Skibbidy, Riz and the likes! Currys plc have come out with a great social piece that pretty much pulls in every single saying and ties it to an in store product. Brands often struggle with jumping in on the culture and trends and this is a great example of doing it well. It is so bad, it is good.




 

🕺💃 Stayin Alive

One of the greatest ads made was the Vinnie Jones ad for the British Heart Foundation showing people how to do CPR back in 2012. At the time VInnie was in the height of his post football fame, still a hard man, but a movie hard man. So the creative team leaned into that quickly “we need a volunteer that isn’t breathing” and created an incredible piece of advertising that really captured attention, got across a message using entertainment as a vehicle and was a great piece of fame work. 12 years later it is still referenced, I know Jon Evans is a big fan. But aside from everything, this piece of work delivered results, tangible results. It saved lives. Now it is being revived, as part of the 'Every Minute Matters' campaign, which seeks to educate people on potentially life-saving CPR training.  Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation have set a target of 270,000 people to start learning CPR by the end of the 2024-25 campaign. Great work works. I believe Vicki Maguire wrote the copy for this….must be a pretty great feeling Vicki. Bravo

 

🧬The DNA of Distinctive Brands


I have referenced the work of Distinctive BAT here before, and Jon Lombardo & Peter Weinberg talked about Cathal Gillen in our recent episode. They have really carved out a strong niche as a leader in this space, being very distinct (I would suggest they also have a differentiated offering!!). They have just released research (yes it is for lead gen, but it is worth it) that goes through the nuts and bolts of Distincitiveness. If you are starting out the journey or want to bring people on it, download this report. 

 

🎙 Speaking of recent episodes



 If you didn't catch what we had this month here are the links to some amazing interviews, thanks to these wonderful guests


Thanks again to Freedman International for their support



I am delighted to announce Cpl Marketing Recruitment as the latest sponsor of That's What I Call Marketing, please do get in touch if you would like to be involved with the show



 

CEO Series

I am working on an exciting CEO series for That's What I Call Marketing.  So if you have a CEO who loves or loathes marketing, I would love to talk to them for this series, Get in touch



 

That's all for this month, folks! As always, let me know your thoughts—whether you agree, disagree, or think I missed something big. Until next time, can I ask one favour, if you enjoy That's What I Call Marketing and can share, rate or review one episode, you can find them all here, it really does help build and grow our audience, in return if there is something I can do to help you or what you are doing please drop me a note and I will do what I can to support you.


Thanks, Conor


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