Thursday, August 14, 2025
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Nelly Kennedy Snatched from Google to be CMO of Volkswagen.

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Nelly Kennedy, Volkwagen

Nelly Kennedy, Google’s Senior Global Brand Marketing Director and digital marketing expert, is coming on board as the new Chief Marketing Officer of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

Kennedy will be moving to Germany in mid-February 2023 to take over for Jochen Sengpiehl, who has moved to Volkswagen Group China as CMO. She is known for her approachable, customer-centric brand marketing techniques, which she’ll bring to Volkswagen as they work towards turning back into a love brand.

Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand, said “We are turning Volkswagen back into a love brand—approachable, customer-centric and authentic. Our marketing plays a key role in this context. As the new Chief Marketing Officer, Nelly Kennedy together with her team will help turn Volkswagen back into a true people’s brand. I wish her every success!”

Before her eight year engagement, Kennedy had stints at Conde Naste International and Adidas.

Kennedy’s appointment is part of a wider August reorganization of VW Group’s management under the automaker’s new CEO Oliver Blume.
 
Blume said the changes will give group brands more business responsibility.

Megan McDonagh Hired as CMO of Amperity

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Amperity, the leading customer data platform (CDP) for enterprise consumer brands, today announced the hiring of Megan McDonagh as chief marketing officer.

She brings extensive expertise within their respective industries to Amperity’s growing leadership team.

“The company is experiencing unprecedented growth, and we are thrilled to welcome Megan to the team as we take Amperity and the customer data platform category to the next level,” said Barry Padgett, CEO at Amperity. “She has a successful track record for building and scaling organizations to support rapid growth, and equally important, they share in our mission to help people use data to serve the customer.”

McDonagh is a seasoned marketing executive with a strong track record of innovation, creativity, and growth acceleration with industry-leading tech companies. She is known for building enduring customer-centric brands, driving results-focused marketing programs, delivering rewarding customer and partner experiences, and inspiring high-performing global teams. Most recently McDonagh served as CMO at RealWear (the leading provider of assisted reality wearable solutions), before this she spent over 20 years at Intel in various marketing leadership roles.

Designed for marketing, analytics, and IT leaders throughout the world, Amperity helps many of the world’s most loved brands, including Alaska Airlines, Kroger, DICK’s Sporting Goods, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Lucky Brand, Kendra Scott, Planet Fitness, Patagonia, Crocs, Endeavour drinks, and many more, make smarter decisions and deliver personalized customer experiences in three ways.

How Pay-Per-Call is Like the Walking Dead

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I want to sometimes introduce technologies that many CMOs and marketers may not know or use in their advertising mix. I’ve found that Pay-Per-Call is one of those technologies that seems to be used by many people, and then ignored by others. Instead of writing another article about how Musk is destroying Twitter for advertisers, I decided to have a little fun and introduce you to pay-per-call in a different way

The Walking Dead is a popular TV show that follows the life of Rick Grimes and his group of survivors. They have to fight off zombies in order to stay alive, just like advertisers do when it comes to pay-per-call. But what exactly is pay-per-call?

Well, it’s kind of like a zombie—it won’t die anytime soon! In fact, it’s much more than that: it has evolved over time and will continue evolving into one of the most important marketing strategies for businesses that want to reach people on their phones.

Pay Per Call Is Still Alive and Well
If you’re a fan of the Walking Dead, you know that even when it seems like everything is lost and there’s no hope left, people will still fight.

In the same way, pay-per-call advertising is still alive and well—it just looks different than it used to. 

In the past, pay-per-call was really just another form of telemarketing. You’d have a script and then someone who would call people on the phone with it—but now things are different!

Now, pay-per-call advertising is more like marketing automation than anything else. With it, you can reach out to customers through many different channels all at once. This means you can use chatbots to talk to people who visit your website; you can send push notifications to people who have downloaded your app; and so much more!

Pay-per-call is not the same game it used to be. It’s changed, just like a human turns into a Zombie. The old ways of paying for calls are still around, but they’ve been joined by a new wave of exciting opportunities that can make you more money than ever before, not leaving you hungry.

Pay Per Call Mobile Will Take Your Marketing to the Next Level 
Mobile is the future of pay-per-call, and it’s already here. I’ve seen a growing number of marketers using mobile devices to make calls—and that number is only going to grow as more people become accustomed to using their smartphones and tablets as part of their daily routine.

As marketers, we need to keep up with these changes and figure out how to take advantage of them. Mobile pay-per-call is a huge opportunity for you to reach new customers and make more money than ever before.

With mobile-friendly tech, anyone can log into their account on any device at any time and make a call.

This means that you’ll be able to use your smartphone or tablet to make calls with just a few taps. In fact, some of our customers have told us they prefer making calls from these devices because they’re easier than using traditional desk phones or landlines! You can also access our platform through your computer browser (such as Chrome) if you don’t have access to another device.

Whether it’s Google Voice calling or Skype calling—or even just text messaging—if there’s one thing we’ve learned from The Walking Dead? It’s this: keep moving forward!

Pay-Per-Call Will Soon Be on Top of Digital Marketing
You’re probably wondering, “what does this have to do with the walking dead?”

Well, the pay-per-call industry is growing, and it’s going to be bigger than ever in the future.

Just like Zombies will be at the top of the food chain.

Also, just like how new technology has helped zombies become more intelligent, digital marketing has allowed more people to get their hands on Pay Per Call Advertising.

This means that the world of Pay Per Call is going to be bigger than ever before. It’s not just going to be a good way for businesses to make money; it’s also going to help them get more customers and clients. Pay-per-call will soon be on top of digital marketing because it works so well.

Pay Per Call is one way that businesses can leverage these statistics and reach new customers online. The cost-effective advertising option allows them the chance at revenue growth while also providing transparency into where those clicks are coming from – something that wasn’t always possible before now!

You Can Get a Quick Start with Pay-Per-Call
Pay-Per-Call is like the Walking Dead because it’s easy to get started.

Anyone can become a Zombie.

This is a low-cost, no-hassle marketing tactic that can help you quickly test the waters and see if your Pay Per Call campaign is right for you. You don’t need a website or any digital marketing experience to implement this strategy either!

Ever seen a zombie with a website?

This is a great way to find out if your product or service is in demand without having to spend a lot of time or money on it first.

Pay Per Call is Highly Targeted
You might be surprised to learn that pay-per-call is a lot like the Walking Dead. Both are highly targeted, and both have a knack for sniffing out humans.

In fact, pay-per-call is one of the most targeted forms of advertising. That’s because you can target your ads to specific demographics and locations in real-time—just like a zombie smells humans from afar. You can also target by gender, age group, and even based on keywords related to your product or service (if that’s what you sell).

But don’t worry about being eaten alive by remote prospects: when people call your number after seeing an ad on Google search results or Facebook news feeds as well as other channels where they aren’t always paying attention (like websites), they want something from you!

Always Experiment with Different IVRs
As a business owner, you often get the feeling that you’re in a zombie apocalypse when it comes to your PPC campaign.

It seems like every week, someone new is trying to eat your brain (or wallet). If someone is trying to take your money, you should be doing everything in your power to get it back. And this includes testing different IVRs (interactive voice response systems) and making sure that people can easily understand what you’re saying when they call your number.

But what if there was some way for you to not only survive this terrifying new world but also thrive? Well, there is! You just need to think like a survivor from The Walking Dead and experiment with different IVRs, keywords and ad copy until you find something that works.

And if one thing doesn’t work or performs poorly? Well then try another thing! Otherwise, you’ll get eaten. And that’s not good.

Consumers Can Get Quick Access to Information Through Calls! (Even in Times of Disaster)Think of pay-per-call as an easy, one-stop shop for all your needs. Think of it as a blood bank. Do you want a blood transfusion? You’ve got it! Do you want to know how much blood you need? Got that too!

But what if you’re in a situation where you can’t get out and access those services? Maybe you’re stuck at home and feeling ill, or maybe there’s some sort of disaster going on around you. With pay-per-call, that’s not an issue because the information is accessible online—even if there are no stores open nearby.

You don’t have to worry about being stuck without access to vital information during natural disasters either; with pay-per-call numbers available 24/7/365, it’s possible for people in need of help (or answers) to reach out quickly.

Advertisers Can Speak to Qualified Leads in Real-Time (This One IS a Big Deal!) Zombies are always in real time

While there are plenty of ways that pay-per-call is like the Walking Dead, one of the most exciting is also one of the most obvious: It allows advertisers to speak with qualified leads in real time. Zombies are always in real-time. Does this make sense? We don’t care. We just thought it was funny.

The point is that pay-per-call is a real-time advertising medium, and this has several important implications for advertisers. For one thing, it means that you can get your message to people who are most likely to respond…right now!

More importantly, though, the fact that you’re speaking with potential customers in real-time means that you can tailor your approach based on what they say and do.

Imagine being able to reach out to a potential customer within seconds of hearing their name mentioned on social media or in a news article. Imagine being able to bring them into your sales funnel right away, instead of having to wait days or weeks until they go through your website and then maybe get back in touch with you.

That’s what pay-per-call allows you to do!

While it may seem like a small thing, this kind of instant gratification can make all the difference when it comes time for closing deals and making sales!

Pay-per-call is also similar to the Walking Dead in that it allows advertisers to reach a highly engaged audience. Zombies are incredibly engaged, as they have nothing better to do than hunt humans (and eat their brains). You can’t really blame them for being so focused; after all, they only have one goal in life: Survival!

Now, you know how pay-per-call is like the Walking Dead. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about this being a short-term trend. There are plenty of companies still using pay-per-call for their business, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

In fact, it will only get more powerful as technology advances and consumers continue to rely on mobile devices for everything from making calls to ordering food delivery!

Kate Jhaveri has joined TikTok as its new global head of marketing.

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The newest member of the TikTok team is a veteran of the tech world with a lot to prove.

Kate Jhaveri has joined TikTok as its new global head of marketing. In her role, she will oversee both consumer and brand marketing for the company. She previously worked with Twitter, Twitch, Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Dell.

Jhaveri’s most recent position was as the chief marketing officer for the NBA, where she spent three years before leaving in January 2022. In her time at Twitter between 2013 and 2016, she served as Head of Consumer Marketing. Before that, she was Director of Brand and Mobile Marketing at Facebook. Her first job in tech was with Microsoft in 2004 as an account manager; later on she worked in Apple’s retail stores before getting into marketing full-time in 2006 when she joined Dell as a brand manager.

When she was young, Kate always had a book in her hands. “The ability to tell stories and move people with words and images is something that started with me very young,” she says.

“I thought about parlaying that love of stories into becoming a college professor, but my father encouraged me to try something new before committing to that path.”

Jhaveri says that she has always “been fascinated to see what drives different communities and their behaviors and how they engage,” which she will have a lot of time to do while working on TikTok.

Inside the FAST Industry

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The growth of FAST has been staggering.  It’s hard to get a sense of how FAST services are really doing by their published subscriber numbers.

Subscriber numbers are the primary metric for judging the popularity of content, but consumption data shows how engaged users are with each platform.

Variety pegs the number of U.S. FAST services providers at 20 (with 1,000 channels) growing soon to 21. The percentage of U.S. TV watchers who say they use a free, ad-supported streaming service like Roku Channel, Pluto TV or Freevee ticked up 9 points to 55% in the first five months of 2022, according to a survey of 3,004 U.S. consumers conducted by Hub Entertainment Research.

Despite fears that the streaming market has reached saturation point, the number of hours spent consuming content has only increased: The average household devotes 122 hours to it each month—a 19% rise from a year prior.

Consumers seeing value in FASTs was fairly high among all five services tested. The Roku Channel stood out with 84% saying they got “excellent” or “good” value from the service, followed by CBS (80%), Freevee (78%), Paramount’s Pluto TV (78%), Fox’s Tubi TV (77%), and Crackle rounding out the bunch with 67%.

“With the remarkable rise of FAST TV, we’re seeing the promise and potential of ad-supported models begin to come to fruition,” says Srinivasan KA, co-founder, Amagi. “Consumers are exhausted by the cost and overwhelming choices of subscription services. Increasingly, they are clamoring for linear, “lean back” viewing experiences across a wide range of genres—and our latest FAST report reflects that clearly.”

Those who are not yet aware of FAST, which is short for Fixed And Streaming Transport, will find that it resembles watching a conventional TV network. Unlike AVOD, which allows viewers to select a title and start watching it from the beginning at any time, FAST sees them choose a channel via an electronic programming grid. The program on that channel is then joined in progress by the viewer.

James Muldrow, vice-president of product management at Comscore, said: “While both ad-supported and subscription-based streaming services are growing in the US, we’re seeing that consumers are being more mindful of their budgets and leaning toward ad-supported services. This makes sense as inflation continues to hit consumers’ wallets. The time is ripe for traditionally subscription-based streaming services such as Netflix to consider launching an ad-supported tier to enhance their growth trajectory.”

What can we learn from the last few years?

There is no correlation between heavy ad loads and viewer satisfaction.

Subscribers to Discovery+ and Hulu with ads are most likely to agree that they see “more ads” on those platforms than users of other streaming services. Despite their perception that the sheer number of ads they see is higher than reasonable, subscribers to those same platforms are also likely to feel that the number of ads on offer is “reasonable”.Consumers report paying the greatest amount of attention to ads on those two platforms. Over the last month, users of Discovery+ and Hulu rated ad attention higher than viewers of other TV services: 51 per cent and 45 per cent respectively gave top ratings (8-10 on a 0-10 scale) to ads, compared with 42/3 % for Beats Music customers.

Because they cost less money, these services might be a better value and thus make users more satisfied with the product.

Ad-supported streaming services provide users with just as much value as ad-free streaming services.

Subscribers to the ad-supported tiers of streaming services are, for the most part, equally likely to feel they get “excellent” or “good” value from their subscription as those who subscribe without ads. Those who subscribe to Discovery+ and Paramount+ with ads actually feel that those services offer excellent or good value, according to HubSpot analysis. What’s more, strong majorities of FAST users believe the same about their service—regardless of platform.

Nothing is more competitive than a free offer.

 “Our customers consistently told us they were looking for free movies,” says Chris Yates, general manager, on demand, Redbox. Viewers want to watch something that’s a little less taxing to find, choose and, watch. Essentially FAST doesn’t generate the kind of buyer’s remorse you might get by picking the wrong thing to watch on a pay-per-view or SVOD service. FAST services are really replicating the old TV experience of free programmed content. “It’s a behavior that everyone knows from the cable days.”

FAST Platforms have Tons of Millenials

Many brand advertisers are finding that FAST platforms are the best way to reach coveted demos like millennials. These audiences tend to skew more heavily toward millennials, who have significant buying power and who make up the largest cohort of parents.

There’s a big opportunity for children’s brands to reach desired audiences through FAST advertising, and this explains why kid-focused channels can be found across many platforms like Pluto TV and The Roku Channel.

Dynamic Brand insertion is huge. DBI is a technology that allows advertisers to swap out ad creatives in linear, live or video-on-demand, content.

Video ad targeting allows advertisers to leverage the deep audience insights that are available, creating more targeted ads for each consumer. Targeting consumers based on the content they consume, their location or other factors can help advertisers reach potential customers more effectively—which results in higher conversion rates.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) wil rule. Even if it’s not really AI, and it’s not going to take over the world, or make you breakfast in the morning, it’s still cool.  For example GumGum, has an AI technology called Verity which analyzes video content to get contextual categorizations based on the IAB metadata taxonomy which has hundreds of categories, up to four levels deep.

“We pick the best categories from that taxonomy with (the highest) confidence level and return that back to the client,” says GumGum CTO Ken Weiner. GumGum’s contextual analysis is used for brand safety so ads aren’t placed in settings which aren’t congruent with the product’s values. Some of their customers use Verity as a way to normalize how all their editors tag content, so there’s consistency in their metadata tagging.

Over the past couple of years, streaming services have begun to look a lot more like conventional television. Netflix isn’t the only service with an ad-supported tier. The default option for Universal’s Peacock service is a free ad-supported tier, with premium alternatives available for those willing to pay. Paramount+ has an ad-supported “Essential Plan.” Hulu has both ad-supported and ad-free tiers. HBO Max has seen great success with its ad-supported tier. Even Disney+ plans to add one. I fully expect this is the future for the next decade or so.

Consumers have more streaming options than ever before, and they are carefully choosing which services to subscribe to. 

AMC joined the FAST space in 2020. According to Lindsay Stewart, director of digital distribution and partnerships for AMC Networks, FAST quickly evolved for the network as a fundamental part of its dynamic distribution ecosystem, bringing content and advertising partners to viewers wherever they are.

According to Stewart, “We’ve seen our audience shift over the past few years from linear television to on-demand and streaming platforms. The FAST technology allows us to deliver our content in a way that’s more engaging than ever before.”


“For us, it really helps us extend our brands,” she said. “It’s helped us find new ways to bring the brands people know in our other ecosystems to this really important space. We now have 13 channels across six partners, so it’s been a great way for us to evolve and bring new life to our content while engaging with the fans.” 

Elizabeth Ahern Hired as Chamberlin Coffee’s New Chief Marketing Officer

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Liz Ahern

Chamberlain Coffee is a multichannel brand that is going through a transformation.

To do so, they have hired Liz Ahern as their new CMO. She has held several marketing roles for energy drink brand Red Bull, including senior brand marketing manager and field management. She spent seven years at Red Bull managing product launches and regional campaigns, among other responsibilities. Prior to her new role at Chamberlain Coffee, she was working at online used car retailer Carvana as its director of brand marketing. 

Since rebranding with a new look and a full suite of products in 2020, Chamberlain Coffee has been expanding to new channels, and we have all seen the popularity of the brand soar..Chamberlain Coffee has been a huge hit, and it has already joined the assortments of hundreds of stores and a few online platforms like Gopuff and Amazon, according to a release. 

“What we hired Liz for is really her expertise and taking that creative direction and bringing it to life and activating across every channel,” said Chamberlain Coffee CEO Christopher Gallant. “Thinking about this omnichannel approach we now have, how do we attract new consumers and make our current consumers really happy in DTC, how do we interact with consumers on Amazon… that’s what Liz is really, really strong at and that’s why we brought her on board.”

The hiring announcement came just months after Chamberlain Coffee said it raised $7 million in funding in August from several notable e-commerce names like DTC strategist Nik Sharma and Grin founder Brandon Brown. The Chamberlain Group said it was on its way to more than doubling its revenue this year from last year by expanding the company’s online sales service in new markets.

Chamberlain Coffee was founded by Emma Chamberlain, a content creator with nearly 12 million YouTube subscribers and over 16 million Instagram subscribers.  She is known for sharing her life experiences on YouTube, from her childhood to her recent wedding. Emma has been a part of many of the biggest YouTube and Instagram trends, such as the #ootd, #bbt, and many more. 

The global direct-to-consumer coffee market held a market value of USD 983.6 Million in 2020 and is estimated to reach USD 2,722.3 Million by the year 2027. The market is anticipated to register a CAGR of 15.3% during the forecast period. The estimated market volume for direct-to-consumer coffee is expected to reach 139.03-kilo tons by 2027. Direct-to-consumer coffee (D2C or DTC) is roasted, ready-to-serve coffee that can be found at coffee shops, retailers, and shopping malls. Direct-to-consumer coffee is available to anyone who wants to make an instant coffee drink. Pouches, jars, ready-to-drink coffee, and various varieties of direct-to-consumer coffee are available. The demand for unconventional and premium products has risen in recent years, and a dozen or more coffee startups/direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses are catering to the changing customer taste and expectations. A surge in disposable income and a shift in lifestyle has undoubtedly shifted the global demography towards delightful meals and beverages.

Leslie Sims Hired as Impossible Food’s First Chief Marketing Officer

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Leslie Sims joins Impossible Foods as chief marketing officer.

Impossible Foods has hired Leslie Sims as its new Chief Creative and Marketing Officer, according to a company press release. Sims will oversee the brand’s marketing strategy and creative development.

She joins Impossible Foods from Deloitte Digital, where she served as US chief creative officer. At Deloitte Digital, she worked with brands including IBM, General Mills and Girl Scouts.

Leslie Sims

Leslie Sims brings over 25 years of leadership experience at advertising agencies and production companies in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Many know her in the industry as the mind behind Staples’ Easy Button

Prior to joining the team at Impossible Foods, Sims served as US chief creative officer for Ogilvy before moving on to Young & Rubicam Group’s New York office where she helped lead their executive committee while also producing award-winning work for clients including Fortune 500 companies such as IBM and General Mills.

Sims has also produced award-winning work for Fortune 500 businesses and brands, including Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA), Macaroni Grill, Joe’s Crab Shack, Burger King Worldwide Inc., The Cheesecake Factory Inc., Marriott International Inc., American Airlines AAdvantage®, United Airlines Mileage Plus®, Delta SkyMiles® Program Rebranding Project Team—and many more!

Marketing and Creative Officer

The move comes as the Redwood City, California-based company grows its product range and prepares to bring its plant-based meat alternative to grocery stores across the country.

“Leslie is the proven creative marketing powerhouse that we need to bring our products and promise to the masses. The plant-based meat category is in its infancy and despite our growth, most of the country still hasn’t heard of us,” said Peter McGuiness, the CEO “We have a real opportunity to create and build not just our own brand, but the entire category through greater awareness, approachability and accessibility. Leslie knows how to set the creative vision for brands and businesses in hypergrowth, build and lead high-performing teams, and create emotional connections with consumers.”

Impossible Foods Inc.

Impossible Foods Inc. is a food company that produces meatless meat and dairy products. It was founded in 2011 by Patrick Brown and has raised more than $2.1 billion in funding since then. The company’s investors include Bill Gates and Li Ka-shing.

Since then the burger has been served across America by chains like White Castle and Umami Burger, as well as at Starbucks coffee shops.

Impossible Foods sells products including plant-based alternatives to beef burger patties, chicken nuggets and pork.

The Impossible Foods CMO Leslie Sims will be charged with helping the company continue to grow its brand and expand into new markets.

Impossible Foods sells products including plant-based alternatives to beef burger patties, chicken nuggets and pork. The company aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while improving animal welfare and reducing the risk of heart disease and cancer in humans who consume their products.

The company has done little marketing other than a brief national push last spring called “We Are Meat,” which targeted carnivores who hadn’t yet tried Impossible products.

Leslie Sims will be charged with changing that. As CMO, she’ll oversee the company’s marketing efforts and help spread its message to carnivores who haven’t yet tried Impossible Foods products. She also must make the case that switching away from meat can benefit both consumers and the environment—and, of course, win over customers on taste alone.

The brand’s new marketing will make the case that switching away from meat can benefit both the environment and consumer health, Ms. Sims said. But the company also wants to win consumers on taste, she said.

One of her primary jobs will be to convince consumers that they don’t have to sacrifice taste in order to protect the environment. Impossible Foods has had great success with this strategy thus far, but you will need to build on it and make sure that people who aren’t already convinced by Impossible Foods’ claims about the environment or health benefits think that their products taste good enough for them to buy them again.

Impossible Foods CEO Patrick Brown once told “Mad Money” host Jim Cramer that his company’s vision is to have plant-based protein products “completely replace the animal-based products in the food world within the next 15 years.”

It’s a lofty goal, but one that Brown believes is achievable — especially with this new addition to his team. His company has already made significant gains: Impossible Foods’ burger has been so well received by consumers that Burger King has added other Impossible options to the menu. Also according to Grubhub, the Impossible Cheeseburger ranked as the most-ordered food item for 2021. The report showed that the Impossible Cheeseburger – a meatless patty often served with dairy-based cheese – increased in popularity by 442 percent in one year.

If it can continue to gain market share like this, it will only be a matter of time before they reach their goal.

Impossible Foods seeks to tap into the greater availability of its products with an integrated, TV-focused campaign that demonstrates how its plant-based foods help consumers avoid the environmental effects of livestock without compromising on taste, nutrition, convenience or family traditions. Impossible Foods first national, mass-market advertising campaign comes as the plant-based food brand saw a surge in interest and availability during the pandemic. Impossible Burger was sold in about 150 grocery stores a year ago, and is now available in more than 30,000 stores and 45,000 restaurants.

Namuk, the Swiss kid’s outdoor apparel brand, hired Sebastian Reinhard as CMO

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Namuk, the Swiss kid’s outdoor apparel brand, hired Sebastian Reinhard as chief marketing officer, responsible for national and international communication.

Namuk, founded in 2016, launched its Re-Use platform last year and expanded into the bike and hiking categories with Giro and Lowa. Reinhard is responsible for growing the brand in Germany and the USA.

For the last seven years, Reinhard has been the marketing director of the EMEA for The North Face. His career includes over twenty years working in marketing and sales, 14 of which were with Nike, where, most recently, he was the brand director for its sportswear division.

“Sebastian is an outstanding marketer whose deep understanding of consumer behavior and innovative approach to connecting with consumers will help take Namuk to the next level,” said Franz Bittmann, founder and CEO. “I am very pleased to welcome him to our team and am confident that he will increase awareness and demand and drive our unique positioning further.”

“After 7 amazing years at The North Face, I am super excited to start my new role as CMO at namuk,” said Reinhard, “I cannot wait to become part of this fantastic brand and support driving the future. My kids gave me their blessing, they are already in love with the products.”

How CMOs Can Win the Metaverse Through Gamification

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Over the past few years, gamification has become a buzzword in the advertising industry. Gamification is the process of applying game design elements and mechanics to non-gaming contexts to encourage user engagement. Due to its effectiveness at engaging users, companies have started adopting this approach with other products and services including healthcare, education and financial services.

One of the simplest forms of gamification is getting a stamp every time you buy a coffee. Collect ten stamps and you get a free drink. It’s like completing a level and getting a reward.

Adopting a gamification strategy hooks consumers and ignites their competitive spirit via game-like features. When it comes to the Metaverse, brands can build a riveting environment that induces stronger consumer engagement tactics and vice versa. Even if the metaverse isn’t anywhere that it needs to be, brainstorming these ideas will help you long term.

Likewise, augmented reality creates more lifelike gamification campaigns via adding augmented reality fuels the power of eventually adding significance to the customer experiences. If it is done properly, all of this can transform a conventional marketing campaign into a game-winning customer engagement experience.

The purpose of this is to make you think outside the box, to consider what the future will be and to share the information with your team.

So let’s examine what the Gamification Flywheel is, how it works, and how we can apply it to the metaverse with specific examples.

First, what is the purpose of the Gamification flywheel in the Metaverse? The gamification flywheel is a tool to help you build a community of players (in this case, consumers also) who are engaged and motivated to perform your game’s core tasks. It pushes the motivation for engaged players to higher levels, which then drives more engagement. )

The key point is that motivation comes before action—in fact it motivates action! Every game designer knows this intuitively; when you’re working on an RPG, what determines how many monsters are spawned? The answer is not how much time has passed or how many turns have been taken by your best player—it’s what level you’ve set the difficulty slider at.

Gamification is successful because it capitalizes on people’s innate desire to compete and win.

There are 3 basic elements that drive motivation.

Autonomy. When you feel like you are in charge, you gain motivation and tend to stick to your goals.

Value. If you think that a goal is important to achieve, you are more likely to complete it.

Competence. As you get better at doing something, you are more likely to continue doing it.

So what are some parts that CMO’s should focus on and learn about today?

Discovery is the first part of the Gamification flywheel for the purpose of the Metaverse. Your experience towards a product or service starts when you first hear about it, hence the Discovery Phase. The first phase of a player’s journey start when the player first discovers and learns about your product or service. This can be done through a current application for AR or a partial metaverse like what Meta is doing — and then promote the game.

Then you have to get the user involved with the game, through a process of onboarding — which many folks in the advertising industry are familiar with.Most companies focus on getting new customers because they believe that a user’s first experience with the product is key to winning over lifelong users.

Users do not want to be bogged down with lengthy instructions when they first use a product; instead, they would like to see quick tips that let them get up and running quickly. Make it easy to use, so that almost anyone can figure it out within less than a minute. People want to get started right away, and they love the satisfaction of feeling smart.

Progress is one of the key components of gamification. Progress can be measured in many way. The progress players make can be shared with others, such as friends and family who want to see their progression, or it can be visualized so that players are able to see how far they’ve come in comparison to others. This is often done through points, a progress bar, perhaps collection of items for a grant prize, and so on. Often this is time-pressure, where you reduce the amount of time people have to do things can focus them on finding the solution.

When you’re thinking about the flywheel and getting people to take action, pressure is an important part.

Pressure can be a good thing or bad, depending on what you use it for and how someone feels about their experience with the pressure. When it comes down to it, being able to use pressure effectively means knowing how much pressure is needed at any given time—and that’s where gamification comes in handy! Countdown timers, streaks, and collectibles that are only available for a limited time exert pressure on players to act quickly.

The Play Phase is the most crucial part of the Gamification Flywheel. In this phase, you get players to engage with your game as quickly as possible.

This is where you create an environment that inspires play and allows players to explore it freely, in a way that feels natural and rewarding. If you can get people playing in this phase, they’ll keep coming back for more—and not only that: they’ll also be excited to share their experiences with others!

Dedication Action Rewards

The most difficult part of creating an addictive game is to create rewards that are compelling enough for players, but not so powerful that they make the game too easy

As a marketer, you can think about these as being similar to achievements in video games. They are something that you give out for doing something cool or unique in your game world, but they don’t affect gameplay directly (so far). The key is to make the rewards feel meaningful and special, but not so powerful that they make it impossible for people to play without them. If you can get people playing in this phase, they’ll keep coming back for more—and not only that: they’ll also be excited to share their experiences with others!

You have some choices here:

In-game prizes – You can give out virtual prizes like badges or special items as rewards for certain actions in your metaverse (like accomplishing a quest). You could also give out physical prizes like gift cards or coupons if you’re making an online version of your metaverse. If you have partners who run brick-and-mortar stores, then you could even have real-world versions of these types of things

Online prizes – If your metaverse is just digital (or mostly digital), then it might make sense for everything else to be digital too! This might mean offering virtual gift cards so players can spend money on things like clothes and accessories for their avatars (instead of taking money away from other businesses). It could also mean giving discount codes which allow users access certain services within your platform at a reduced price on certain days/times only — this way everyone wins because no one loses any revenue while still keeping customers happy!”

In World Contests

Contests. A metaverse contest is a great way to get people involved in your brand, and they’re also a great way to promote a new product or service. They can create an incentive for engagement, which leads to more users engaging with the platform and ultimately becoming more loyal customers. .

For example, you could create a contests for who can get the most friends online at the same time in a certain area, and then give them special prizes or in-game merch.

Require Trivia about the Brand that is learned by exploring the brand’s area of the metaverse

Try to make the trivia fun and easy to learn. It’s not a test of knowledge, but rather an exploration of the brand’s area of the metaverse. The questions should be short and simple enough that a user can answer them quickly, allowing them to continue exploring the area for more rewards.

The trivia shouldn’t require too much prior knowledge about either AR or VR itself; it should be focused on what makes your brand unique—and therefore interesting—for users who are new to these technologies.

For example, you can tell users about 20 virtual billboards with information about your brand—such as its history, different products and fun facts. This will create greater affinity for your brand than just advertising.

A similar approach would be to create a “choose your own adventure” experience where consumers influence the branded story by their actions—perhaps something like what Netflix does with its interactive TV shows such as Black Mirror.

There could be immersive experiences for example taking people to historic times and locations, or to the setting of your brand. Imagine Chevrolet having a “time-machine” that takes them into the past to see classic cards (and drive them!)

Also, if you sell olive oil and want to create branded content for your customer base, virtual reality can take customers on a tour of the fields in Italy where their olives are grown. It’s all about great graphics-driven imagery —imagine what could be done via VR!

Do a “golden ticket” for virtual events.

Many of us will remember reading the classic children’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in which eccentric candy maker Willy Wonka randomly selects five lucky children to visit his surrealistic factory.

In the marketing world, Special “Golden Tickets” can be distributed to lucky recipients, who then had a chance to win big prizes. Many good brands cleverly rely on this classic formula in order build excitement around their events.

Golden Tickets can be places all over virtual reality and augmented reality, and just require people to “look” for them. Maybe the golden ticket is an actual ticket found in a product that requires using an augmented reality app like Snap to see it, or there is a code that makes it “virtual” for them to use in the metaverse.

Fashion Shows that allow virtual reality avatars to try on new brands and get exclusive prizes based on votes of other virtual denizens.

You’re probably familiar with the concept of a fashion show. It’s a stage where models walk, and the audience watches their clothes. In the Metaverse, we can take that concept one step further by allowing virtual reality avatars to try on new brands and get exclusive prizes based on votes from other virtual denizens.

Both the competitive nature and the participation of everyone in the environment makes fashion shows, especially with prizes, very useful in making consumers feel part of the entire process. Maybe even give them the change to “design” a version of it, and get it in real life?

This would expand upon the idea of gamifying fashion shows, which companies like American Eagle Outfitters have already started doing by adding voting mechanisms into their VR platforms that allow users to vote for their favorite outfits.

Do an Augmented Reality Game that requires people to go to product displays around the area and “collect” different clues to solve a crime.

To build on the success of your AR game, you could create a more complex version that has players collecting clues and completing tasks by visiting specific product displays around the area

This would drive traffic to those locations, and it would reward players for engaging with your brand in this way. By making it so that people have to physically go to different locations to complete their missions, you’re forcing them outside of their comfort zones and into new areas where they might see other products or information about your product line.

Perhaps most importantly, this kind of gamification makes it easier for people who aren’t already familiar with augmented reality technology to get involved as well!

By incorporating gamification into your marketing, you can see increased engagement with your brand in the metaverse.

Gamification is an effective way to get people to engage with your brand. It’s a way of getting them to do things that they wouldn’t normally do, like opening up a new Facebook account or signing up for an email list.

You can use gamification in many ways, depending on what you want to achieve. If your goal is to encourage engagement between your users and the metaverse itself, then think about how you could incorporate elements of gameplay into their user experience (for example by giving them achievements).

Conclusion

In the end, it’s not only about what happens in one person’s head. It’s about how that person interacts with others and the world around them. Gamification can help facilitate this process, giving people an incentive to keep coming back while building their own identity within the game. As VR becomes more commonplace, we expect that more companies will start implementing these techniques in their marketing strategies—and hopefully you now have some inspiration for how your brand could do just that!

Who is Carl Loredo, Chief Marketing Officer of Wendy’s?

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Carl Loredo, Chief Marketing Officer of Wendy's

Wendy’s CMO believes there is a better way to do things. He believes their customers are smart and savvy, and they expect more from us than just burgers and fries. They want to see engagement in a way that makes them feel like part of the family—and that means being funny, honest and authentic on social media platforms as well as in-restaurant.

As a “champion of Wendy’s brand and mission, driving forward Wendy’s brand voice and the authentic connections we make with our customers”, Carl has been with Wendy’s since 2016, according to their CEO.

Prior to that he served in positions with The MarketingArm and Craftmade international. When he joined Wendy’s he brought nearly 25 years of experience in agency, brand management and marketing strategy to the company. Carl has been at Wendy’s for over six years, holding the role of CMO since 2019.

Carl Loredo is a marketing veteran with experience in both consumer goods and tech. Known for his ability to adapt, Carl has worked in industries ranging from tech to home decor and even an ad agency. Originally from Texas, he now makes the Buckeye State his home with his twin children.

Carl was instrumental in the Keeping Fortnite Fresh campaign that launched in 2020, which saw over 60 million players participating in live events hosted by Twitch streamers across North America and Europe. In 2020, Wendy’s campaign for its Never-Frozen beef became the grand prix winner in the digital category at Cannes. The effort also won an award for best innovation at SABRE’s North American awards ceremony

Before Loredo started, the chain had seen a dip in sales over the past few years and needed to implement a change in order to continue thriving. Wendy’s made a strategic shift under Loredo and now generates more than $1 billion in breakfast sales—a feat that recently vaulted the company past Burger King as No. 2 burger chain in America. “We’ve built a billion-dollar business for breakfast. But all that started with listening to the consumer and understanding the disappointments in the product,” Loredo told MarketingDive. “Unlike the category that’s out there with frozen microwave eggs or bacon, we’re putting fresh-cracked eggs on every sandwich and we oven-make our bacon.”

What does he think is the most important part of his job? “The importance of continuing to listen to our customers and the topics that are most important to them. We continue to see that we always win when we show up for our fans, and we remain committed to doing so. Whether it’s through treating every interaction with our fans like we would a friend, in-restaurant, at the drive-thru or on social media, or continuing to deliver new menu items we know our fans will love, like the new Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger, we will continue to do everything The Wendy’s Way.”

He believes that knowing the platforms you advertise on is important. “When we ventured into the gaming space, specifically Fortnite, we knew we had to do it in a way that was unique to who we are and what we stand for. Wendy’s started with a major advantage: our team knew how to game,” says Loredo.” Not only were we fluent in Fortnite, we knew how gaming platforms like Twitch worked — and didn’t work — when branded content got involved. Wendy’s had already established an irreverent social media voice, and that appealed to gamer instincts.”

They are Trying Out the Metaverse
Wendy’s is stepping up its virtual efforts, under the Leadership of Loredo, with the first two of what will become many more metaverse spaces.

The brand debuted Wendyverse Town Square Central and Wendyverse Partnership Plaza in early April, and the results have been positive.

“After driving thousands of Meta Horizon Worlds’ users online to shoot some virtual biscuit hoops and generating more than 650 million media impressions, it’s safe to say we successfully broke through with ‘Wendyverse,'” announced Loredo.

Loredo also noted that the brand has plans for more metaverse worlds in the future.

You can connect with Carl on LinkedIn

MUD\WTR Appoints Mike Fox As its First Chief Marketing Officer

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Mike Fox of MUD\WTR

Mike Fox, a seasoned brand marketer, has joined MUD\WTR as its Chief Marketing Officer, the first person to hold this position with the company. He comes highly experienced, having held leadership roles for world-renowned brands such as Facebook, Snapple, CNN and Sony. In the past 13 years, he’s specialized in scaling early-stage startups from local to national to global.

MUD\WTR began as a way to revolutionize how people wake up and start their days. Its flagship product,:rise cacao, is a low-caffeine coffee alternative made from adaptogenic mushrooms, masala chai and cacao..

Fox grew intrigued by MUD\WTR after returning to the U.S. from London in 2020, where he served as CMO for travel startup Culture Trip. “When companies create entirely new categories of products and consumers respond, that’s when you get enduring brands like Red Bull, Snapple or Vitamin Water,” Fox says. “I see similar potential in MUD and I couldn’t be more excited to work closely with Shane to realize his vision.”

Mike Fox has been a leader in the rapidly evolving world of marketing for 25 years. He specializes in scaling early-stage startups from local to national to global, building brands and leading teams. He describes himself as a “Senior level executive with over 25 years experience in both consumer and business-to-business markets. A unique background that includes roles in sales, advertising, consumer insights, media/entertainment, mobile/digital, social networking, and start-ups that provides a deep understanding of how to grow customer bases and build revenue.”

Shane Heath is the founder and CEO of MUD\WTR, a producer of organic beverages intended to offer drinks that have health and performance benefits. The company’s beverages are made from a blend of adaptogenic mushrooms such as reishi, lion’s mane, and cordyceps with cacao, chia, turmeric, cinnamon, and sea salt, providing consumers with a natural alternative to coffee and hot chocolate. MUD\WTR is located in Venice, California, United States. It has had one pre-seed funding, two seed fundings, and in May 2021, it’s first Series A funding.

Has Musk Destroyed Twitter Beyond Repair?

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I had hoped that Musk had a plan for Twitter, besides just using it as a platform for him to express his white angst and daddy issues. Unfortunately for us, it’s much worse, and Musk has shown a dedication to using twitter just to spew nonsense and seemingly to attack advertisers.

Before even this morning, people were wondering how far Musk would go. In fact, he said that he was already considering virtually blackmailing advertisers, and then exposing them to the public if they didn’t buy ads

“You have nearly 114,000,000 Twitter followers. Name and shame the advertisers who are succumbing to the advertiser boycotts,” random Twitterer Mike Davis suggested to him. So we can counter-boycott them. And get your $8 monthly subscription going asap. So we can start to makeup for lost revenue now.”

Musk jumped on this suggestion.

“Thank you,: the billionaire responded. “A thermonuclear name & shame is exactly what will happen if this continues.”

He did not say when he would carry out this threat. It is also unclear whether this threat will deter advertisers who do not want to see their products and services associated with hate speech or perceived as in support of it.

Then this morning, it got worse. Musk suggested in a tweet that he might have legal damages against activists for getting advertisers to pull advertising. In a response to right-wing activist Tom Fitton, one of the January 6th attorneys, he said “we do,” when asked if they have possible legal claims.

We didn’t really believe that he cared about brand safety, as he claimed just a week ago. After all, if he did, he wouldn’t have let key leaders on Twitter’s advertising team go, including chief customer officer Sarah Personette and chief marketing officer Leslie Berland. And he wouldn’t have fired all of Twitter’s content moderation staff Friday.

Also, instead of actually trying to work with advertisers, it seems Musk is working harder on making himself seem to be a victim of the “big bad liberal media.”

Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists. Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy free speech in America,” Musk tweeted.

He’s also shown that he plans to use Twitter as a way to punish his detractors and those he just doesn’t like. Comedian Kathy Griffin was suspended from Twitter on Nov. 6, the same day she altered her account to joke that she was Elon Musk, the new owner and CEO of the social media company. It was unclear if Griffin’s suspension was temporary or permanent. Twitter also did not say if her account’s suspension was directly related to her impersonating Musk.

Let’s make this clear, he really doesn’t care about “free speech.” Twitter already allowed diverse opinions, and frankly, everyone knows what he meant: he wants extremists to be allowed back on twitter, regardless of what they say and do. This is nothing but gaslighting done by a billionaire who thinks he’s the of speech. These lies are part of the “big lie,” that we don’t have real democracy in this Country, and that “evil corporations” are taking away our free speech.

If you think it couldn’t get any worse, you’re wrong. According to multiple reports, Musk has started to ask as much as 500 people he had just fired to return to work, because he realizes that the company couldn’t run without them. One employee who didn’t want to be named, fearing retaliation from Musk, said that his job was to run Twitter’s internal advertising and RFP system — and that it seems that Musk had no one to explain to anyone how to use it.

In the run up to Friday’s purge, Musk’s new leadership had given employees “zero communication” about whose jobs would be at risk – and many of those employees said they would not be returning to work for Musk, only to be fired a week later after being “used.”

Elon Musk “doesn’t know what he’s doing” with Twitter and is “making everyone alarmed”, said Bruce Daisley, Twitter’s former Vice President for Europe and Africa. “I think Elon thought he was going to come in and solve everything and very quickly he’s going to work out that it’s far more complicated. It’s pretty evident from every public action that he’s taken with this whole acquisition: he doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

So what are the implications of his “free speech?” The only people who were “restricted” on Twitter were often the hard-core racists and trolls — those that would create accounts for the single purpose of harassing and threatening people. These people already have a place: the 4chans of the world, where advertisers use their “free speech,” to not advertise there.

Of course, this is what this is really all about: Musk wants to force advertisers to stay on Twitter, even if he continues to promote it as a cesspool of white supremacist trolls.

I think that’s actually an overly optimistic way of looking at this— no really. It’s very possible Musk has no idea what he is doing, but maybe he is just having a breakdown in real-time on Twitter, the platform he just wasted billions and billions on. I can’t imagine any other reason he would think it would be a smart idea to threaten, blackmail and then insult advertisers.

Continue the Conversation on LinkedIn

Fabletics Ads New CMO, Ilona Aman

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Ilona Aman

Fabletics has named Ilona Aman as its new chief marketing officer. Aman reports to co-founder Kate Hudson and will lead all of the activewear brand’s marketing initiatives. She comes to Fabletics with a deep background in the sports, entertainment, and lifestyle industries, including leading marketing for the Beyoncé/Ivy Park partnership at Adidas. In her new role, she will focus on serving the brand’s fanbase through a digitally native approach.

Aman has more than 20 years of experience in sports, entertainment and lifestyle industries, including stints at Nike and Adidas. She will lead all of the activewear brand’s marketing initiatives..

Fabletics is a Los Angeles-based activewear brand that offers affordable, high quality and stylish workout clothes for women & men. It’s in direct competition with Lululemon.

The company was founded by Kate Hudson and her brother, Oliver Hudson (the latter of whom is also an actor.)

The company has since grown to offer multiple clothing lines, including Fabletics Performance, Ensemble, Swimwear and Accessories.

She comes to Fabletics with a deep background in the sports, entertainment and lifestyle industries, including leading marketing for the Beyoncé/Ivy Park partnership at Adidas.

At Fabletics, she will lead the brand’s marketing strategy and brand positioning to inspire customers to live a more active lifestyle through fun, affordable and on-trend fashion.

She comes to Fabletics with a deep background in the sports, entertainment and lifestyle industries.

In her new role, she will focus on serving the brand’s fanbase through a digitally native approach.

In her new role, she will focus on serving the brand’s fanbase through a digitally native approach. Edelman’s team will work closely with Aman to develop engagement strategies and marketing campaigns that align with Fabletics’ mission of “inspiring women to live their best lives.”

A digitally native approach is better suited to the current media environment, where consumers are increasingly moving away from traditional forms of advertising in favor of social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Why is this interesting?

Fabletics is a Los Angeles-based activewear brand that offers affordable, high quality and stylish workout clothes for women & men. It is in direct competition with Lululemon, taking a growing part of their marketshare by offering higher quality products at half the price. Fabletics has also been more size-inclusive than Lululemon, which has only recently started to offer more sizes.

Fabletics is much less expensive than Lululemon, but it’s not as well known or established yet. This makes it easier for people to try out the company without feeling like they need to commit to paying full price on something they might be unsure about (like Fabletics) or they don’t want (like Lululemon). Additionally, the fact they are women-owned has been a huge advantage for the brand since Lulumon has faced criticism over its owner, and former CEO Chip Wilson’s sexist and often crude comments

Who is Sue Kroll, Head of Marketing @ Amazon Studios?

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Amazon Studios Names Warner Bros. Vet Sue Kroll Head of Marketing

Sue Kroll, a former Warner Bros. employee, and one of the top “leaders” in the industry, has been hired head of marketing for Amazon Studios after working as the main advisor on the streamer’s enormous rollout campaign for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” season one.

As part of her new position, a number of TV shows and movies that Kroll’s Kroll & Co. Entertainment banner has in production or development will go to Amazon as part of a first-look agreement.

Kroll officially starts working for Amazon Studios today. She will answer directly to Jennifer Salke, president of Amazon Studios.

In a note to staff, Amazon Studios Head Jennifer Salke described Kroll as “widely respected, with deep industry knowledge, extensive experience, and strong relationships with talent and throughout the creative community. She is a seasoned professional, having marketed projects ranging from blockbuster global releases to award-winning niche film and television projects for over 30 years.”

She has a huge task in front of her.

Amazon Studios success has been mixed at best. The company acquired MGM for more than $8 billion and has no real strong IPs outside of James Bond and Rocky. Those two franchises account for all but five of MGM’s 20 highest-grossing films. Outside of those two giants, MGM’s biggest intellectual property might be Legally Blonde, not exactly in the same class unless it’s early 2000s again.

The Lord of the Rings series has been a massive billion dollar mistake so far. The show was gathering concerns early on for how far it would stay faithful to the source material, and sadly, there was controversy surrounding diversity in the show as well. However, the biggest problem so far is that the show is just plain bad and boring. CNN even went as far to pen a story, “Amazon’s next battle: Convincing the world ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is a rousing success.”

It’s something that almost all sides can agree on—whether a consumer or critic, and whether a Tolkien nerd or a casual fan of hobbits.

This comes not soon after Ukonwa Ojo stepped down as Chief Marketing Officer after only a small time on the job. She was seen as a bad hire by many, with most of her work in the makeup and fashion industry — and it did not translate well to Amazon Studios.

Data, Dance, and Daring Campaigns: Erin Levzow’s Approach to Building Loyalty

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How Mango Habanero, Metrics, and Masterful Moves Redefined Marketing Genius Every so often, a guest comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar—they throw it into orbit. Erin Levzow is one of those guests. From the moment she joined The ADOTAT Show, it was clear we were in the presence of brilliance. Erin is a marketing powerhouse, blending emotional intelligence with razor-sharp strategy, all wrapped in a package of humor, humility, and dazzling storytelling. She’s the...

Streaming’s Big Lie: The Future of TV Is Already Broke

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Streaming was supposed to be the savior of TV—the rebellious new kid with no commercials, endless content, and an open bar of binge-worthy dopamine hits. But, as Doug Shapiro’s sharp, no-BS research reveals, the revolution is out of cash and looking for a loan. Streaming doesn’t just monetize less—it barely monetizes at all. For every streaming dollar generated, old-school pay TV is making it rain with three dollars in subscriber fees and seven dollars...

How to Narrow the Scope of Information Sought by an FTC Civil Investigative Demand (CID)

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A civil investigative demand (“CID”) is the instrument by which the Federal Trade Commission exercises its compulsory process authority in connection with investigations.  CIDs may require the production of documents - including electronically stored information – or tangible things, the provision of testimony, and the providing of written responses to questions. A CID must state the nature of the conduct constituting the alleged violation which is under investigation and the provision of law applicable to...

Did Your Company Receive a Letter From the FTC?  FTC Warning Letters and Notices of Penalty Offense

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Recipients of FTC warning letters and notices of penalty offense should be on high alert and act quickly. Their advertising and marketing practices could be in violation of applicable legal regulations. What is an FTC Warning Letter? Federal Trade Commission “warning letters” are intended to warn companies that their conduct is likely unlawful and that they can face serious legal consequences, such as a federal investigation or lawsuit, if they do not immediately stop. ...

The Good, the Bad, and the SPO-ly

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The Hidden Flaws Behind Ad Tech’s Favorite Buzzword. Supply Path Optimization (SPO) is my love-hate relationship in ad tech personified. It’s the reason I fell for this industry’s maddening brilliance—and why it sometimes feels like a bad rom-com where no one learns their lesson. At its core, SPO promises efficiency, transparency, and accountability, and when it works, it’s like watching a Rube Goldberg machine perform flawlessly. But when it doesn’t—and let’s be honest, that’s most...