In the early 1980s, the chocolatier Mars did what Elliott simply could not do—turn down E.T. The company declined to let M&Ms be the snack du jour of America’s favorite extraterrestrial. Instead, Steven Spielberg settled for Hershey’s Reese’s Pieces, and the rest is chocolate-coated history.

More than 40 years later, Mars is testing tools that might offer a shot at redemption.

• In what feels like something out of a science-fiction film, advertisers are using technology to digitally insert themselves into television shows after filming has wrapped to make up for lighter ad breaks on streaming services.
• “All of a sudden, the 15 minutes of ads that they used to have on national television [or] cable is no longer an acceptable experience for viewers,” Andrew King, VP of product at ad-tech firm TripleLift, told Marketing Brew.
• Though audiences might not notice (or ideally notice, but just enough), product placement is a $23 billion industry that’s growing. Traditionally, these deals are worked out before shooting, sometimes eight months in advance, and involve someone on set making sure the product looks just right. In exchange, the advertising revenue can help boost a production’s budget. (Just ask Wayne and Garth.)

Zoom in: During this month’s NewFront presentations, both Amazon and Peacock pitched tools that they say can integrate brands into shows after the fact. And TripleLift has been pitching a product-placement tool called—brace yourself—Dynamic Brand Integration since 2020.

Read more about these tools (and if media buyers are interested) here.—RB

We’ll take some TikTok videos with a side of TV ads next time we hit the media-buying drive thru, thanks. Why? Because based on the results of a recent study commissioned by TikTok, the two go together better than coastal grandmothers and white linen.

• TikTok wanted to find out how combining TikTok with linear TV or streaming services impacts brand recall.
• It found that both combinations boosted the metric to different extents.

On the linear front: If people in the study saw a brand on TikTok first, then on linear TV, there was a 6% “lift in aided brand recall.” If they saw the brand on TV first, then TikTok, there was a “16% lift in visual attention to key branding moments.”

And on streaming: When participants saw an ad on TikTok first, then on a streamer, there was an 8% lift in aided brand recall. In the reverse scenario (streaming first, then TikTok), there was 9% more visual attention paid to key brand moments.

Some brands have tried it already: Vrbo created a TikTok challenge based on its TV commercial, in which TikTok users could use the spot’s audio in videos of their vacation home tours, Ad Age pointed out.

Bottom line: Consider getting some commercials up on the small screen before putting them on TikTok, aka the even smaller screen.—PB

At 25 years old, Meagan Loyst isn’t your average Gen Z’er. Not only because of her résumé—Loyst is the youngest investor at VC firm Lerer Hippeau and founder of Gen Z VCs, a collective with ~15,000 members that seeks to make VC more transparent—but also because she considers herself to be an elder member of her generation.

“My first phone was not an iPhone,” she recently told Retail Brew’s Andrew Adam Newman.

Despite her “old” age, she’s become a “go-to analyst when it comes to Gen Z consumers and brands,” writes Newman, who interviewed Loyst about what brands get right (and wrong) about her age cohort. Highlights include:

• Misconceptions around why Gen Z buys sustainably
• Why underwear brand Parade stands out to Loyst
• Her thoughts on how brands can succeed on TikTok

Read the Q&A here.—MS

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

TikTok: Need TikTok inspo? Look no further than these 28 brand accounts.

Speaking of TikTok: Analytics on the platform can be confusing. If you relate, check out this guide to TikTok ’lytics.

Reporting: Pssst, here’s a free template for all your future social media reports.

Slam dunk: How’d the Atlanta Hawks drive 7X ROI on their Connected TV ad spend? They tapped MNTN Performance TV for the assist. For AI-driven optimization that reaches your most valuable viewers across the top 150 streaming channels, click here.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

Looking to hire the best marketers out there? Submit your job openings to our new, free Marketing Brew Job Board!

Today’s featured openings:

• Demand Generation Manager at Sequoia
• Director of Integrated Marketing at The Brand Guild
• CRM & Email Marketing Manager at Morning Brew

See more jobs or post your job opportunities here.

Thin eyebrows are officially back, per this 1973 ad.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Streaming services are still fighting to have ultra-light ad loads
• Google unveils new tool to personalize advertising
• Inside the ad industry’s growing obsession with podcasts