It’s not easy being green.

That seems to be the message of Bloomberg Media’s latest marketing initiatives, led by Anne Kawalerski, who became the company’s first global CMO three years ago. In that time, she’s:

• Overseen the company’s first digital and global campaigns.
• Helped with the creation of climate and diversity-focused verticals, Bloomberg Green and Bloomberg Equality.
• Recently led the company’s first major foray into Cannes.

We spoke with her about achieving those milestones while working with clients and establishing Bloomberg’s own commitment to ESG.

A, B, C, D, ESG

In January, Bloomberg Media published a report on the “modern leader’s perspective on changing the world,” in which several people surveyed said ESG solutions, like cleaning Earth’s water and reversing global warming, would have “very high impacts” on the world.

Kawalerski said this was done in tandem with the company’s first brand campaign, ”Before you change the world. Bloomberg,” which positioned the company as more than just a passive news source. “Our role is to provide you the data to figure out how you can change the world, and I think that’s a really different way to look at our business and what we do,” she said.

By the numbers:

• According to Bloomberg, the Twitter takeover for this year’s campaign received more than 73 million impressions and more than 70,000 mentions of Bloomberg from 57,000 unique authors.
• On Facebook, the campaign led to a 317% increase in subscriptions between January 25 and April 25. Bloomberg currently has more than 380,000 subscribers globally.

But Kawalerski said it wasn’t just about reaching potential subscribers; it was also about establishing the company’s focus on ESG. “It’s really about normalizing and repeating the message that needs to become mass and needs to become adopted,” she said, adding that “if we don’t…who else will?”

Read more about how Bloomberg is marketing around climate content and reaching new audiences.—KH

Summer trips are back on the docket, and some travel brands are hoping to spend a minute or two in the ears of those they know are interested in vacationing by sponsoring or running ads in travel podcasts.

For others, a handful of seconds or minutes isn’t enough. Instead, they’re making branded podcasts of their own.

Why: Some of these brands have found success, hitting their goals and even investing in additional podcast content after trying out initial seasons. While their strategies and KPIs may differ, a couple of travel companies told us they’ve found that audio lets them tell in-depth stories in ways they haven’t been able to do in other mediums.

On the road again

Marriott International was “dabbling” in podcasting pre-pandemic, editorial director of Marriott creative and content marketing Robin Bennefield said, starting with its hotel-design podcast, Behind the Design, which published its first episode in 2017.

“But I think where it really crystallized for us was during the pandemic, because people couldn’t travel, they couldn’t get out,” Bennefield said.

How: Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, the brand’s online travel magazine, teamed up with podcast production studio At Will Media to create About the Journey, a branded podcast hosted by travel journalist Oneika Raymond about road trips.

• The goal was to position the magazine as a destination for “storytelling on the level of Travel and Leisure or Condé Nast,” Bennefield said.
• About the Journey debuted in December 2020 at No. 11 on the Apple Podcasts “Places & Travel” chart, according to Bennefield.
• The second season is set to come out in late August with six new episodes, and Marriott hopes to eventually build out an entire network of podcasts, Bennefield said.

When Southwest was planning its 50th anniversary campaign, the team got to talking about different ways to tell stories about the brand and eventually decided to try a podcast.

Read more about their experience—and Marriott’s—here.—AM

Future Social is a weekly newsletter on social media, content, and creators from Jack Appleby, a Morning Brew creator who’s worked in social media for 10 years at companies like Beats by Dre, Microsoft, and Twitch. Check out an excerpt from one of his pieces below, and sign up for Future Social here.

As social media strategists, we spend hours analyzing the algorithms, guessing what magical formula will ensure our content is headed for every eyeball. There are certainly some best practices to be had, but really, it’s most important to learn storytelling techniques to cut through the miles of content users scroll through each day.

No one’s better at storytelling than Tim and Renee, TikTok’s @thruhikers. They earned 14.7 million views on a TikTok about—wait for it—how to dehydrate tomato sauce. The most mundane of subject matter, viral on the most exciting new platform, because they knew to craft:

• A strong visual and audio hook, featuring a homemade fruit-roll dehydrated tomato sauce
• Multiple shot styles with very short, quick cuts to maintain your interest
• Alternating male and female voice work to keep your ears guessing
• Strategically-placed backstory, encouraging viewers to convert to followers
• A perfect hook, encouraging repeat views to soak up the info

I wrote a second-by-second breakdown of @thruhikers’ TikTok with visual examples of how they bring each storytelling best practice to life, along with tips to apply to your brand’s social content.

Read the full analysis of a viral TikTok and how to replicate the techniques.—JA

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

Fake right, go left: Twitter has a new playbook for how to connect with what’s happening on the platform and drive results.

Goooooal: Meta released a guide on how to drive brand outcomes during sports tentpoles ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup.

Report back: 7 important metrics to include in your SEO reports for clients.

Mind your business: Morning Brew’s Business Casual podcast, that is. Join journalist Nora Ali as she chats with creators, thinkers, and innovators about today’s biggest and most significant business stories, what they mean, and why you should care. Listen here.

It’s looking like a great weekend to find your next marketing role… Be sure to check out the Marketing Brew Job Board for new job openings!

Today’s featured openings:

• Growth Marketing Manager at Gold Bullion International
• Marketing Director at Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity
• Senior Writer at Clari

See more jobs or post your job opportunities here.

::drumroll:: Introducing The Brief: A Summit Presented by Marketing Brew

Marketing Brew has partnered with some of the world’s most recognized brands and influential marketers to bring you a premiere one-day marketing event in the heart of New York City.

You’ll hear from a powerhouse panel of speakers that will spotlight innovations, highlight strategies, and provide solutions to the modern marketer’s biggest challenges. Sounds good, right? Dust off your work pants and join us.

Early-bird pricing ends soon, so don’t wait. Save yourself a seat (and some green) now!

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

• How one LinkedIn post sparked a network of pro-choice, pro bono marketers
• What tools marketers use most, miss, and could do without
• As a recession looms, some influencer marketing budgets are increasing

Which headlines are real marketing news, and which one is fake?

1. Coke teams up with Marshmello for limited-edition flavor
2. Pringles will pay you $25,000 to work as an NPC in a video game
3. Birkenstock’s first paid global campaign says feet are ‘Ugly for a Reason’
4. Goop x 2: Supergoop! and Gwyneth Paltrow’s signature brand team up for limited edition sunscreen