It’s pretty easy to picture the Mastercard logo. The brand’s now-iconic red and yellow circles have been around in some form since the ’60s, and given the company’s global presence, it’s likely the average person has seen that image plenty of times by now.

Then: In 2019, the company dropped the “Mastercard” text from its logo, saying that it “can now stand on its own.” That same year, it introduced a signature sound to its branding for the first time, Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard’s chief marketing and communications officer, told Marketing Brew, laying the groundwork for it to eventually stand without any visual assistance at all.

And now: Three and a half years later, Mastercard is four steps into rolling out a “10-layer” sonic branding plan that started with one melody and now includes an entire album of original songs.

“Our sonic brand is one of the highlights in the company in terms of how marketing has actually created a new way for people to understand, appreciate, and connect with our brand,” Rajamannar said.

Sound on: Brands like Tostitos, Panera, and more have created sonic logos within the past year, perhaps signaling the rise of audio as an increasingly important element of branding. As more companies hop on the trend, Rajamannar pulled back the curtain on how Mastercard has implemented and tested its audio assets over the years.

Click here to read the full story.—AM

Podcasters commonly upload their shows as videos on YouTube. On Monday, YouTube announced that it’s “giving advertisers more intentional ways” to work with podcasters specifically, Google spokesperson Oluwa Falodun told Marketing Brew in an email.

YouTube BrandConnect, its branded-content platform that connects creators with advertisers, is piloting a program that offers video ads read by podcasters, signaling YouTube’s continued interest in expanding its footprint in the podcast world.

How it works: Brands that test the program can opt for either 60- or 90-second ad segments read by a podcast host.

These ads only appear on podcasts published on YouTube, not in the audio-only content published on podcast platforms, said Lori Sobel, managing director of YouTube BrandConnect, in an email from Falodun. They include either a video of the host reading the ad or a custom title card with audio overlaid.

YouTube only “just rolled out” this ad format, but there are already several brands testing it out, according to Sobel. For instance, Neutrogena is currently running a campaign with The Financial Diet, the channel behind the podcast The Financial Confessions.

Down the line: YouTube BrandConnect will use Google audience insights to pair creators with brands, Sobel said in the email.

“As more advertisers come on board, we’re excited to connect them with our podcast creators that are most aligned with their brand values and campaign goals,” she added.

+1: In 2020, YouTube started beta testing 15-second audio ads for music and podcasts. As of this week, the format is now available globally, letting advertisers buy up to 30 seconds of airtime.

Also on the audio advertising front, YouTube announced “Music Mood Lineups,” which enable brands to buy ads in mood-based playlists—like “Chill” or “Fitness & Workout”—in addition to genres for a more contextual approach to targeting.—AM

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Hailey Murphy is comms director at Daly, a comms and marketing consultancy, where she works with clients across categories like crypto, sports, and food. Before joining Daly, she held communications roles at Zola and Time Inc.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in marketing? I help brands get covered in all the cool articles you read.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? I came to my current role at Daly two years ago, in part, to lead PR for SommSelect. When we started working with them, they had almost no digital presence. Through a fantastic partnership with their internal marketing team, we’ve entirely overhauled the brand to where they have been featured in all of my favorite publications (including the Morning Brew). They are on over 60 ”best wine club” lists, including being named Wirecutter’s best wine club of 2022—the proudest moment of my career by far!

What’s your favorite ad campaign? I live for some internet drama, so I couldn’t look away from Soulcycle’s “F#ck it, Let’s Ride Together!” campaign.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? My first job at Time Magazine included answering the only publicly listed phone number for the magazine. It was a wild ride. I answered everything from calls from CNN on breaking news around bombings in the Middle East, to people protesting outside of our building, and even helping people track down photos of their grandparents who had been featured in the magazine in the 1900s.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? PR Girl Manifesto is my go-to for trends, insights, and witty content. I particularly love how they highlight the importance of work-life balance; it’s PR, not the ER after all.

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

: Here are six creative TikTok ads, plus takeaways.

: If you’re a real estate agent looking to up your digital marketing game, this infographic was made for you.

: Check out Google’s “Freightgeist,” aka its rundown of the most popular Halloween costume trends around the country.

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Attention Marketing Brew readers! Have you heard? On November 15 in NYC, we’re convening the industry Brew-style for a full-day affair of content and connections you don’t want to miss. Consider this your formal invitation to The Brief: A Summit Presented by Marketing Brew.

Join your favorite editorial team and leaders from Vans, McDonald’s, Wieden+Kennedy, and more for a full day of exploration and navigation of all the dizzying industry topics we love so dearly. We’re talking rebranding, pushing creative boundaries, keeping that spark alive, and oh-so-much more. Grab special pricing right this minute by clicking here.

Which brand once used Halloween as an opportunity to debut its product in a limited-edition “Tasty Human” flavor?

1. Lay’s potato chips
2. Temptations cat treats
3. Slim Jim beef jerky
4. Jelly Belly jelly beans

Keep scrolling for the answer.

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

• How Eliqs is trying to brand your beer and wine
• Promo tactics for ‘Mr. Harrigan’s Phone’ include AirDropping thousands of passerby
• Why streamers see Halloween as a great time to win over new subscribers