Bo Jackson might not have known advertising like he knew football and basketball, but he’s partially responsible for cementing Nike as one of the global powerhouse brands of the 21st century.

Today, Jackson is most known for playing two sports professionally at the same time. He was hamstrung by an injury in the early ’90s that shortened his career, but he’d taken on an almost mystical presence in the minds of sports fans, wrote Jeff Pearlman, author of a new biography about Jackson called The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson.

• Part of that legacy includes his stint as a spokesperson for Nike’s Air Trainer, a cross-training brand. An unlikely spokesperson, who Pearlman describes in the book as “still struggling with stuttering” and as “largely void of charisma,” Nike took full advantage of Jackson’s star power in the late ’80s and early ’90s, running a campaign called “Bo Knows” that ended up becoming one of its most iconic.
• “The idea of a guy playing two sports was like, riveting, like, beyond riveting…and the Nike ad just exploded,” Pearlman told Marketing Brew. Phil Knight, co-founder and former CEO of Nike, told Pearlman that he considers it the second most important advertising campaign in Nike’s history, behind Air Jordan.

“Jordan really ushered in the idea of the shoe attached to the personality,” Pearlman said. “The Bo Jackson cross-trainer, in a lot of ways, took that and almost perfected it.”

We talked to Pearlman about the campaign’s backstory, the moment it took off, and the impact it’s had on Nike. Read the full story here.—RB

’Tis November, but also…’tis the season. Mariah Carey said so herself.

As some brands bypass Thanksgiving and start rolling out their holiday campaigns, a few marketing trends have emerged.

Deals, deals, deals: With inflation above 8% and some brands dealing with overstock, it’s no wonder the focus seems to be on sales and lower prices this year.

• Kohl’s has shifted from an emotional to a promotional approach, with its CMO stating that “value will be more important than ever” for many of its customers.
• JCPenney and retailer TK Maxx have also homed in on lower prices in their ads.
• And Etsy is hoping people seek out more handcrafted and unique gifts as they plan to spend the same as last year on fewer gifts, per a Deloitte survey.

Gather round: After a couple years of socially distanced holidays, retailers are banking on a sales boom in products related to social gatherings. Campaigns to date seem to reflect that with their focus on togetherness.

• American Eagle’s CMO told Marketing Dive that “too many holiday celebrations have been taken away” from young people and said the focus of this year’s marketing will be “revenge living” (also known as FOMO?).
• Lego’s ad, featuring Katy Perry, is all about kids coming together to build a present-delivery vehicle.
• Kroger’s holiday ad features an elderly man cooking his late wife’s recipes and sitting down for a family dinner.

Media spend: Diversity in media spend is another topic that has come up in recent weeks, as Target made a commitment to boost its investment in Black and Latino-owned media by 30% this holiday season. P&G’s chief brand officer also said last week that the company is aiming to become the No. 1 spender in Black-owned media.—KH

Last month, we spent some time focusing on marketing’s top dog: the CMO.

Today’s CMOs have a lot on their plates: a typical day can involve everything from navigating privacy laws to keeping up with TikTok trends. We covered some of the opportunities (and challenges) faced by the modern CMO. Read all of our coverage here, or check out each story below.

Zola CMO Victoria Vaynberg on #WeddingTok, influencer marketing, and future audiences

How CMOs are thinking about new privacy restrictions

CMO tenure is at its shortest in more than a decade. What does it take to stay in the role?

Chatting with Mastercard’s CMO about its ‘10-layer’ sonic branding plan

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

Short and sweet: This Instagram post from IG itself offers up holiday marketing tips for brands using the platform.

TikTok: Everything you might have missed from TikTok’s first global gaming event on Wednesday.

Let’s talk about it: Read about the basics of crafting a brand voice on social media here.

Calling all modern marketers: The Brief: A Marketing Brew Summit is coming to NYC in just two weeks! In one day away from your desk, you can expand your professional network, gain perspective from the world’s most recognized brands and influential marketers, and head home with strategic insights that could help maximize your ROI, establish brand values, engage your audience, and so much more.

Get your tickets while there’s still time.

McKinsey’s US consumer pulse survey came with (somewhat) glad tidings. Despite inflation and economic uncertainty, yet another holiday shopping report indicates that some people are eager to spend as festivities ramp up.

Shop ’til you drop: More than half (55%) of respondents said they’re “excited about holiday shopping,” and a similar share (56%) said they had already begun shopping as of October.

• Excitement is highest among those with annual incomes over $100,000.
• Gen Zers and millennials are more hyped about holiday shopping than their older counterparts.

The rub: That’s not to say that shoppers aren’t on the hunt for a good bargain. Roughly three-quarters (72%) of respondents said they anticipate paying more for gifts this year, so they’re keeping an eye out for deals.

• 44% said they are “seeking” sales or coupons
• 43% said they’d shop at a different retailer if they offered a lower price

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

• Podcast listening by US Latinos is on the rise. Are ad dollars following suit?
• Mood Board: A surreal ad from Woolmark reminds us that our clothes are made of oil
• The TikTok Creator Marketplace is experiencing some growing pains