What pairs nicely with a glass of wine? A podcast, if you ask Wine Access, a DTC wine retailer that recently kicked off the second season of its branded podcast Wine Access Unfiltered.

The pod, which the company started in October 2020, features sommelier Amanda McCrossin (who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok combined) and Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin (who also has a dream job as Wine Access’s chief wine officer) discussing all things vino with celebrity guests like John Legend.

Why would an online wine company create a podcast, you might ask? Besides the fact that seemingly every brand is doing it, it’s also a brand-awareness play, CEO Joe Fisch explained.

• “E-commerce is traditionally a really low-NPS experience,” Fisch said, referring to net promoter scores, which measure customer experience with brands. He said he’s pleased with Wine Access’s score, but that podcasting and media tend to rank higher than e-commerce companies, so combining the two ideally results in not only better brand awareness for Wine Access but a positive association, too.
• “It’s just another way in which the consumer can interact with the brand, and they walk away like, ‘This is amazing. I learned something about John Legend in this podcast, and about wine, and it was Wine Access that was bringing all of us together,’” Fisch told us.

Click here to keep reading.—AM

Despite an unseasonably warm Thanksgiving in many parts of the country, it seems many shoppers chose to shop from home this Black Friday. Online sales reached $9.12 billion, setting a new record, according to Adobe Analytics. And Cyber Monday is expected to bring in $11.2 billion, up 5% from last year.

Marketers keep finding ways to get us to make purchases online—shoppable ads, live shopping, you name it. That’s why we spent some time focusing on e-commerce strategies this month. Read our stories here or check them out below.

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Retail Brew’s Erin Cabrey recently explored why people are using Too Good to Go, an app that enables restaurants, cafes, and grocery stores to sell their extra food to customers at a discounted rate. Read a snippet below or click here to read the story.

While TGTG’s main priority is cutting food waste, discounts have “always been part of the reason why this is so fun,” its US head of impact, Gaeleen Quinn, told us. That’s especially true now, when food prices are sky high.

“There’s always kind of an element of, yes, there is a great deal,” Quinn told us. “But I also feel good about what I’m doing and helping my community and having fun while I’m doing it. And of course, I mean, my wallet also appreciates it.”

Claire Oliverson, TGTG’s US head of marketing, also said the company is focusing on growing its partnerships with grocery stores, which tend to have the most waste.

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

Graphic design is my passion: And here are some trends to look out for in 2023, including a “punk revival.”

Take me back: If you plan to keep riding the nostalgia marketing wave next year, find some inspo here.

Ready, set, shop: These retail trends are expected to define the 2022 holiday shopping season.

Subscribe: Money with Katie is here to help you manifest your financial freedom. Her weekly newsletter takes a spicy approach to budgeting, investing, retirement, and more. Get practical ways to live a rich life delivered to you for free.

• Turkey, the country, is trying to rebrand as its traditional name, Türkiye.
• Japanese prosecutors raided Dentsu’s headquarters as part of an investigation into “corruption related to the Tokyo Olympics.”
• Yahoo is taking a ~25% stake in Taboola.
• Many advertising agencies “no longer have any point of contact” at Twitter, according to the Financial Times.
• Balenciaga apologized for a controversial ad campaign that featured children holding “plush teddy bear bags dressed in what looked like BDSM-inspired outfits.”

Snap poll: In 2023, will you spend more on…

Macro-influencers
Micro-influencers
Nano-influencers

Founded in 2019, BeReal is a newer social app that has picked up steam this year. Get our report to learn our analysts’ take and find out which brands are experimenting with the platform.

Download your copy now.

Give the gift of vitamin C.

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

• On TikTok, where audio is integral, brands can be limited by licensing
• Ad spend on connected TV grew nearly 40% in Q3
• Advertisers are asking questions about the data TikTok can collect