At any given moment, thousands of people are listening to Lofi Girl on YouTube. The account, which features livestreams of instrumental music often listened to while sleeping or studying, has more than 12 million subscribers and has become a brand of its own, in part because of its signature animation.

In an effort to capitalize on the cultural phenomenon, Nissan developed its own four-hour video, which it’s running as a six-minute ad before Lofi Girl videos. The look and sound are similar enough that some listeners may not realize that they’re vibing to an ad at first—but many don’t seem to mind.

In two months, Nissan’s video has gotten more than 12 million views, with one commenter saying it’s the only ad they’ve listened to all the way through.

“You don’t see that very often,” Allyson Witherspoon, global CMO of Nissan, told Marketing Brew. By making an ad that doesn’t feel like an ad, she said her team has been “blown away by the results.”

Read the full story here.—KH

Close your eyes and imagine this: You’re on your commute, listening to your fave podcast, when suddenly an ad grabs your attention. You know you’ll be thinking about this one all day…and you also know you’ve got to figure out how to create an ad this memorable for your own brand.

Your first step? Sync up with Audacy. They paired with Veritonic to find out what it takes to make audio magic. From establishing your sonic branding to picking background music and voice actors, their Sound Creative ebook covers everything you need to turn your ads up to 11.

No more getting overwhelmed by choosing the right ad length or creating a sonic brand. Audacy has your back.

Become unforgettable. Get the full ebook.

When Shakespeare wrote “What’s in a name?”, he probably wasn’t thinking about brand awareness. But when insurance and fintech company Acrisure got to thinking about brand awareness early last year, it was all about name recognition.

The insurance brokerage had recently gone through a period of growth via acquisitions, and had also started building out its DTC business, according to Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Elliott Bundy.

The challenge? The smaller companies it acquired “had a lot more brand equity in their communities than Acrisure, because no one would have known what Acrisure was,” he said. “For the first time in the company’s history, we made a decision that we were going to spend time, resources, and money on building an overall Acrisure brand.” Part of that involved naming rights.

It hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine—or should we say slam dunks and touchdowns—but Bundy said Acrisure’s bet on naming rights has so far produced “impressive results.”

Keep reading here.—AM

You might recognize ClickUp from the regional Super Bowl ad it ran last year. Maybe you use its project management software at work. Or perhaps it sounds familiar because you’ve listened to its album.

Earlier this year, the B2B tech company dropped an album called Work Flows, featuring 21 tracks by ClickUp employees and professional artists, as part of a marketing push, according to Chris Cunningham, a founding member of ClickUp and its head of influencer marketing.

“My goal is to always get creative, to make ClickUp look cool, and to always find eyeballs coming back to us, because, at the end of the day, we need more attention,” he told Marketing Brew. “Our goal is just to make people work more efficiently, but I think showing them that in a more cool, fun way is how we get ahead.”

Read how the album came together here.—AM

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

You’re doing amazing, sweetie: Adweek explained why marketers continue to prioritize Instagram.

Speaking of Instagram: Get up to speed on the Reels updates it announced last week.

Listen, learn: These SEO podcasts cover topics ranging from search marketing news to career advancement.

Remember when Dunkin’ was “Dunkin’ Donuts”? Even with a new identity, coffee lovers can still spot the beloved establishment from a mile away. From football teams to pancake mixes, a lot of household names have opted for new monikers over the past few years.

Whether branding has been tweaked or scrapped completely, learn why top companies have decided to change outdated or offensive logos and names. Also, find out how big names maintain brand recognition through visual design cues and placing value on a strong customer relationship.

Read the story here.

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

• Last week’s agency news, executive moves, and account changes
• How Sperry decided what a boat shoe brand sounds like
• Corporate travel continues its comeback after Covid downturn