Sperry calls itself the “creators of the authentic original boat shoe,” something that’s evident throughout the brand’s visual marketing: Nautical pictures on its Instagram, a boat for a logo, and, you know, all those boat shoes. Now Sperry has the audio to match.

The brand introduced a new sonic logo in early March: an eight-second sound (plus a shorter, two-second version) composed of ocean sounds and an A major seventh chord played on an acoustic guitar, according to Senior Global Brand Marketing Director James Mackenzie. Water is a “multi-sensory” experience, he said, and can call up strong memories—like Mackenzie’s childhood trips to York Beach, Maine.

“People have such a visceral, wonderful reaction to being near or in the water,” Mackenzie told Marketing Brew. “I think we do a bit of a disservice if we’re representing that visually only.”

In an effort to evoke those feelings, Sperry—which joins several other brands that have recently invested in sonic branding efforts—dove into the deep end to design its new sound by teaming up with a composer and an audio intelligence company.

Continue reading here.—AM

Ad spend on TikTok in the US grew 6% month over month in March, according to estimates from app analytics group Sensor Tower, despite a potential national ban of the platform.

It grew more than 30% year over year, Sensor Tower reported. Out of the top five categories advertised on TikTok in the US, consumer packaged goods brands increased ad spend the most, growing 81% year over year in the first quarter of 2023.

• The travel and tourism industry also bumped up its ad spend on the platform, which grew more than 300% compared to Q1 of last year.
• DoorDash, PepsiCo, and Amazon were among the biggest spenders on TikTok ads in Q1. Eight of TikTok’s top 10 advertisers “have significantly ramped up their marketing efforts on TikTok in 2023,” according to Abe Yousef, senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower, who noted that this group has collectively increased ad spend by an average of 210% in Q1.

Zoom out: In March, lawmakers grilled TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew, over the app’s domestic data and security practices days after the Biden administration threatened to ban the platform. Some marketers are sizing up other short-form video platforms, like Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts, to potentially pivot to if the ban goes into effect.

“Because of the age of TikTok—it’s still kind of the youngest platform—almost literally every company we work with already had another social footprint before growing their TikTok footprint,” Jeffrey Tousey, CEO and founder of Beekman Social, recently told Marketing Brew. “It’s not like this was their only channel.”—JS

Final bow: After Twitter labeled NPR “state-affiliated media,” the news organization decided to fully dip off the platform earlier this week, becoming the first US outlet to do so. PBS has also paused activity on the platform, but hasn’t made it permanent so far. Is this the beginning of the end for Twitter A.E. (After Elon)? Some people seem to think so, while others predict NPR will be back in no time.

New kid on the block: Donald Glover tweeted that his new creative studio, Gilga, is looking for talent. According to the studio’s website, people have a two-week window to apply for a variety of vague-sounding roles, like “conversational marketing” and “concept head.” Glover, decked out in full farmer regalia on the site, encourages anyone interested in applying to “get to it.” A short film created by Malia Obama will be one of Gilga’s first projects, according to GQ.

Not so much a trend, but more a revelation: This week we learned more about the man behind Twitter icon Dril, thanks to a profile in The Ringer. Turns out he’s not some Jack Nicholson knockoff with a spending problem, but a 35-year-old guy named Paul Dochney. Paul’s impact on the online vernacular cannot be overstated.—KH

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

1. Chips Ahoy is branching out into spuds with new potato-chip offering
2. Cookie Monster tries something new: Califia Farms almondmilk
3. Tiffany & Co. promotes new lock bracelets using augmented reality
4. Oscar Mayer enters the weddings biz with Wienermobile of Love

Keep scrolling for the answer.

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

• Corporate travel continues its comeback after Covid downturn, report says
• Jules Polonetsky is ready for the ‘firehose’ of privacy rules to intensify
• How Sperry decided what a boat shoe brand sounds like