In the past several years, inclusivity has become a more prominent value in many parts of the world.

It’s changing how people plan weddings—events that have long been associated with traditions that some couples are ready to leave behind. Wedding planners focused on inclusivity are having a moment as a result.

They often promote their services by challenging what Portland, Oregon-based wedding planner Elisabeth Kramer called the wedding-industrial complex, which she said typically only caters to white brides and heterosexual couples seeking to tie the knot.

The industry often markets “to cis, white, female, thin people. This is problematic,” she told us.

Kramer provides a number of services to her clients that are typical of wedding planners, like detailing the exact time stamps at which certain events, like the first dance or toast, will happen.

• But her offerings often include an inclusive bent; for instance, she offers a “wedding vendor and VIP directory” that includes a space for each person’s pronouns. On her intake form, Kramer asks a question that accommodates polyamorous clients.
• According to Kramer, marketing her services involves emphasizing her focus on underrepresented communities. She donates 5% of every booking she receives for in-person wedding coordinations to wedding vendors in need or nonprofits, including Basic Rights Oregon and Shout Your Abortion.
• She also sends out a monthly newsletter with resources for planning weddings, which in the past has included updates on things like Covid restrictions and wedding venue reviews, and has written about ways to make wedding planning more inclusive.

Continue reading here.—JS

From cultivating regenerative organic practices to milking their cows 2x/day, Alexandre Family Farm’s plate is certainly full—and they wanna make sure yours is, too. They’re the first US-certified regenerative dairy, producing award-winning organic milk, yogurt, kefir, and eggs on their family-run NorCal farm.

“Farmers wear so many hats. I guess that’s why we are so fond of them!” they noted, fittingly.

Their small biz defines success as sustainability—the ability to pass down their farm, knowledge, and values for generations. How do they keep up the momentum? With help from Mailchimp.

“The ability to get meaningful feedback from our consumers has been of such high value to us,” they shared. The team utilizes Mailchimp’s automations to understand audience needs and leverages push-to-social functions to help share their mission: that regenerative organic practices work at scale and produce delish results.

Peep these egg-celent tools.

All your favorite influencers were at Coachella last month—or were they?

Some reportedly faked their Coachella attendance, making it the latest influencer trend to sweep Instagram and TikTok.

So far, 2023 has been somewhat volatile for influencers in general. With a potential TikTok ban in the works and deinfluencing taking the stage, many have worked to adapt to changing expectations from brands and a growing demand for microinfluencers who may be perceived as more authentic, experts told us.

“Brands are understanding that microinfluencers and even nanoinfluencers, and people who have a very specific talent or narrative, are just really exciting to their followers,” Mae Karwowski, CEO and founder of influencer marketing agency Obviously, said. “I think that’s definitely a little bit different than what you might have seen a few years ago, where it was like, ‘Let’s work with Charli D’Amelio,’ or ‘Let’s work with a giant influencer on TikTok that everyone knows.’”

Read the full story here.—JS

Americans are planning trips to Europe this summer like there’s no tomorrow. According to travel site Kayak, searches for European travel are 77% higher than last year.

A broader uptick in travel is helping a number of hospitality companies continue bouncing back from financial challenges posed by the pandemic. Several brands in the travel space reported strong earnings this quarter, indicating the sector’s rebound is still going strong.

One of these companies is Hilton, which rolled out its largest campaign in years last summer, called “It Matters Where You Stay.” Last quarter, Hilton experienced a 30% YoY increase from the same period in 2022 in terms of “revenue per available room,” a measure “calculated by multiplying a hotel’s average daily room rate by its occupancy rate.” Its revenue grew to $2.3 billion last quarter, beating analyst expectations.

Meanwhile, Alaska Airlines’s revenue grew 31% year over year last quarter. According to CEO Ben Minicucci, the company “returned to pre-pandemic levels of flying” in Q1.

“As we progress through the year, we have taken deliberate steps to build momentum and we are well prepared for peak summer flying,” he said in an earnings release. Alaska recently invested in two regional Super Bowl ads featuring television personality and fashion designer Tan France.

Keep reading here.—JS

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

We go together: Tips for helping your brand stand out on Amazon and other third-party sites.

Joke’s on you: Vox explains the “Dark Brandon” meme—and “why the Biden campaign has embraced it.”

Clean bill of health: This guide can help you craft a HIPAA-compliant social media strategy.

Crushin’ channels: Wanna scale your ads and online selling across all channels? Channable can do that. Their all-in-one platform will help you boost sales and increase POAS. See for yourself.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

What is better than Tony’s Chocolonely and Marketing Brew? Attending The Brief in New York City on May 11.

We are thrilled to have Abby Noel Davison, digital communication specialist at Tony’s Chocolonely, for a workshop on “How to Infuse Purpose Into Your Marketing Messaging.”  For marketers looking to either kick-start or amplify efforts around brand purpose and social impact, this one’s for you.

If you want to take your marketing game to the next level and make a positive impact on the world, this workshop is not to be missed. Register now and join us for an engaging and informative session.

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

• Peacock subscribers—and losses—climb at NBCUniversal
• Roku strikes measurement pact with Instacart
• A conversation with Washington State Rep. Vandana Slatter