The word “authentic” gets thrown around a lot in marketing. For former marketer Christina Dorr Drake, co-founder and CEO of Willa’s Oat Milk, that concept seemed just as important when it came to the product itself.

Dorr Drake, who previously worked at agencies like Havas and Anomaly, was inspired to start her own brand after doing some client work with Panera on its campaign to remove artificial preservatives from its menu.

“I was looking at these plant-based milks in my fridge and realized that they had ingredients that were so harmful that fast-food restaurants were taking them out of their menu items,” she told Marketing Brew. Willa’s Unsweetened Original Oat Milk consists of just four ingredients: oats, vanilla, water, and salt.

While Dorr Drake left the agency world in 2018 to co-found Willa’s with her sister, she said her past work experience still informs the brand’s marketing, which has meant getting “really, really scrappy with a tiny marketing budget” in order to compete with much larger oat-milk competitors.

Read the full story here.—KH

“Don’t focus on the competition, focus on your customers.”

Wise words spoken by the small-but-mighty running and travel company Vacation Races.

Their aim? Helping everyone explore the most scenic places on Earth through multi-day running adventures, marathons, and trail-running festivals. You’ll get your steps in and see spectacular new places.

Vacation Races’ experiences are sold DTC online, so digital communication is critical. When it comes to organizing their diverse contact lists, they leverage tools like Mailchimp’s Groups—their favorite Mailchimp feature—to keep their peeps updated and target audiences based on interests.

“Mailchimp has saved our company time and allowed us to work more efficiently,” shared the Vacation Races team. “The tools help us segment our large audience in a few different ways, making it easier to send relevant, concise information to customers who want and need it.”

Learn how Mailchimp can help you step up your game.

AI tools might save someone 10 minutes of busywork, but that isn’t an excuse to avoid guidance from the Federal Trade Commission.

In a blog post written by FTC attorney Michael Atleson, the commission reminded companies that generative AI shouldn’t be used to “trick people into making harmful choices,” specifically mentioning “customizing ads to specific people or groups” as an example.

“A key FTC concern is firms using them in ways that, deliberately or not, steer people unfairly or deceptively into harmful decisions in areas such as finances, health, education, housing, and employment,” Atleson wrote. He also cautioned against inserting ads within generative AI content without making clear that something is an ad and the result of a commercial relationship.

• Earlier this year, the agency shared guidance about companies pitching “false or unsubstantiated claims” around AI. In April, Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya told a privacy conference that “unfair and deceptive trade practice laws apply to AI,” calling for further transparency into firms creating AI tools.
• Just last week, FTC chair Lina Khan joined “top officials from US civil rights and consumer protection agencies to put [AI companies] on notice,” the Associated Press reported.

+1: The commission also cautioned companies building or using AI to think twice before they “remove or fire personnel devoted to ethics and responsibility for AI and engineering.” We’re sure it’s totally unrelated, but in March, Microsoft laid off its ethics and society team dedicated to AI.

To show that they’re not always party poopers, Atleson ended his blog with a kicker so good we figured we’d use it ourselves: “For people interacting with a chatbot or other AI-generated content, mind Prince’s warning from 1999: ‘It’s cool to use the computer. Don’t let the computer use you.’”—RB

Each Tuesday, we spotlight Marketing Brew readers in our Coworking series. If you’d like to be featured, introduce yourself here.

Tayla-Lee Chick is managing director at Bald Agency, which has worked with brands including KPMG and Blaze Pizza.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? We recently worked on a series of videos for KPMG US showcasing the people behind the brand. I really enjoyed working with my team to create work that stretched the imagination of what was possible.

It was my first shoot working for a remote agency, shooting all over the US, editing in the UK, strategizing across the globe, and creative directing from South Africa. We pulled off one of the most beautiful video campaigns I’ve ever seen, and I’m incredibly proud of my team. Stay tuned; they are live soon!

What’s your favorite ad campaign? Really hard to choose one, I’d have to go with the one that got me into marketing in the first place. Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” is such an incredible display of the importance of understanding your buyers. The understanding of who is purchasing your product and marketing it to them rather than just to the people who are using it is what got me into marketing and branding in the first place. Understanding human behavior and the psychology behind why we buy is fascinating. Marketing is a science. Brand-building is an art.

Continue reading here.

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

Tag team: Read up on Instagram’s updated features regarding creator partnerships.

OK, I like it, Picasso: Bookmark these simple design tips that might help with social media graphics.

Game on: The Meta Quest Gaming Showcase is slated to return June 1.

Full-funnel aficionados: As a leader in High Impact digital advertising with 21+ years of experience executing full-funnel campaigns with cross-channel ad formats, Undertone’s pros know a thing or twenty about shortening the path between awareness and conversion. See their solutions.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

We’re not joking when we say TIME IS RUNNING OUT to get your tickets to The Brief. With less than 10 days until the big day, we cannot contain our excitement!

Don’t miss out on world-class speakers and endless marketing inspiration. Sit down with Iris Meijer, CMO at Verizon Business, for her look at capturing attention in B2B tech.

Get your tickets ~and we cannot stress this enough~ TODAY!

In 2005, YouTube hit a milestone: A video reached a million views for the first time. Surprisingly, it was an ad. Which brand created it?

1. Coke
2. Burger King
3. Disney
4. Nike

Keep scrolling for the answer.

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

• WPP and IPG felt the impact of tech’s slimmed wallets in Q1
• Speak now: Inside the wedding industry’s move toward inclusivity
• The rise of the microinfluencer: Creator trends taking over in 2023