Two years ago, a massive 3D cat showed up on a billboard in Tokyo. People who walked by took photos of the cat as it meowed, napped, and licked its paws.

“I think that was one of the biggest reasons that [3D billboards] got popular in Tokyo,” Sungeun Jang, a staffer on out-of-home advertising agency Kesion’s overseas development team, told us. The LED screen, situated above one of Tokyo’s largest train stations, attracted crowds and global news coverage.

Since then, brands ranging from Louis Vuitton to Pokémon Go have advertised in that same space.

3D billboards have grown in popularity around the world over the past few years, offering a new way for companies like Google and BMW to capture attention. Even though the availability of 3D billboard space is limited, and placing them can be cost-prohibitive, marketers in the OOH sector told us they’re seeing increased interest from brands.

Jang said approximately one out of 10 client inquiries that Kesion, which has worked with luxury car and fashion brands on 3D billboards, receives are for the burgeoning format.

Josh Scharfberg, president, New York, at OOH firm Clear Channel Outdoor, which has helped with 3D billboards for Netflix, Balenciaga, and Paramount, echoed Jang’s sentiment. “Over the last 12 to 18 months, we’ve seen tremendous interest and growth in anamorphic 3D billboards,” he said. “We’ve seen it across all industries—everything from entertainment to high-end fashion to automotive. It’s industry agnostic.”

Continue reading here.—JS

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Barbie has been praised by some for its diverse cast. And women hold the power everywhere you look in Barbie Land, from government to business and even space. But the executives at Mattel don’t quite look like the residents of the magical world.

Mason Williams, Mattel’s global head of DE&I, recently spoke with HR Brew about how the company is working to create a culture of diversity and shape its next generation of leaders.

Art imitates life. Williams believes diversity is part of what has drawn audiences to Barbie. For Williams, this aspect of the movie exemplifies his experience working at Mattel. “We have a physical representation of what our core belief is,” he explained. “Our belief is that we’re at our best when everyone feels respected, included, and heard, so that we can be ourselves and [bring] the best of ourselves to the workplace.”

“[Diversity] gives us the chance to attract and retain great talent. It’s a big core to our business strategy,” he added.

And as popular as its products are (164 Barbies were sold every minute in 2021, and sales have jumped 56% since the film’s release), so are its jobs, for talent at every age. “When an 80-year-old toy company is attracting Gen Z talent, something is connected,” he said. “We have four solid generations in the workforce right now.”

Keep reading on HR Brew.—KP

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

Águeda Trujillo is US head of marketing at waterdrop, a Vienna-based company that sells a variety of water accoutrements, including filters and flavor mixes.

Favorite project you’ve worked on? This crazy journey that is being part of the team that is building up the US continues to be a source of motivation and pride. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to be one of just two people sent to kickstart our on-the-ground activities, moving all the way from our Vienna headquarters to Miami. Together with the team, I have gotten to open our very first US brick-and-mortar store, heard from customers first-hand in focus groups, been able to conduct product research, led amazing brand activations such as our ATP events, been able to partner with US celebrities and athletes, launched our first media campaign, and much more. 

As we continue to expand our presence and make waterdrop a household name in the US and beyond, I remain inspired by the passion and dedication of our team and the overwhelming positive response from our customers. In short, tackling the US as a project has been one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences I have ever been part of.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile? My superstar past as a baby model. Talk about an early start to my glamorous career. I might have left the baby modeling world behind, but those magazine covers and TV appearances will forever be my claim to fame.

What’s one marketing-related podcast, social account, or series you’d recommend? Marketing Against The Grain with Kipp Bodnar and Kieran Flanagan is a good one. They delve into new methods and marketing trends, and bring in a whole lot of experience and insights.

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

Pay to play: Read up on Twitter’s X’s updates to its policies and perks for organizations and accounts that pay for verification on the app.

X marks it: Speaking of X, the app updated its brand toolkit—so download away.

Crop top: Bookmark this cheat sheet of image sizes across all the social media networks.

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Mergers and acquisitions, company partnerships, and more.

• Paramount Global sold publisher Simon & Schuster to KKR, a private equity firm, for $1.6 billion.
• Campbell’s purchased Sovos Brands, the maker of Rao’s sauces and Noosa yogurt, for around $2.7 billion.
• Anheuser-Busch InBev is selling eight beverage brands, like Shock Top and Blue Point, to Tilray, a cannabis company.