Love is in the air, and brands are trying to bottle it up and market it.

As Valentine’s Day ushered in a flurry of pink-and-red-hued campaigns, companies like coffee brand La Colombe, fitness subscription platform ClassPass, and sports club CityPickle are taking the romantic vibes a step further by hosting their own singles and dating-focused events. The events aren’t just tapping into consumer interest in experiences: Brand marketers say they view the dating space as a way to foster their own relationships with customers while putting their core values on display.

“It’s about building connection. It’s about building community,” Mary Cannon, co-CEO at CityPickle, told us. “Cupid might be in the air particularly, but it’s a priority for us at CityPickle to build and promote connectivity.”

Playing Cupid: CityPickle’s singles events are one of their most popular types of events throughout the year, Erica Desai, the other co-CEO at CityPickle, told us, and after hosting dozens of singles-focused events so far, the brand’s Valentine’s event quickly sold out—although she and Cannon clocked a slight disparity in how quickly tickets sell.

“The women’s tickets sell out instantaneously. In fact, we have a wait list that’s longer than the number of tickets that we offered,” Cannon said. “The men typically do not sell out immediately.”

That difference is key to how CityPickle designs its singles events, and Cannon said that they sell designated women’s and men’s tickets so both demographics are represented.

“It’s these little things and this extra thoughtfulness that we hope facilitates a really great time, because I think it’s the pre-planning that goes into a mixer like this that really helps contribute to the success,” Cannon said.

Continue reading here.—JN

After winning his first Super Bowl, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley did what so many Philadelphia Eagles and their fans have done before him—shotgunned a beer, shirtless, in less than three seconds.

In a video capturing the feat that soon went viral among sports accounts like Barstool and Bleacher Report, eagle-eyed viewers can just make out Barkley’s brew of choice: Open, a craft lager based out of Los Angeles.

Beer brands typically shell out millions to advertise during the big game, but in the case of Open Brewing, the exposure came without the sticker-shock. In a write-up of the post-game celebration, a Sports Illustrated reporter confirmed the cans were Open, calling the beer a “workingman’s beverage” choice compared to the celebration’s bottles of Armand de Brignac Ace of Spade Champagne, which retail for about $280.

David Sypniewski, Open Brewing’s managing director, told Marketing Brew the stunt was unplanned, but acknowledged the front-and-center placement benefited from the fact that the Eagle’s third string tight-end C.J. Uzomah is a fan—and an early investor in the brand.

“There wasn’t this nefarious coup, [like] we’re gonna hijack the Super Bowl,” Sypniewski said.

Read more here.—RB

Target has been pilloried on social media for its Black History Month posts, with commenters calling out the company for championing the month after announcing that it’s retreating from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) commitments.

A video that Target posted to Instagram and Facebook earlier this month features products from Black-owned brands or that may appeal to Black consumers, including Black Barbie. The post says the products are part of the company’s “new #BlackHistoryMonth collection” and that “Target is proud to come together, today and everyday (sic), to celebrate Black joy with exclusive designs and our assortment of Black-owned and founded brands.”

“You could not think posting this would yield positive comments,” user @domnthecity commented on Instagram. “You cannot be serious.”

Some other comments from Instagram:

• “The hypocrisy is loud.” (@c.b.reynolds)
• “So you want to PROFIT off black culture, but not invest in it. Got it.” (@mseaston725)
• “I believe the word of the day is performative.” (@daniela_cecilia1)
• “Alex I’ll take gaslighting for 500.” (@chaii__teaa)

Retail Brew sent two requests to Target for comment but did not get a response.

Read more on Retail Brew.—AAN

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