STRATEGIES

Vote...Then Buy Our Stuff

From dating apps to retailers to big TV networks, brands are looking to attach themselves to voter registration initiatives ahead of the U.S. presidential election. 

Prime example: 

Dating app OkCupid. A voting campaign makes a lot of sense for the company, as 76% of OkCupid users surveyed said political leanings are “very important” to them while considering a partner, per Adweek. 

Now, the digital matchmaker is playing into that political passion in a campaign promoting its voter registration badge, which tells potential matches if you’re registered to vote. 

• The “VILF” campaign (take a guess at what that stands for) includes video content making fun of political attack ads and an influencer makeup tutorial.  

Zoom out: Ad Age has a running list of 14 more brands running campaigns with the same “register to vote” message. Although Patagonia made the list, many of the brands employing this strategy aren’t your typical activists. Plus, 1,000+ retailers joined Time to Vote—a nonpartisan pledge to give employees time off to cast their ballots.

+1: Seriously, even Vineyard Vines launched a “VOTE” apparel capsule collection and plans to share voting resources with its customers.

Why voting has brands abuzz

In marketing, one way creative trends become a thing is when research shows that employing said trend will help marketers meet KPIs. And studies show that consumers are more loyal to brands that take a clear stance on issues they care about, per Harvard Business Review. 

For instance, Retail Brew’s Halie LeSavage recently spoke with Marc Rosen, Levi Strauss executive VP and president of Levi Strauss Americas, about why so many retailers joined Time to Vote this year:

• “Consumers are increasingly loyal to brands that take a strong stance around the issues that resonate with them, including voting…that’s how they drive growth, strengthen their brand, and keep their people inspired and engaged,” said Rosen. 

My takeaway: Brands running voter registration campaigns this year are simply betting on their consumers caring more about voting in 2020 than ever before. If brands are right, then they are likely to be rewarded with consumer loyalty.

TV

NBCU Takes a Stab at Upfronts Innovation

From virtual upfronts to pandemic clauses, saying Covid-19 has upended TV ad buying would be an understatement. So NBCU is trying its hand at a workaround.

The network just launched a tool called Total Investment Impact that changes how it measures ad performance. 

• Typically, when an advertiser makes a deal with NBCU (and lots of other networks), the advertiser gets a performance outcome guarantee based on a single metric, such as foot traffic or website visits. 
• But the Total Investment Impact tool takes a bottom-of-the-funnel approach and measures sales for clients based on all their investments with NBCU, rather than one campaign at a time. 
• During the pandemic, it’s more difficult to justify measuring one thing at a time when metrics like foot traffic are so subject to external influences. 

How it works: Total Investment Impact uses both “media and non-media factors” and predictive models to measure the, well, impact of client investments. It seems like a way to tie linear and digital offerings together, which—if it lives up to the hype—could make life easier for multiple types of ad buyers. 

Looking ahead: If the first penguins to try Total Investment Impact see positive results, NBCU could come up with a compelling pitch for the product.

SPONSORED BY SAILTHRU

Sleigh Ride Into the Sunset

Closing out 2020 on a high note is on everyone’s mind—personally, we’re hoping these virtual singing classes pay off in time for caroling.

For retailers, it means making up for lost ground despite fundamental changes in consumer behavior.

Liveclicker can help you understand what those changes are going to be and how to scale up communications with your customers so they can shop through the holidays with confidence.

Liveclicker’s lookbook covers it all:

• How to achieve core marketing objectives: revenue growth, engagement, and efficiency
• How to adapt your holiday marketing strategy to the realities of our New Normal
• Inspiring examples and ideas pulled from successful campaigns to place right into your own emails

Learn how to leverage personalization technology and make meaningful customer connections this holiday season.

Have a little look-see at the lookbook.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Aya Kanai Puts a Pin In Her Magazine Career

Pinterest just hired Marie Claire’s editor in chief, Aya Kanai, as its first head of content and editorial partnerships. 

In Kanai’s words, “It is more important than ever that a range of voices and styles are discoverable and representative of all. I am looking forward to evolving the creative ways we can inspire Pinners, while giving brands new ways to reach this growing audience,” per Pinterest. 

Key words: Discoverable and representative. 

Discoverable: Pinterest’s top search trends have made headlines over the past few months. If Pinterest starts pumping out inclusive content and partnering with publications that do the same, what’s popular on the platform could evolve accordingly.

Representative: But the current top Pinterest search keyword trends don't necessarily suggest that users are engaging with the most diverse/representative content. 

• Examples include “home improvement projects” (which are more accessible for higher earning households) and “zen bedroom ideas,” which some argue is cultural appropriation.  

Bottom line: Kanai’s statement about making sure that a “range of voices and styles are discoverable and representative of all” could eventually lead to Pinterest prioritizing a wider breadth of content from its editorial partners and creators.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• TikTok and WeChat downloads will be banned in the U.S. as of Sunday.
• Nielsen launched a global campaign outcomes database.
• Huge Global CEO Pete Stein is headed to Dentsu’s Merkle after a short tenure.
• Magna reduced its 2020 U.S. ad economy outlook to -4.6%.

SPONSORED BY TYPEFORM

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FRENCH PRESS

Marketing tips to make you fancy

Basics: Morning Brew wrote a guide to the best resources in the marketing industry, for everyone from beginners to CMOs. 

B2Bs: TopRank Marketing compiled five creative examples of B2B content marketing on YouTube to inspire you through a season that can only be called uninspirational.

Leader lessons: Watch Morning Brew CEO Alex Lieberman’s chat with Chris Toy, the co-founder and CEO of MarketerHire, and Katie Perry, the VP of Marketing at Public. Check back next week for Alex’s convo with Trufan CEO Swish Goswami. 

Timelines: My friend (and former boss!) Emma Wiltshire at Social Media Today put together this infographic showing a history of Facebook’s legal actions against people misusing the platform. 

METRICS & MEDIA

Stat: Usage of the yoga/meditation emoji grew 161% on U.S. Twitter from 2019 during the pandemic, per Twitter’s new “Twitter From Home” trend report. 

Quote: “At the end of the day, a brand is an expression of an idea. Product can be one manifestation of that, but it’s not the only one. Nor should it be.” —Emily Singer in her Chips + Dips newsletter.

Read: Why Black voices seem to be disappearing from LinkedIn, by the eminent marketing diversity activist Belinda Smith for AdExchanger.

ICYMI

Catch up on the top Marketing Brew stories from the last few editions.

• If the MTA ran two vibrant public health campaigns since March, you can, too
• Here’s everything you need to know about the TikTok/Oracle deal
• Sweetgreen used chefs as pseudo-influencers in its latest initiative