BRANDING

It’s Not Easy Being Green

Eco-friendly branding just got a makeover. Back in the day, crunchy, leafy branding used to denote environmentally friendly products—think Seventh Generation and Whole Foods. 

But at the end of 2020, that seems to be changing.  

Reduce, reuse… 

Market research firm Buzzback told Marketing Brew that in an October 2017 study on the term “clean label,” it asked 921 U.S. respondents over the age of 14 what colors they most closely associated with the term. 

• 35% said white
• 30% said green
• 17% said blue

ThredUp, the thrift retail brand, just got a very modern Red Antler rebrand—but there’s not a leaf or anything Seventh Generation-esque in sight. 

• The rebrand aligns with Buzzback's research: The core color palette is white, green, and blue, letting consumers know that ThredUp is good for the planet.
• But “the rebrand also includes colorful, body-inclusive photography and graphics as well as new tone, typography and iconography that target Gen Z because of their tendency to shop eco-friendly,” per Adweek. 

Zoom out: It’s pretty obvious that buying secondhand is good for the planet. But what might have been less obvious before the rebrand—especially to its Gen Z target audience—is whether ThredUp is the modern, hip place to do that thrifting.

+1: Simultaneously, Curiosity, the agency behind P&G’s Native natural deodorant, launched a new brand awareness campaign that “is looking to capitalize on [Native’s] growing retail footprint and expand beyond the ‘crunchy granola’ confines of natural personal care,” per Ad Age. 

What’s driving the trend?   

Modern branding: As a secondhand clothing retailer, ThredUp is looking to make what’s old new again. Native’s new branding attempts something similar—convincing consumers that sustainable products really work.

• “What better way to show that than with bold, graphic visuals instead of this soft, earthy, granola-ey route?” Katie Gerdes, Curiosity creative director, told Ad Age regarding Native’s rebrand. 

The pandemic: Covid-19 accelerated the number one consumer consideration when buying a cleaning product past its eco-friendliness and straight to its ability to kill germs, per a 2020 Buzzback market research survey among U.S. and UK adults.   

My takeaway: ThredUp and Native’s new, bold branding includes the main colors consumers associate with clean, eco-friendly products. But jumping through hoops to include leaves and cardboard textures in sustainable branding might be a thing of the past.

CHANNELS

Facebook Still Isn’t Into Apple’s IDFA Changes

Advertising Week was all fun, panels, and games until Tuesday, when Facebook Chief Revenue Officer David Fischer brought up Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). IDFA is a device-specific ad ID used by most mobile marketers.  

• In a virtual panel, Fischer said models relying on personalized advertising are now “under assault,” which got the conversation about the change to Apple’s IDFA flowing again.
• Fischer also said Facebook plans to "defend" its existing model against Apple's IDFA changes, which will now roll out in 2021, per CNBC. 

Record scratch: In September, Apple delayed changes to its iOS 14 update that could majorly disrupt the in-app advertising landscape, in order to give us all time to prepare. 

• The changes will allow iPhone users to more easily opt out of tracking when using an app. That will likely give in-app advertisers far less data to work with when it comes to targeting users.

Looking ahead: Facebook’s initial protests might have been part of the reason Apple delayed IDFA changes in the first place. With that in mind, FB's continued commitment to push back on the update could further inform Apple's decision-making in the space.

SPONSORED BY CRITEO

The Promised Land For Your Brand

Gamechanger: Retail media might just be the silver bullet for brands. 

But don’t just take our word for it. The gurus of advertising and technology at Criteo are hosting Consumer Product Brands: It’s Time to Take Control of Your Retail Media Destiny—a webinar on all things retail media advertising.

According to a newly commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting, 76% of brands say their growth depends on retail media advertising, and Criteo’s webinar can help retailers create their best retail media strategy.

On October 14th, retail media experts will review the study’s findings and you’ll learn: 

• The top 5 reasons brands want to invest in retail media
• What’s stopping them from allocating more to it
• 3 opportunities that will increase adoption

Register for the webinar today.

PLATFORMS

Flex Wants Change. Period.

Flex—the period brand that recently became the #1 seller in the menstrual cup category, per Nielsen data—recently made a major impact on improving sexist ad platform policies. 

In August: After leading a group of TikTok advertisers in advocating for educational ads on the platform, Flex was able to change TikTok’s policy that banned diagrams of female anatomy. 

In May: 

• Google rejected one of Flex’s ads displaying two women in one piece bathing suits, saying it was “disapproved for adult and shocking content,” but Google has since overturned its decision after Flex’s advocacy—something the platform doesn’t typically do. 
• Facebook rejected Flex’s ads for “sexual content” but has reversed course on many of Flex’s ads. A Flex spokesperson told Marketing Brew that FB doesn’t typically offer an explanation for rejections or reversals.

By the numbers: Many leading ad platforms have long regarded period content as “gruesome,” but in Flex’s 2020 survey of 1,000 menstruators between 18-35, 94% agreed with the statement “there's nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to having your period,” Flex’s Founder & CEO Lauren Schulte Wang told Marketing Brew. 

My takeaway: It’s rare and frankly inspiring to see a single brand lead major changes on multiple leading ad platforms after years of blatantly sexist policies.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Ocean Spray found an opportunity to showcase its brand values via a viral TikTok.
• CBS is heading into the fall TV season with a fresh new logo. 
• WarnerMedia hired Jean-Paul Colaco, previously of Apple and Hulu, as its new ad sales lead, amid mass layoffs.
• Orbit Gum used both Tinder and chatbots in its latest campaign.

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FRENCH PRESS

Marketing tips to make you fancy

Appearances: Of course this infographic full of stats on how important a brand’s online appearance is to its marketing efforts has a beautiful aesthetic. 

CMOs: Watch the latest CMO Series interviews to dip a toe into who’s who in the marketing industry—this week Alex chatted with God-is Rivera, the Global Director of Culture and Community at Twitter, and CloudApp GM and VP of Marketing Joe Martin. 

Campaigns: Black Friday is the worst. Right? Here are five alternative Black Friday campaigns that might convince you otherwise—or at least alleviate a marketing creativity block for the pseudo-holiday. 

SEO mistakes: There are (at least) 10 common web design mistakes that could hurt your business’s SEO—find out how to avoid them here.

METRICS & MEDIA

Stat: 85% of U.S. households are now streaming, per Roku’s 2020 Holiday Shopping Report in partnership with The Harris Poll. 

Quote: “I do not think the measure of a civilization is how tall its buildings of concrete are, but rather how well its people have learned to relate to their environment and fellow man.”—Sun Bear, Chippewa, in honor of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday.

Read: LinkedIn editor Callie Schweitzer’s latest article, “Gannett CMO Mayur Gupta: Marketing has a marketing problem”

ICYMI

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

• Here’s why Peloton’s new commercial stars look nothing like the Peloton wife
• What you need to know about Snapchat’s new ad offering, First Commercial
• The House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust released its Big Tech monopoly investigation findings