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Welcome to Monday. One member of my virtual Morning Brew family has a huge announcement today. I do not know how tall she is—we have never met in person, thanks to Covid-19—but I do know you’re going to be very interested in what she has to say. Keep scrolling for the scoop.
In today’s edition:
- Some info on some ’mercials
- Instagram has new creator features
- Pinterest is up to something, mark my words
— Phoebe Bain
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Francis Scialabba
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While clawing my eyes out waiting for the U.S. presidential election results, I personally watched an estimated three trillion infomercials, for everything from heating pads to children’s charity initiatives.
As I sat there like a sleep-deprived, marketing-obsessed Carrie Bradshaw, I couldn’t help but wonder…where are these things coming from? And why are they still around in 2020?
The basics
Infomercials are a product of this little thing called the Graveyard Slot, the off hours when TV viewership is so low that networks don't bother producing content to fill them out.
- Rather than putting rainbow bars on your screen like networks did in the old days, they sell thirty minute (or longer) slots to advertisers for dirt cheap.
Snuggie economics: There’s always an exception to the “great ads need to run alongside great content” rule. Take Telebrands, for example.
- Founded in 1983 during the rise of the infomercial, Telebrands is a direct response marketing company and brought you a lot of “As Seen On TV” products.
- It’s the peddler of the “PedEgg,” a pretty gross foot shaving tool you probably saw around 3am on TV during the early 2000s.
- Per its LinkedIn page, “Telebrands is the leader in the $150 billion direct consumer marketing industry,” so clearly those thirty minute slots are working in its favor.
Why Graveyard Slots work
That thing: testing products and messaging on highly targeted consumers.
And as for those products you saw during election week? During the week of November 3 to November 7 on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, per iSpot data shared with Marketing Brew…
Calming Heat, the Sharper Image-owned heating pad, didn't have any airings on linear TV election coverage during election week. But it did garner about 6,000 impressions on DVR/VOD during CNN's Countdown to Election Day.
- With cord-cutting accelerating, perhaps connected TV could be the new hot spot for highly targeted infomercials.
The Spurtle, a suite of kitchen utensils, saw 6.2 million TV ad impressions across its series of 10 minute Graveyard Slots. Some might say it got lucky with higher viewership numbers than usual.
Looking ahead: Evolving analytics capabilities could make infomercial data more helpful than ever before. “There is a correlation between the uptick of performance-based TV advertising and the transparent data systems that make TV function more like digital marketing,” Sean Mueller, founder and CEO of iSpot, told Marketing Brew.
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Francis Scialabba
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On Friday, Instagram had some good news and some bad news for brands and creators.
Creation: Advertisers can now post from an influencer’s account directly, removing a lot of the friction involved with influencer marketing. Here’s how it works.
- “1) Advertiser sends request for Ad Creation Access, 2) Creator accepts Ad Creation Access 3) Creator receives notification of the created ad for their approval,” per Instagram Business.
Disclosure: Instagram also unveiled branded content tags for Reels and Instagram Live, expanding creator revenue options. Sounds like some TikTok creator fund competition, no?
Why it matters: “Short-term, these moves are a win for creators and brands,” Senior Director of Influencer Marketing at SeatGeek Ian Borthwick told Marketing Brew. “Long-term, Instagram is increasing [itself] as a gatekeeper to [the] $10 billion influencer marketing industry, which should scare both creators and brands.”
+1: Borthwick also pointed out that the updates kind of view “influencers as just a handle to run ads through, which may further reduce trust between [the] influencer and their audience.”
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Of course, MVV stands for Most Valuable Video.
As our IRL experiences continue to be replaced by virtual concerts, boardrooms, and holidays, video will continue to be at the forefront of our world.
And companies and organizations of all sizes that recognize the value of video are turning to Brightcove—because Brightcove is video that means business.
Brightcove understands that video is sitting at the center of companies’ content and communications strategy—now and in the future. And they exist to deliver the connections these forward-thinking organizations need to thrive.
Whether you’re in the business of training a remote workforce, launching a virtual yoga class, or streaming a concert for 40,000 fans screaming in their living rooms, Brightcove is the robust and reliable platform that can help you tell your story—and tell it best.
Creating the Most Valuable Video starts with Brightcove.
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Adweek
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Pinterest is attracting top marketing talent like moths to a corkboard flame, and I need to know why immediately.
- Last week, Pinterest confirmed Celestine Maddy as its new head of consumer and brand marketing.
- Maddy not only founded industry blog AgencySpy, but also previously held senior marketing roles at Foursquare and Reddit.
Spreading her wings: Most recently, Maddy served as SVP of marketing and communications at girlboss-branded coworking space The Wing. But for reasons unknown, she departed after only six months.
Maddy is Pinterest’s second recent eyebrow-raising hire. In September, Pinterest also hired former Marie Claire Editor in Chief Aya Kanai, pulling her away from a long editorial career.
My takeaway: Pinterest could be building something on the marketing end that’s too big to pass up, explaining why top talent is suddenly jumping ship for the social media darling. Or maybe Pinterest just has really great WFH perks.
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Snap announced Spotlight—an entertainment platform for user-generated content surfacing the most entertaining Snaps all in one place, no matter who created them—this morning.
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HBO Max will air the new “Wonder Woman” film the same day it hits theaters.
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Vox’s co-founder Ezra Klein is leaving the media company for The New York Times.
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TikTok is partnering with Horizon Media for client support and go-to-market strategy.
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Boom or bust? Discover which U.S. digital forecasts got a surprise boost and which saw unexpected declines. Learn how Covid-19 created permanent long-term trends and temporary distortions. Read eMarketer by Insider Intelligence’s complimentary analyst report, “2020’s Biggest U.S. Forecasting Shocks: A Year of Recalculations Brought About by Covid-19.” Download now.
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Sign up.
Back in April, Morning Brew started a quarantine newsletter called The Essentials to give you ideas of things to do when this strange new thing called social distancing wiped out your calendar.
Now it’s November. The pandemic hasn’t gone away, but The Essentials is—well, it’s transforming into something bigger and better: Sidekick, a revamped recommendations newsletter that hits your inbox Monday and Thursday evenings.
What you’ll find in Sidekick:
- Trusted recs from all over the internet, including recipes, DIY projects, and fresh discoveries.
- Ideas for leveling up your professional life or winding down with a new book.
- An author, my virtual coworker and friend Rachel Cantor, who’s been dubbed the “tab queen.” Prepare your browser to be overrun with links you’ll want to save for later.
Bottom line: Sidekick is your trusted friend who will make you the trusted friend. The first edition arrives in just a few hours.
Sign up today.
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Stephen Mccarthy/Getty Images
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Sign up here for Morning Brew CEO Alex Lieberman’s CMO Series on LinkedIn, in which he chats with the most important marketing leaders in the industry. Then read on for three questions that’ll help you get to know these marketing leaders a little better.
Last week, Alex sat down with BlackRock CMO Frank Cooper and discussed actively incorporating culture in your marketing plan, being a successful marketing leader, how to give your brand purpose, and these three important questions:
Alex Lieberman: What is your favorite book you’ve read since January?
Frank Cooper: Angela Duckworth’s Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
AL: Since you’re a music guy, who are you listening to right now?
FC: That’s so hard. I actually went back in time—I’m listening to Steely Dan.
AL: What does Frank Cooper want to be when he grows up?
FC: I want to be an executive who grows other people.
Watch the full interview, plus other recent conversations with guests like Dave Gerhardt, CMO of Privy, here.
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Catch up on the top Marketing Brew stories from the last few editions.
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Written by
@notnotphoebe
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