STRATEGIES

The Ad Council vs. The Pandemic

Earlier this week, the Ad Council announced a new goal—raise a minimum of $50 million from the private sector to fund a Covid-19 vaccine awareness campaign.

• In light of recent positive vaccine testing results, the Ad Council will partner with Covid Collaborative, a group of bipartisan leaders in education, health, and policy, for the initiative.

“Widespread adoption of the Covid-19 vaccine is our generation’s ‘moonshot’ and will represent one of the largest public health interventions in our nation’s history,” Ad Council President and CEO Lisa Sherman told Ad Age, emphasizing that an effective PSA could help save “hundreds of thousands of lives” in the U.S.

Some backstory

This isn’t exactly the Ad Council’s first rodeo. 

Whomst? The Ad Council is a nonprofit that basically invented the term PSA (public service announcement). Founded in 1942, it has historically created and distributed PSAs for U.S. government agencies, other nonprofits, and NGOs. 

• The good ol’ AC is behind many a storied public service ad campaign, including the classic Smokey the Bear “Only You can Prevent Forest Fires” messaging that’s been running since 1944.  

Not old news: This vaccine campaign won’t be the Ad Council’s first shot at Covid-19, either (no pun intended). Since March, the nonprofit has spawned efforts resulting in 58.4 million engagements across platforms, and over 30 million visits to coronavirus.gov, per Ad Age.

The game plan 

So what’s this campaign going to look like from a marketing perspective? We don’t know much, but we do know it’s employing a few main strategies: 

• Emphasizing the continued importance of face masks
• Addressing vaccine-related misconceptions
• Using community outreach to reach diverse audiences

The deets: Distribution channels will include TV, radio, and digital. Agencies such as Verizon Media's RYOT Studio, dentsumcgarrybowen, M8, and Entercom are involved. 

• The campaign will also send audiences to Coping-19.org, where 100+ vetted multilingual resources offer mental health assistance, self-care advice, and scientific information on the virus, per MediaPost. 

Why it matters: “It’s not often you get to work on a campaign that genuinely has the power to help people manage their lives,” dentsumcgarrybowen New York President Ida Rezvani told MediaPost. 

Looking ahead: We’ll keep you updated on how the campaign is doing and who is involved as we get more information.

INFLUENCERS

The Pandemic Didn’t Kill Influencer Marketing After All

Even Verizon’s budget cell phone service, Visible, can start trending with a celebrity influencer like Dan Levy. The Schitt’s Creek star’s mere presence on screen got people talking about Visible this week…

…which reminded me of an October 2020 influencer marketing survey AI analytics platform HypeAuditor shared with Marketing Brew last week.

The influencer side:

• 66% of influencers reported feeling increased pressure to create content right now. 
• And 64% said that’s because more influencers popped up since the pandemic started. 

The brand side: 

• 69% of agencies reported having more influencers to choose from since Covid-19 hit. 
• And 62% said sales increased when they started working with influencers rather than traditional online advertising campaigns, with 40% reporting better engagement results.

Bottom line: Whether it’s fresh talent from TikTok or celebrities like Dan Levy freed up from in-person events, advertisers not only have more creators to choose from, but also a greater incentive to tap into influencer marketing with increased social media use during the pandemic.

+1: Despite the buzz around Visible, lesser known talent might be the way to go—50% of agencies surveyed said the best Instagram influencers have between 5,000 and 20,000 followers.

SPONSORED BY BRIGHTCOVE

The Vid Whizzes Who Took Tribeca Online

Brightcove are straight up video whiz kidz (they’re consummate professionals, we just don’t know how to be serious), and their mad vid skills pay a lotta people’s bills...

...Like the iconic Tribeca Film Festival. Tribeca has relied on Brightcove to power their digital festival components since 2011. But this year, Tribeca turned to Brightcove to reimagine the film festival as a virtual event.

Not just anyone can power Tribeca; you need a professional grade tech company, a group of pros who know that video means business. And boy, did Brightcove deliver, successfully bringing the festival online through virtual versions of live series and opening up Tribeca’s entire library of entries to press and industry members.

See Brightcove’s brilliant work for Tribeca here.

CAMPAIGNS

It’s the Little Things

There’s a new trend in marketing campaigns, and it's not a big deal. It's quite literally a very small deal.

Brooklinen: For the DTC bedding company’s holiday campaign, it created tiny dollhouse model rooms remotely due to the pandemic. The dollhouses—filled with Brooklinen products and festive accoutrements—find their way to the company’s target audience via its website, email, social media, and out-of-home (OOH) displays. 

Volkswagen: DDB Sydney recently worked with VW to create an OOH mini dealership replica in a popular part of Sydney. If you scan the QR code on the little lot, your phone creates an augmented reality experience that lets you “try out” the cars. 

Zooming in 

Phones are becoming core to marketing—and mini replicas just so happen to look great on an iPhone screen. 

• For instance, Industry Dive announced Tuesday that publications Mobile Marketer and Marketing Dive are merging into one. 
• “Consumers assume mobile will be a key part of their connected experiences. Mobile has also become endemic to marketing and media,” per Industry Dive’s announcement.

Suggestion: Do as VW and Brooklinen did by creating a charming mini OOH experience, then repurpose pics or videos of the mini across mobile platforms—thus sending that uber-creative in-person experience directly to your target audience’s pockets.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Ford has gone outside the auto industry for its new CMO, tapping Suzy Deering of eBay. 
• Petco is sending its creative account to agency Droga5, ending its relationship with Anomaly.
• WeWork is partnering with Lightbox for a new digital OOH ad network deal.
• AppsFlyer, a marketing analytics firm valued at $2 billion, raised funds from Salesforce.

SPONSORED BY EMARKETER

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.

ADWEEK OR ADWEAK?

Which headlines are real marketing news, and which one is satirical à la Twitter account ADWEAK?

1. DTC Brands Plan To Use Texting For Black Friday And Cyber Monday This Year 
2. Fired Sherwin-Williams Paint Enthusiast and TikTok Star Joins Rival Firm To Develop New Paints
3. Mother London Agency Taps Top TikTok Star As New SVP, Social Video
4. Walmart Illuminates Holidays With Drone Light Show

Keep scrolling for the answer.

AD ANTIQUES

Vintageadsandstuff

Here’s another quiz for you. Is this… 

1. Me at Thanksgiving this year?
2. Or a 1948 Petri California Wine ad? 

Only time will tell .

ADWEAK OR ADWEEK? ADWEEK? ANSWER

Mother London didn’t hire a TikTok star, but Florida Paints sure did.

ICYMI

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

• A post-2020 guide to getting hired in the marketing industry
• Mystery is afoot at Pinterest
• Why infomercials are still a thing in 2020