SOCIAL MEDIA

The FTC Won’t Let Me Be

The FTC and 48 state attorneys general are suing Facebook. But why should that alarm social media marketers? 

TBH, it really shouldn’t: If marketers ever need to worry about the FTC’s attempt to break WhatsApp and Instagram away from Facebook, it won’t be for a long time—any previous DMV patrons will know the U.S. government is more turtle than hare.

However…it’s always fun to play a game of worst case scenario, just in case.  

Worst case scenario (for marketers)

Some backstory: Earlier this year, FB and its Big Tech brethren (virtually) went to DC for an antitrust hearing, which resulted in a recent report arguing FB has monopoly power. That Zoom call didn’t yield any legal action...until now. 

So if the FTC gets its way...years down the road...what would it look like?

Putting FB’s market presence in the dryer: Obviously a total breakup would shrink Facebook’s market share, although it’d probably still reign as top social network dog for years to come. Think: Less integration between platforms, lots of turbulence for marketers during the breakup, etc. But that’s not as interesting, or likely, as the other outcomes. 

So what if there’s not a breakup, but Facebook winds up with lots of fines and stricter rules to follow going forward? 

Money might not be an issue for Facebook: Last time it came under FTC fire, it casually paid a record-high $5 billion fine due to 2018’s Cambridge Analytica scandal. 

Rules: Rules against information sharing between platforms like Instagram and Facebook could make social media marketing slightly more tedious. But rest assured that if FB wants to hold onto its dominance, it’ll do everything in its power to make marketing on all platforms seamless.   

Competition premonitions

TikTok, Snapchat, and other social media platforms not owned by Facebook have major potential to thrive both later (if this suit doesn’t work out in Facebook’s favor) and right now (by taking advantage of the chaos and scrutiny).

For instance: “If TikTok or other platforms had been holding back releasing any features—for whatever reason—now is a time these platforms could take advantage of this,” Goodway Group’s President Jay Friedman told Marketing Dive.

Bottom line: Social media marketers won’t feel these effects any time soon, but that doesn’t make the FTC suit less of a big deal.

AGENCIES

Coca-Cola Starts from Scratch

Coca-Cola just baked an entire cake, took one bite of it, said “Nah, not good enough,” then threw the whole thing away to start again. And by that I mean it’s launching a global creative and media agency review that puts every single one of the 17th largest global ad spender’s current accounts up for grabs.

• Creative agencies Wieden+Kennedy, Anomaly and McCann—as well as media account holders UM, MediaCom, Starcom, and Carat—will argue that cake was perfectly fine to begin with.
• Coca-Cola uses about 4,000 other agencies globally for its “creative, production, shopper marketing and experiential” needs that will also go under review, per Ad Age. 

So...good call, Coca-Cola?

• From in-house brands like Coke to agency networks like Dentsu, consolidation seems like the name of the game this week. 
• “By...eliminating duplication and optimizing spend, we will generate significant savings to fuel reinvestment in our brands,” a Coca-Cola spokesperson told Adweek.

Looking ahead: Although the review begins in Q1, we won’t know if the whole thing plays out in Coke’s favor until January 2022, when final results will be announced. 

SPONSORED BY LIVEINTENT

Email Ain’t Just for Retail

Email is the most powerful marketing channel today. And no, we’re not just saying that 'cause we’re an email newsletter company, hehe. 

According to eMarketer, most consumers across the world prefer to hear from retailers via email—more than via social media or apps.

But email isn’t just for inbox-happy retailers; marketers should learn to love this old-school channel, too. Email is a powerful media channel for advertisers looking to engage customers at every stage of the funnel. Think about it:

• Email is an opt-in, subscriber-based channel peeps already trust.
• On average, peeps spend up to five hours a day checking it.

All you gotta do is reach this super engaged audience with the right ads.

That’s where this guide comes in. If you want to learn how to build custom ad creative for engaging audiences at every stage of the funnel—brand awareness, content marketing, lead gen, etc.—then give this email marketing guide a read.

BRANDING

I See 2021’s Truuuue Colorrrsss, Shining Through

Wednesday was my favorite holiday (outside the upcoming New Year’s Eve that will end this absolute nightmare): Pantone’s Color of the Year release day. 2021’s colors? Ultimate Gray and Illuminating Yellow. 

• Pantone said that together, the pair creates “deeper feelings of thoughtfulness with the optimistic promise of a sunshine-filled day,” per Adweek.

From 2020’s oddly intuitive anti-anxiety blue to 2016’s millennial pink that started it all, these color picks have huge potential impact for the branding community. But don’t take it from me—take it from brand marketers out there in the field reacting to Pantone’s 2021 picks.

Common misconceptions: Marketers think they “need to throw these colors in all of their ads or blog posts right away…when they really just need to see these colors as a sign of what consumers need,” Propel Product Marketing Manager Allyssa Eclarin told Marketing Brew.  

Why it matters: The Pantone Color of the Year announcement “sets the tone of the consumer market [and] drives decisions of retailers and shoppers alike,” United Hatzalah’s Director of Global Brand Management Mordecai Holtz told Marketing Brew. 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Twitter unveiled a new Snapchat integration, making tweets shareable on Snap. 
• GroupM tapped Adam Gerhart as its Global CEO of Mindshare. 
• NBCU is expanding its One Platform services to local marketers.
• TurboTax announced its eighth consecutive Super Bowl ad sponsorship. 

SPONSORED BY POSTCLICK

New year, new rules for the world of digital marketing. According to the marketing pros at Postclick, the digital marketing landscape in 2021 will be different—and advertisers must adapt to changes in technology and consumer behavior in order to stay competitive and optimize advertising spend. Learn the three new rules that can make the difference in 2021. Download Postclick’s e-book today.

FRENCH PRESS

Marketing tips to make you fancy

Social media: TikTok’s top brand campaigns of 2020 live inside this clever infographic.

Growth: Morning Brew Director of Growth Jenny Rothenberg did an AMA (ask me anything) with Growth Hackers—it’s an essential read for any growth marketer.  

CMOs: ICYMI, watch Farrynheight CEO and founder Farryn Weiner’s CMO Series conversation with Alex Lieberman for all things branding and storytelling here. Then gear up for next week’s guest, Judy CEO Simon Huck. 

Agencies: Sprout Social recently shared six stats to guide agencies through their 2021 service offerings.

METRICS & MEDIA

Stat: My favorite stat from the above Sprout Social list: 70% of agencies state that social is integral to their packages.

Quote: “If you are in B2B, you are not selling to everyone. You are selling to people with very SPECIFIC needs who want clear ROI — so the question becomes, is your content and programs SPECIFIC enough?” —Sangram Vajre, co-founder, Terminus via Marketing Land. 

Read: “The New Influencer Capital of America” by Taylor Lorenz for the NYT, on Black influencers in Atlanta making their mark on the industry. 

ICYMI

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

• Dentsu announced 6,000 job cuts
• How Revlon’s new CMO Martine Williamson climbed the marketing corporate ladder
• Influencers got way more professional in 2020