CHANNELS

A Modest Proposal Moral Dilemma

You wouldn’t support a brand that didn’t share your values…but if you loved a brand that just so happened to pay rent to an unethical landlord for its storefront, would you still slap that brand’s stickers on your water bottle? That’s the kind of big-picture moral dilemma hanging over Omnicom and Home Depot.

What happened: On Friday, it came out that in November, Omnicom shareholder The Nathan Cummings Foundation and Home Depot shareholder Myra K. Young both filed separate resolutions against their respective brands. 

• The resolutions ask the Home Depot and Omnicom boards to produce third party reports proving that the brands aren’t contributing ad dollars to channels that violate civil or human rights. 
• For instance, certain channels could be accused of “violations of civil or human rights” because they either spread harmful misinformation or provide space for violent actors to organize. 

Wait, what landlords? 

If you’re not feeling the extended metaphor, the landlords are actually just advertising platforms—two specific kinds of them, in fact.

News sites: The murky programmatic advertising supply chain makes it hard for a brand to know if its ads appear on misinformation sites. Challenging as it may be, some experts argue brands have a responsibility to tightly audit their ads.  

• For instance, a recent NewsGuard report cited by the NYT showed “1,668 brands ran 8,776 unique ads on 160 sites that published misinformation about the 2020 election.”
• It’s unclear whether Home Depot or Omnicom advertised on any of those 160 sites—that’s in part what investors want to find out. 

Social media platforms: Aka a little thing called Facebook.  

• “Home Depot and Omnicom are leading advertisers on social media,” said Michael Connor, executive director of Open MIC, per MediaPost. Connor also said Home Depot was the top advertiser on Facebook in 2019, though the retailer disputes that.
• As for Omnicom, it’s on Facebook’s client council and advises the platform on content moderation and other issues. 
• Notably, neither Home Depot nor Omnicom joined the #StopHateForProfit Facebook boycott this past summer despite their major ad dollar power. 

Looking ahead: Aside from this being a moral dilemma, it’s also a legal one—Home Depot and Omnicom could try to block these resolutions through the Securities and Exchange Commission. If that doesn't happen, shareholders will vote on the proposals in the spring.

PODCASTS

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far from the Spotify

Good morning sun, good morning trees, good morning Apple...which is reportedly planning a new ad-free podcasting subscription service. 

Right now, podcasts are an adman’s game: Spotify and other top companies in the space, like Amazon and SiriusXM, spent the past few years “swallow[ing] up podcasting production firms in an effort to gain more control of the podcast ad market,” per The Information. 

• Think: Stitcher, The Ringer, etc. 

Come back later: It could be bad timing for Spotify, which recently saw shares decline after analysts at Citi downgraded its stock because Spotify hasn’t shown “‘any material benefit’…from its $800 million-plus investment in podcasting content and tech,” per Variety. 

• And, in theory, a major subscription service has the potential to yield more money for creators than the ads keeping them afloat now. 

Why it matters: This isn't the first ad-free subscription podcasting service, but Apple's deep pockets give it a better shot at disruption than smaller upstarts (looking at you, Luminary).

SPONSORED BY IMPACT

You’re Only As Good As the Affiliates You Keep

So you'd better keep those affiliate partnerships top tier.

Impact is here to jumpstart your 2021 marketing push with lessons from eight cool and successful affiliate partnerships. 

Showcasing partnerships that are collaborative, creative, and cost-effective, and featuring brands like Cabela’s and Purple Carrot, Impact’s e-book will help you get more from your affiliates in 2021.

Download the e-book to discover:

• Why the partnership channel is soaring
• What separates traditional affiliate marketing from today’s affiliate partnerships
• Six steps to setting up a traditional affiliate marketing program

Readers, read up here.

CAMPAIGNS

Ford to Other Brands: Hold My Beer

Vistaprint—among a zillion (exact figure pending) other brands—pressed pause on a major advertising campaign in light of the Capitol riots, opting to postpone until after Inauguration Day. Ford, on the other hand, recently did the exact opposite of that. 

• On January 16 during a Fox college basketball game, Ford rolled out the latest in a series of 30- and 60-second “Built for America” ads focusing on “unity.”
• The first ad in the series debuted back in May.
• The automotive brand’s unity message is still set to run during Joe Biden's inauguration, to which everyone else might say “bold move.” 

Zoom out: The ads don’t directly mention the Capitol riots—but Wieden+Kennedy produced the recent spot “less than a week after the attack…using scenes from previous Ford commercials” rather than new footage, per Ad Age.  

My takeaway: The “Built for America” message of unity and its similarity to President Biden’s “Build Back Better” campaign slogan seems a little too coincidental, no? Perhaps it’s Ford’s way of choosing a side without really choosing a side. Whether that approach works for consumers, however, remains TBD. 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Saturday Morning, the creative collective that advocates for industry diversity, added five new faces to its board of directors yesterday.
• Facebook blocked weapon ads and the creation of events near the Capitol leading up to President Biden’s inauguration. 
• ViacomCBS announced its Paramount+ US relaunch date: March 4.
• TikTok finally beat Facebook in monthly time spent on the platform per user, according to App Annie.

SPONSORED BY ITERABLE

BREAKING: Brilliant marketer saves virtual seat for virtual event. That marketer is you, and the event is Activate Live. On April 7 you’ll learn how visionary brands establish long-lasting, individualized relationships with their customers at scale. Whether you’re the dreamer with a vision, the builder creating customer-centric products, or the maker running campaigns to connect deeper with customers, Activate Live is where you’ll wanna be. Save your virtual seat today.

FRENCH PRESS

Marketing tips to make you fancy

Reports: We have some verrrryyyyy interesting reader data to share with you. Find out which 2020 marketing trends almost 400 of our advertising industry readers felt were overlooked, as well as which ones they thought were overhyped. 

Emails: If you’re looking to refresh your email marketing strategy, this infographic condenses the top 11 current email design trends, from bold typography to neumorphism. 

SEO: Obviously, small businesses need SEO strategies too—especially these three to generate stable organic traffic. 

Branding: Find out how sartorial brand Tracksmith made running culture something you can buy here. 

AD ANTIQUES

Twitter

A 1952 Congress playing card ad—you know it’s old because Congress used “when company comes over” messaging rather than promoting a game of solitaire. 

ICYMI

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• The Most Overlooked and Overhyped Marketing Trends of 2020
• How in-person marketing efforts will trickle back into the norm
• The Cannes Lions team’s Marketing Brew op-ed