PLATFORMS

Vimeo Looks Goooood Today

Hot take: Video platform Vimeo, aka the place my editor used to upload his skateboarding videos, might become more than that to marketers soon. 

• Today, Vimeo announced new and enhanced integrations with HubSpot, Mailchimp, and Constant Contact. 
• Additionally, it announced tools that allow users to add customizable contact forms to their videos, sync form submissions directly to their preferred email marketing platform, and engage prospects with in-email video GIFs.

Vimeo’s goal? Improving your lead gen strategy. 

• “With Vimeo’s new integration with HubSpot’s CRM platform, leads generated within these videos seamlessly flow into a company’s marketing and sales engine,” said Scott Brinker, VP of platform ecosystem at HubSpot, in a press release shared with Marketing Brew. 
• And Mark Kornfilt, Vimeo’s chief product officer, said video content has the potential to dramatically increase CTRs (click-through rates), converting viewers into new customers.

Looking ahead

Love them or hate them, you’ve probably used HubSpot, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact in your marketing career thus far—which might make you feel that much more comfortable experimenting with Vimeo for… 

• Creating high quality video content
• Embedding and sharing videos on other sites and email
• And tracking that video’s performance 

See here for more on how marketers have used Vimeo in practice.

Disclaimer: I am not implying Vimeo is the next TikTok, Facebook, or YouTube. I'm just saying the platform has followed the lead of countless other digital platforms (most recently TikTok with its self-serve ad platform) and made itself much easier and more compelling for marketers to use.  

Bottom line: Vimeo’s growing community of more than 200 million users just became that much easier—and let’s face it, more convenient—to reach. And more broadly, Cisco predicts that online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic by 2022.

TV

If You Had a Boring Week, You’re Not NBCU

Raise your hand if you’ll literally never be as productive as NBCUniversal was last week. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s what the media company got done in the time you sent, like, three emails. 

• It announced plans to shut down NBCSN cable sports network by 2021’s end, opting to shift some programming to USA Network and its streaming service, Peacock. 
• NBCU also entered a new multiyear global content partnership with Twitter. 
• And Peacock just became the exclusive home of WWE’s US programming.

Big picture: While having “The Office” on the platform may not lead to mass conversions, doubling down on an entire category like sports could distinguish the streamer in an ever-growing market.

Why it matters: Because Peacock has not one but two ad-supported tiers, it’s important for marketers to keep track of what kind of content the CTV service has planned before investing. 

SPONSORED BY BITEABLE

Video Got You Stuck in Slo-Mo?

When it comes to creating engaging content on social media, video is king. The time, money, and skill it takes to churn out quality content, however, is a royal pain in the butt.

Biteable makes video creation easy—what used to take a month can now be done in hours.

With Biteable’s enormous library of ready-to-edit templates, professional stock clips, 1 million+ images, and color-changeable animations, sourcing quality content is no longer a chore—it’s a treat.

And in addition to being as easy as pie to use, Biteable allows you to make an unlimited number of versions for testing and update your videos on the fly so they stay evergreen—at no extra cost.

Now, freeze frame: Biteable is knocking 40% off your first payment when you use code Marketing40.

Start creating video content with Biteable today.

CAMPAIGNS

Girl Up, Slow Down

On Inauguration Day, the social teams cranking out Bernie mitten memes worked hard, but Ogilvy worked harder. 

• Only a few hours after Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president, Ogilvy pulled together a video spot for nonprofit Girl Up in partnership with publisher Refinery29 called “Today We Rise.”
• The minute-long spot is made up of footage of girls from about 30 US households watching and reacting to the first female VP being sworn in. 

Looking ahead: Whenever an ad containing children goes viral, it’s important to slow your roll before getting too inspired. 

• “If you are looking to market toward children or parents, using children in ads can perform very well. [But] using children elsewhere becomes less effective,” Troy Osinoff—co-founder of Juice, a digital marketing agency with parenting clients such as Winnie, Camp, and Vivvi—told Marketing Brew. 
• “Always be sure to have the parent's permission (and photographer's as well) when using children in advertising. Besides being the right thing to do, legally you're potentially creating an invasion of privacy issue, as well as misappropriation of publicity rights,” Osinoff said. 

Pro tip: Can't find the rights for those photos? “Consider using stock photography. It will save you a ton of headaches and legal troubles,” Osinoff said. 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Google made a bold claim that FLoCs are 95% as effective as cookies in advertising—and boy, did the industry react. 
• ViacomCBS said its Super Bowl LV ad inventory is “virtually sold out.”
• Instagram is launching a new professional dashboard for creators.
• Pepsi’s new deal with a Fox game show suggests the brand is evolving beyond traditional TV spots.

SPONSORED BY HUBSPOT

When it comes to CRM, this is the spot: HubSpot is different from other enterprise CRMs because it’s built on one, unified code base, not cobbled together with a bunch of acquisitions. Adapt quickly, achieve adoption, and align across marketing, sales, and service. With HubSpot’s powerful and easy-to-use CRM, you can cut through the hubbub of managing software and spend more time solving for customers. Learn more right here. 

ADWEEK OR ADWEAK?

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

1. 7-Eleven Turns Latest Experiential Store into 'Gaming Palace' Airbnb
2. How the Pandemic Accelerated OOH Advertising for Central Park’s Carriage Horses
3. How Rebel Ad Exec Stan Cornyn Turned Warner Bros. into Rock’s Hottest Label
4. ‘We’ll Never 100% Go Back’ to the Way Marketing Used to Be: Oracle CMO Ariel Kelman

Keep scrolling for the answer.

FRENCH PRESS

Marketing tips to make you fancy.

Social media: In my opinion, marketers need to treat every day like it’s part of Black History Month...but with February coming up, there’s no better time to check out these five ways brands can celebrate Black History Month on social media. 

Messenger: AdEspresso makes the case for using Facebook Messenger ads—and gives a rundown on what they are—here. 

SEO: Find out how to do a content gap analysis of your SEO strategy, if only to reduce FOMO about missed SEO opportunities.  

Landing pages: Here’s how the pros would optimize your brand’s landing page for better conversions all around. 

ADWEEK OR ADWEAK? ANSWER

Keep your ads off my ponies—that’s not a thing and it never should be. #HorseGirlsUnite

ICYMI

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

• Meet Taylor Loren, the marketer building back Girlboss
• How to become an iconic brand: Heinz Ketchup’s latest ‘Draw Ketchup’ campaign
• Barilla’s Spotify playlists ensure you’ll never burn water again