SOCIAL MEDIA

Clubhouse—Not Just for the Bros of Madison Avenue

Last week, it happened—the Clubhouse thinkpiece floodgates finally opened. From the app’s viability as an advertising platform to whether or not marketers will keep logging on post-pandemic, it officially entered the zeitgeist.

• ICYMI: Clubhouse = an invite-and-iOS-only audio-chat platform (dashing, no?) that has exploded in popularity of late. 

But as I read word after word about Madison Avenue’s evolving relationship with the app, I couldn’t help but wonder: Does Clubhouse’s reputation as a haven for tech bros make it less appealing to female marketers? 

TL;DR: Girls just wanna have Clubhouse

Marketing Brew heard stories from hundreds of women about how Clubhouse boosted their marketing careers in an otherwise socially stagnant time. 

Networking: “I’ve actually gotten really cool opportunities from being a speaker/participant in [Clubhouse] rooms, like being asked to be on podcasts or speaking on panels.”—Allyssa Eclarin, branding and product marketing consultant

ROI: “I was listening in on a call today about SMS marketing and wanted to chime in, so I raised my hand and had a convo with the founder of Postscript for 15 minutes and I [got Twitter followers, DMs, and] no joke, a job offer.”—Lillie Sun, growth + DTC lead at Three Ships Beauty

Learning: “In the bitcoin marketing space, [Clubhouse] is making room for women to talk, be heard, learn from other women, and not feel so alienated.”—Aubrey Strobel, head of communications at Lolli 

"I’m speaking.” 

The women most critical of Clubhouse had one shared complaint: men interrupting. 

• “I've been in rooms where I am in the speaker panel and I will get cut off [by bros]. I will get talked over [or] completely ignored. Ones where they will ask each other questions, clearly ignoring the fact that I am also there,” brand consultant Gabriela Cardoza told Marketing Brew. 
• And Flexible Creative founder Kendall Dickieson told us that, depending on the room she’s in, she has to “fight to get heard when it’s all guys.” 

My takeaway: The vast majority of marketing mavens I spoke with said yes, yes, a million times yes—being on Clubhouse has improved their careers. But depending on the situation, you might have to channel your inner Kamala Harris to get the most out of the app. 

TV

My Amazon Firestick Gave Me Major Side Eye As I Wrote This

Saying the pandemic boosted connected TV (CTV) would be like saying Taylor Swift’s latest bonus tracks are only “pretty good.” 

Case in point: CTV platform Roku reported record-breaking Q4 earnings last week.

• It not only surpassed 50 million active accounts in the US, but also saw 58% revenue growth from 2019.
• “We think that the pandemic has accelerated and permanently changed the curve on the shift to streaming,” said Roku CEO Anthony Wood, in yet another understatement.

More cases, more points: A new study suggests that “established network” Roku might score another win this upfront season. 

• 2021’s biggest advertisers favor CTV ad buys from “established networks over streaming startups,” according to Advertiser Perceptions survey results cited by Marketing Dive. 

Looking ahead: Perhaps that’s because household names like Roku and Amazon Fire Stick come with an added sense of security. For instance, 80% of those surveyed said they need their ads to pair with brand-safe content, and 79% need them to run within “professionally produced video content.”

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CHANNELS

Friends of the Pod

Podcasts are making (sound) waves. Last week, the audio giant iHeartMedia bought Triton Digital for a cool $230 million. A couple days later, the podcasting network Acast acquired RadioPublic for an undisclosed amount.

• Triton helps brands insert ads into either streams or podcasts, based on who’s listening. Like targeted ads for your ears. iHeart made a similar foray in October, when it bought programmatic platform Voxnest.
• RadioPublic helps podcasters engage their audiences with tools to create websites and target listeners.

More creators, more ads, more ears

eMarketer expects podcast ad spend to surpass $1 billion this year, and audio platforms like Acast and iHeart are likely hoping their new toys collect more of that spend.

With Acast, the appeal is volume. More creators = more ears to advertise to and more available inventory. As for iHeart, it’s fine-tuning its approach to make sure ads find the *right* ears. (Think: a competitor for Spotify’s ad insertion tech). 

Looking ahead: Bill Simmons isn’t going to stop pitching Zip Recruiter anytime soon—the authenticity of host-read ads still has appeal, even as programmatic options expand. 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Lexus just debuted a vehicle designed by Twitch gamers, which sounds like UGC’s final form.
• LVMH is taking a 50% stake in Jay-Z’s Champagne brand Armand de Brignac, which basically puts the whole “Do luxury brands want celebrity influencers?” question to rest. 
• Nielsen released its new third-party cookie-free cross-platform audience measurement tool.
• The Trade Desk saw record year-over-year spending on its platforms—mostly driven by growing interest in CTV advertising. 

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FRENCH PRESS

Marketing tips to make you fancy

Audience insight: Read Snapchat’s take on everything Gen Z in its trends report.

CMS Skills: Find 11 of the best content management systems of 2021 here—because you can’t do *everything* yourself.

Influencers: Talk to your community! Here are 15 different ways to make an interactive video.

CMOs: Just listen to Beyoncé: Five ways to take the Ivy Park approach to brand marketing.

A globally recognized marketing icon: Bozoma Saint John, CMO of Netflix, will be the keynote speaker at Activate Live on April 7. In an exclusive fireside chat, she’ll share insights on how to create a quality, authentic customer experience. Reserve your seat here.*

*This is sponsored advertising content

AD ANTIQUES

Vintage Ad Browser

What’s better: Clubhouse or this “Vacation Reading Club” ad from 1936?

ICYMI

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

• McDonald’s can get away with anonymous campaigns—but can your brand?
• What agencies—and Gary Vaynerchuk—are up to during Black History Month
• Nielsen launched a new tool to track D&I on TV