CAMPAIGNS

But is New York back, baby?

Was it just us, or did the “Wahoo, we’re finally getting back to normal” ads hit differently last week?

• Celebratory spots like Walmart’s “Here We Go” TV commercial, in which mask-free children get hype for back to school, or Molson Coors’ #TimeForThatBeer campaign, which encourages people to “follow through on pandemic promises” and grab a beer with friends, might have come off as light and fun a few weeks ago… 
• …but since last Tuesday, when the CDC reversed its masking guidance to say that even vaccinated people should mask up indoors in many parts of the US, as the delta variant spurs a rise in Covid-19 cases among the unvaccinated, campaigns suggesting we can all live in 2019 bliss again feel a little out of place.

It’s not just Walmart + Molson Coors: We're seeing a lot of this upbeat messaging. Per iSpot data, Dos Equis’ “PreGame” and Extra Gum's “For When It’s Time” were running on TV as recently as last week.

It’s complicated 

Slight changes in mask guidance can be tough for everybody to keep up with—marketers included.

But a few creatives—who have gotten used to running the risk of “striking the wrong tone” after walking the early pandemic ad creation tightrope—think it’s best to avoid Covid-centric messaging at this point. 

• “Personally, I try to stay away from incorporating anything about the pandemic into our marketing messaging at all,” Zac Gelfand, director of engagement and artist relations at music site Indie Mixtape, told us.
• Thom Binding, head of creative strategy at GroupM’s Essence, said “brands should avoid explicitly calling out Covid in comms. People are exhausted, frustrated, scared, and don't need reminding of the catastrophe unfolding all around them (which looks likely to stay for some time yet).” 
• Binding thinks these “getting back to normal” ads will struggle to adapt to the constantly updating situation, and ultimately blend together in the same way the early Covid “We’re all in this together” narratives did. “Brands need to be distinctive…and they can do that without mentioning Covid at all,” he added. 

Bottom line: Matt Higgins, VP of strategy at Blue Hour Studios, told us brands should avoid Covid-related talk unless they have a “really great and ownable insight” that will resonate with their core audience.  

+1: “Build a creative strategy that fits that equation, but be ready to adapt in the moment,” he said. “If you're solely relying on a nice, clean quarterly marketing plan and a single shoot months ahead of a campaign going out, then you're doomed.” The times, they certainly are a changin’.—PB

ADVERTISING

Let’s get down to business

Digital advertising had a heck of a year in 2020...which you probably already know. What you might not know is how B2B marketing factored into the surge.

According to eMarketer, B2B digital ad spend in the US grew 32.5% last year—and is expected to increase 24.9% this year to nearly $11 billion.

• B2B display ads “took up a greater share of US ad spending than ever before in 2020,” eMarketer said. In 2021, B2B display ad spend is expected to reach $5.09 billion, a 32.6% year-over-year increase.
• Search spend is expected to grow this year too—nearly 20%, hitting $5.36 billion, to be exact.

Reasons for the growth? “We’ve seen a pronounced shift towards e-commerce efforts in the B2B space, as Covid completely changed that marketplace, leading to companies being open to larger purchases via online channels as opposed to the traditional sales contact route,” Phillip Katz, group head of media and engagement at B2B agency Doremus, told Marketing Brew. 

Old school: B2B marketers also might not have much of a choice. “Many trade pubs have either discontinued their print distribution altogether and gone 100% digital, or have made enhancing their digital platforms a priority,” Patrick Lewis, VP and media director at ad agency Mower, told us.—MS

SPONSORED BY ATTENTIVE

Start Looking at Your Phone

As a marketing channel, that is. 

You probably know that SMS marketing is key these days—shoppers are embracing a “mobile-first” mindset, with 56.7% of consumers primarily using mobile when shopping online. 

But...what, exactly, do you text those customers? “Hey bud, noticed you haven’t clicked lately—could you give me some clicks and perhaps some views as well?” Not great. 

This resource from Attentive has better ideas. It gives you a peek at the messages brands such as ThirdLove, Supergoop!, and Pura Vida have used in their SMS campaigns, so you don’t have to make it up as you go. 

Many e-commerce marketers are using SMS to boost sales, build customer loyalty, and drive revenue. Attentive can show you how, with 32 text messaging strategies deployed by leading brands to maximize revenue in 2021 and beyond. 

Learn from leading brands and unlock the power of SMS marketing here. 

PRODUCTION

Make a production of it

More than a year ago, stock images became all the rage as Covid-19 pulled the plug on production (and, uh, everything else). Eventually, advertisers were able to safely return to set with proper protocols in place. 

As access to vaccines has become widely available, production is back in full swing. Marketers are shooting for the holiday season and a little thing called the Super Bowl.

“It’s very, very busy,” Tasha Dean, EVP and head of production at The Martin Agency, told Marketing Brew. She’s currently overseeing shoots for Geico, Hanes, DoorDash, and Old Navy.

“As production opened up, a lot of clients are wanting to get going,” Dean said. “There are media plans that have been bought that need to get filled, there is content that needs to get created and delivered...we’re going into our busiest season.”

The dreaded delta: Amid concerns around a new variant, New York City is mandating proof of vaccination at restaurants and other indoor venues. And, as aforementioned, the CDC changed its guidance on masks in indoor settings last week. 

Is this another potential nightmare for production? Not…yet, at least according to Dean.

Covid compliance officers haven’t left sets yet, and everyone is given a rapid PCR test, Dean said. Plus, production studios have a year of experience complying with Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) and SAG-AFTRA protocols.

• Dean tells clients that Covid safety protocols can raise production costs 15%–30%.

Still, The Martin Agency is thinking strategically; for example, Dean said it’s looking at ways to make ads with fewer cast members, or limiting the number of consecutive shooting days (additional testing is required for a third shoot day, and a positive test can shut down a production). Dean always casts backups for talent, but now those backups need backups in case of an emergency.

“With the protocols that have been put in place, there is a way to operate within those protocols and still limit the risks. So I am optimistic…cautiously optimistic.”—RB

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• Facebook suspended the accounts of NYU researchers analyzing political ad targeting.
• Instacart has hired former Facebook advertising chief Carolyn Everson as president.
• The New York Times has more than eight million paid subscribers across digital and print.
• TikTok inked a deal with Publicis Groupe, whose clients will test “new commerce products, capabilities and creative solutions.” The app also has partnerships with WPP and IPG.
• The Video Advertising Bureau (which counts Fox, NBC, CBS, and Disney as members) has asked the Media Rating Council to strip accreditation from Nielsen. Yes, that Nielsen.

SPONSORED BY TINYPULSE

Get a read on your team. Knowing what your employees are thinkin’ and feelin’ about things is pretty important to the success of your biz. With TINYpulse, you get dynamic and real-time employee engagement that removes friction through simple, connected software. From facilitating feedback and internal comms to getting a read on return to work sentiment, TINYpulse gives everyone on your team a voice. Get the feedback flowin’ today.

FRENCH PRESS

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren't those.

Sosh meeds: Just because you’re a nonprofit doesn’t mean you can’t have a super fabulous social media strategy. Learn how to build said strat here. 

Design: Speaking of social media, improve your channels by avoiding these seven design mistakes.

B2B: Voilà, it’s a business-to-business guide to video content.

Tell us things, win a hotel stay. We want to hear your thoughts and predictions on the future of business travel. Take our quick survey and you’ll be entered to win a two-night stay at any one of 575+ Hilton Hotels & Resorts.*

METRICS AND MEDIA

Stat: Marriott’s world occupancy for last quarter was 50.8%, up 32.8 percentage points from a year ago, the brand said during its earnings call.

Quote: “It’s massively disappointing that Nielsen can’t get its act together, and the answer is we’ve lost money. Everyone’s lost money. You’re dealing with a very antiquated delivery system,” Discovery President and CEO David Zaslav told investors, while discussing Nielsen’s measurement issues.

Read: The New Yorker’s Jill Lepore on Facebook’s broken vows. “Collecting data and selling ads does not build community,” she writes.

ICYMI

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

• Infant formula brand Bobbie releases its first national campaign
• NBC “botches” Olympics streaming rollout
• TikTok is bringing back old ads as, well, TikToks