Innholdsfortegnelse for March 13, 2017 i Adweek

‘We want to spark ideas and create better work with AI.’Alastair Green, executive creative director, digital, Team One Robots are getting smarter, and, if you listen to high-ranking digital execs at Coca-Cola and other major brands, they’re coming for your advertising jobs. No one knows that better than the tech geeks at Team One’s newly launched AI Lab, who are vowing to stay ahead of the machine-learning curve by surrounding themselves with all things futuristic in a stylish nook of the agency’s cavernous Playa Vista, Calif., headquarters. The lab, a scaled-down re-creation of a smart home designed to look like a midcentury modern crash pad, is outfitted with Google Home, Amazon Echo, Philips Hue and a trunk full of cognitive toys. On the wish list: Kuri, the adorable helper bot…

In 1950, CBS convinced comedian Lucille Ball to bring her radio show, My Favorite Husband, to TV, giving life to I Love Lucy. If a radio program can make the leap to TV and become one of the most iconic sitcoms ever, who’s to say podcasts can’t do the same thing? In fact, a growing number of podcasts are poised to do just that. Recently, five popular podcasts were announced as upcoming TV shows or films. Although the medium has existed for 20 years, more podcasts are just now being recognized for their powerful storytelling and massive fan bases. Gimlet Media, one of the best-known podcasting networks, is behind three podcasts-turned-TV series. Last summer, Gimlet’s StartUp, a podcast about the origins of Gimlet Media and other ventures, was optioned for…

With social activism on the rise, more brands are aligning themselves with philanthropic causes in hopes of burnishing their reputations—and their bottom lines. But while a simple donation to charity might have sufficed in decades past, today’s younger consumers expect brands to go above and beyond when it comes to supporting different causes, according to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by marketing research firm Toluna. “Simply doing good is not enough; brands that wish to reach millennials through cause marketing must create a personal connection,” explained CEO and co-founder Frédéric-Charles Petit. “As the purchasing power of millennials expands, brands will need to give greater attention to carving out a corporate social responsibility platform that consumers can identify with.” Optimism About Cause Marketing On average, respondents thought that…

‘It took us two years to [digitally] transform our business.’Marta Federici, global head of CRM, b-to-b and b-to-c, Philips The hottest thing in the brand ecosystem, the marketing cloud, could stand to find a new name for itself. Advertisers across the spectrum are not only finding clarity in the cloud, they’re basking in the sunny warmth of greater returns on investment, working with the likes of Marketo, Adobe, Oracle and Salesforce. And the forecast appears to only get better—although it’s not known for being a simple solution. “You cannot boil the ocean,” comments Dana Cutter, director of marketing communications for Aetna Accountable Care. “You’ve got to start with one layer and work your way through the other layers. You start where the biggest bang for the buck is.” Cutter’s team…

Old Navy Old Navy, which has run TV ads in recent years starring actresses including Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Amy Schumer, is heading in a new direction with a brand campaign titled “Hi, Fashion” that features colorful, lighthearted, poppy vignettes in place of celebrity endorsements. The work launched last week with a 30-second spot, from agency Chandelier Creative, containing a montage of scenarios that embody what “Hi, Fashion” means. A second spot, “Hi, Rollers,” featuring women and girls skateboarding through a city in Old Navy fashions, will launch later in March. –Tim Nudd and Katie Richards Agency: Chandelier Creative GoT Chills Out Most shows would just send out a press release or tweet announcing their season premiere date. But not Game of Thrones, which spent 69 minutes last Thursday afternoon melting…

After debuting Barbie’s new look in January 2016, the brand set its sights on another ambitious marketing push: Get consumers to like Barbie for more than just her looks. The marketers at Mattel wanted to shift consumers’ focus to Barbie’s purpose and get parents “to reappraise the role of Barbie in their world and to really see Barbie as a vehicle for storytelling and imagination,” explained Michelle Chidoni, Mattel’s vp of global brand communications. While Barbie began working with BBDO in October 2015 to showcase the “imaginative possibilities,” as its first work for the brand dubbed them, of playing with Barbie, the unveiling of its three new body types, seven new skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 hairstyles allowed the brand to stress purpose-driven messaging in its marketing. Cut…

‘People want to be part of a culture that actively [gets involved with] the community it’s in and cares about important causes.’Stuart Sproule, president, North America, Landor Now more than ever young people want to give back. A recent study from Omnicom Group’s Cone Communications points out that 70 percent of millennials will spend more with brands that support charities. It makes sense then that more companies and agencies are finding ways to donate time and money, support local communities and show their employees they care. Independent agency network Project Worldwide, which includes Argonaut, Pitch and Partners + Napier, has an ambitious plan to help local and national charities, but also show employees that the network cares about more than just the bottom line. On March 1, Project launched its…

CONSULTING AND IT GIANTS BUY THEIR WAY INTO THE AGENCY GAME Some notable acquisitions and strategic moves in the creative/agency/marketing services space in recent years In the waning weeks of 2015, Mike Barrett, president of San Francisco agency Heat, and his partners, John Elder and Steve Stone, faced the biggest decision of their careers as they mulled acquisition options for the shop, which, true to its name, had grown to rank among the hottest independents in the business. Should they join one of the global agency holding companies showing interest? That seemed like a logical move for a group that had built a reputation for creative innovation with high-profile campaigns on behalf of EA Sports’ Madden NFL franchise and a Star Wars: Battlefront reboot en route to being named Adweek’s…

MARCH 20 Hot List: Digital Adweek kicks off its series of what’s “hot” with our list of the year’s most innovative digital products. MARCH 27 CMTO Report Adweek’s Editors select the most tech conversant CMOs in the industry. It’ll be a look at how the industry is shaping this “new” C-suite position and where they fit in the exec landscape. APRIL 3 Political Power Players With the Political Power Players list, Adweek honors media stars — who are breaking news and leading the national political conversation. Beyond the buzz, we’ll report on key metrics such as ratings and traffic for these chart toppers. APRIL 10 Top Gen Z Influencers Adweek’s editors will highlight the digital and social trend-setters and their relationship with the newest (and hottest) consumer base. SPECIAL SECTION…

Over the past decade and particularly as millennials have flexed their buying muscles, marketers have learned the value of being “socially conscious” in attracting and retaining consumers. But as marketers attach themselves to specific causes, it’s worth noting that some have failed spectacularly. Misses can take many forms—from having no apparent relationship with the cause itself to poor implementation or just overall lack of authenticity. Doing cause marketing well requires a bit of art and a bit of science. And increasingly marketers are seeing that when a campaign is planned, well-executed and nurtured, it does more than build social consciousness; it makes money. Here are a four quick guidelines to create beneficial results for the brand and nonprofit: 1. Make the synergy apparent. The common ground between a for-profit and…

Specs Who Tom Goosmann, CCO and co-founder; Steve Fuchs, CEO and co-founder What Creative agency Where New York and San Francisco Founded in 1994, creative agency True North has become an expert in bringing nonprofits into the digital era—and helping increase donations as a result. The agency helped longtime client ASPCA transform its marketing from offline to digital, making online the nonprofit’s No. 1 fundraising channel. Its “One Moment” campaign for Make-A-Wish America, which showed the positive impact of granting children’s wishes, increased the nonprofit’s donations by 67 percent and overall revenue by 90 percent in 2016. Other nonprofit clients—which make up 50 percent of True North’s billings—include Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International and No Kid Hungry. “In terms of the creative process, it comes down to finding emotional triggers…