#Advertising

Advertising

Arm Candy’s Quentin Smith Evaluates Blockchain Viability in Advertising

Arm Candy Posted On June 5, 2023

A year and some change ago, crypto companies spent $39 million dollars to have A-Listers like Matt Damon and Larry David promote their products during the big game. A year and some change has passed and crypto has seen better days. Those who touted it as a sure investment have grown suspiciously quiet, and its skeptics bask in the warm glow of schadenfreude. Meta Industries is now pivoting away from blockchain technology as being a part of their grand vision for “Web 3” and replacing it with user-facing advanced AI technology. Despite diminishing returns and attention now turned to the capabilities of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the blockchain isn’t going anywhere and could be a part of your company’s next advertising campaign.

Early Forays into Blockchain Advertising
Arm Candy has incorporated blockchain channels in campaigns before. However, I feel it important to establish an age-old rule regarding any new innovation in its infancy: “Do not focus on what can be, focus on what is.” I understand the fervent vigor expressed by blockchain and Web3 enthusiasts as much as I understand the jaded pessimism from its critics. The truth is, crypto and blockchain tech have a long way to go if it’s ever going to become a standard in advertising.

One of the toughest challenges regarding blockchain based campaigns is tracking blockchain transactions post wallet connect. This was evident in our campaign for Fan Controlled Football. We could measure and directly attribute wallet connects (New KPI: CPWC) to Arm Candy’s campaign, but what happened beyond that initial connect was beyond our tracking capabilities. Most agencies and clients might be satisfied with slapping a CPWC or a more comprehensible CPO measuring NFT sales and crypto exchanges on their wrap report and calling it a day. However, doing this overlooks the very nature of blockchain assets and what separates them from other products.

A Measurement Blackbox
Products and the conversion actions associated with them generally share the same journey. A customer clicks on an ad and orders a product off of a website. The product arrives at their doorstep or in their inbox. That’s a wildly gross overgeneralization, but you get the idea. Blockchain assets have a completely different journey. The journey of a blockchain product doesn’t end when it’s in the consumer’s hand. It’s meant to be traded and exchanged with others. That opens up us, as the agency, and you, the client, to a lot of questions.

How long are people holding our coin or NFT before exchanging it?
What’s the final sales price?
How many store their product on a hot wallet (think exchanges like OpenSea or *gulp* FTX) or a cold wallet (think a USB stick or a hard drive)?

Questions like this might seem persnickety, but they are pretty important when it comes to measuring the success of a blockchain campaign. You would think this sort of thing would be easy given the public nature of the blockchain, but alas it just adds another layer of complexity.

A lot of big companies (like IHOP) unveiled their own tokens, which were really just rewards programs that borrowed the language of crypto but had no blockchain technology backing it. Although blockchain technology has been used successfully in digital advertising, the fact that it hasn’t been used at scale shows that companies have some reservations before taking the leap.

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Advertising

Slingshot Suggests How Travel Marketers Should Plan for Fall 2023 Season

Slingshot Posted On June 5, 2023

While summer is king for many leisure travel brands, resorts, and destinations, the fall shoulder season has become an increasingly important time for bringing back travelers and developing new revenue streams. Yet some of the best destinations in the U.S. empty out just when they’re at their most enticing.

The good news for destinations and travel brands? 87% of Americans plan to travel domestically in the second half of 2023. This is up from 82% in the same time period in 2022, according to the American Travel Association. Moreover, they found that Americans are planning to spend an average of $200 more for domestic travel in the second half of 2023 versus the same time last year. The increase in spending is not by choice, of course. The rising cost of air travel, hotel accommodations, and rental cars all factor in.

So even though more Americans are planning to travel this fall, they’re also likely to seek out ways to save. Here’s a look at how these competing factors are impacting travel planning in Fall 2023, and how your travel brand or destination should prepare.

Think outside.

For many leisure travelers, fall trips are all about embracing the season and saying goodbye to the sweltering heat of summer. After hiding indoors over the summer, leisure travelers are ready for a breath of fresh air. This is the time for travel marketers to focus on everything travelers can do al fresco at their destinations—patio dining, nature trails, walking tours, hiking, biking, star gazing, you name it. This obviously bodes well for mountain and northern destinations, but just about any destination can capitalize on the desire to beat the heat.

Want to learn how Slingshot helped Holiday Inn Club Vacations launch their annual Falladays event and drive shoulder season bookings to their Texas resorts during the Fall? Check out the story here.

More travelers are going small.

Have you noticed the rise of more branded travel marketing for smaller, unexpected destinations? It’s no accident that states like Iowa and Nebraska have poured more resources into luring leisure travel lately. While people still flock to popular destinations like Orlando and Las Vegas, travelers are increasingly eager to discover what’s new and hidden out there as well. Not only do these destinations fill the need for authentic, original travel experiences, they’re often more affordable. We see this trend surging during the second half of 2023.

Travel marketers from destinations of all sizes can take advantage by emphasizing more out of the way, unexpected experiences. It even provides an opportunity to reach out to previous visitors and encourage them to experience your destination in a whole new light. We took this approach with our friends at Visit Dallas, and the results speak for themselves.

Capture more travelers with shorter “getaway” options.

While more people are planning to travel this fall, they also tend to do so for shorter periods of time. Many people use the bulk of their vacation time during spring and summer, leaving little left over for the autumn months. Destinations should respond accordingly by promoting shorter “getaway” experiences that reflect both the time people have to travel as well as the savings they’re certain to seek when doing so.

Vacation days aside, inflation, the rising cost of living, and increasing consumer debt are all impacting how long people are able to travel. In other words, they may want to travel longer, but may not feel like they can afford it. As a result, travelers are more likely to choose destinations where they can make their travel dollars go further. Resorts and hotels can be part of the solution by offering discounts on extra nights. They’ll save money, and you’ll keep them on site a little longer. It’s win-win.

DMOs: go beyond your footprint.

DMOs should not be afraid to promote activities beyond their specific location. In the past year, many urban destinations from Denver to Fort Worth have adopted this approach, encouraging longer hotel stays by featuring activities both within and beyond the city limits. Such tactics were once considered taboo in the DMO space. But more forward-thinking DMOs have realized that curating regional travel experiences only creates more value for the traveler, while also positioning the destination as a hub for longer trips.

Fall 2023 is shaping up to be a great one for domestic destinations and leisure travel brands. And now is the time to prepare. For more on how Slingshot can help you capture a greater share of the Fall travel market, reach out today.

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Advertising

PEPSI® Unveils New Commercial Featuring Bad Bunny And His Latest Chart-Topping Track, “WHERE SHE GOES”

AdChat DFW Posted On June 1, 2023

Bad Bunny Rules the Pool from the Lifeguard Chair in His First Pepsi Commercial, Celebrating The “Press Play On Summer” Program

Pepsi today unveiled an iconic new commercial with Bad Bunny, his first for the brand, in which the world’s most-streamed artist takes on the dual role of lifeguard and vibe curator. The music-video-styled spot features “WHERE SHE GOES,” the latest Bad Bunny track that is dominating the global music charts, giving fans the perfect beat to kick off summer with up to three months of unlimited Apple Music as part of the “Press Play On Summer” program launched last month.

Directed by Grammy winning director Dave Meyers and co-directed by Mia Barnes, with choreography from VMA-winner Sherrie Silver, the spot dramatizes the moment when a bottle of Pepsi Zero Sugar unlocks three months of unlimited listening on Apple Music. Set at a community pool where the energy has been sapped by the stifling heat, Bad Bunny plays a suave lifeguard who discovers he can bring the bass, the beats, and the bounce back to the pool-goers once he twists open a bottle of ice-cold Pepsi and plays the new track “WHERE SHE GOES.”

“Pepsi has a rich heritage of creating iconic music video style commercials with some of the world’s biggest artists – from Britney Spears to Ray Charles, Madonna to Dr. Dre, Beyonce to Chloe Bailey and so many more. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Bad Bunny to the Pepsi family with his very own spot, bringing in all the summer vibes with his newest track WHERE SHE GOES,” said Todd Kaplan, CMO – Pepsi. “This song is already the soundtrack of the summer, so it is a perfect way to kick off our Press Play on Summer program that gives fans up to three free months of Apple Music with every 20oz ice cold Pepsi.”

With “Press Play On Summer,” launched last month, Pepsi and Apple Music are offering new and qualified returning subscribers up to three months of free, unlimited listening on to Apple Music’s full catalog of over 100 million songs. The campaign also includes over 100K instant prizes and a chance to win weekly fly-away trips and VIP music experiences all season long with the purchase of select limited-edition PepsiCo beverages.

The “Press Play On Summer” offer is currently available across the contiguous U.S., and Bad Bunny’s native island of Puerto Rico. Fans can find the specially marked bottles featuring the “Press Play On Summer” QR code on select limited-edition PepsiCo beverages including Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar, Pepsi Mango, Pepsi Wild Cherry, Mountain Dew, Mountain Dew Major Melon, Mountain Dew Spark, Mountain Dew Voltage, Starry and Starry Zero Sugar.

For more information on “Press Play On Summer,” please visit pressplayonsummer.com.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Starts 5/22/23. Ends 09/17/23. 18+ (19+ AL/NE), US/DC/Guam/PR. Limit 1 per person. New & qualified returning subscribers only. Rules & Terms at pressplayonsummer.com

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $86 billion in net revenue in 2022, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo’s product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.

SOURCE PepsiCo Beverages North America

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Advertising

How Trina Roffino Learned To Love Her Job Again

AdChat DFW Posted On May 31, 2023

The agency CEO navigates bereavement by redefining professional priorities

[Sensitive content: This article mentions suicide. If you’re struggling with mental illness or having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.]

original content

As one of the first working moms at her agency, Trina Roffino was often asked by other employees how she practiced work-life balance. Since earlier on in her 23 years at The Marketing Arm, instead of helping coworkers systematically map out their schedules to predict every obligation, she preached replacing a vague metaphor with a set of pointed choices.

“At the end of the day, everything gets mixed up and hectic,” said the CEO of creative agency The Marketing Arm, who stressed you can’t foresee when your child will need you or when grief will stifle your productivity. “It’s about setting an intention for the day and saying, ‘Today, this is my priority. And my choices will be around working through this priority.

Roffino has always rejected the notion that life unfolds in neatly-packaged pieces. But after losing her husband unexpectedly in 2018, mobilizing that mantra became even more pressing. She continues to work through the complicated grief that comes with losing a loved one to suicide, and when learning to find purpose in work again, she focused on leading with a transparency that ties emotional honesty to strength. While encouraging the agency to constantly reconsider its priorities to optimize motivation, Roffino offers her staff a flexibility that doesn’t come with a set of conditions and prerequisites.

Finding comfort in creativity

When Roffino went back to work, she reminded herself of the individual value she could bring to big projects, and it was the fast-paced environments that offered her the most peace. Her first big project was a commercial shoot with Bruce Willis, and the challenge of offering creative value to a pressing task—opposed to fixating on details like catering—grounded Roffino in the present.

If one person can raise their hand and ask for help because their boss was open, we’ve made progress.

—Trina Roffino, CEO, The Marketing Arm

In a high-stress industry, she said handling a current and meaningful task is a source of freedom. During quarterly reviews, Roffino now asks her employees, ‘What are the things that actually matter?’

This refined mindset explains why Roffino found solace in working on a big set, as there was no time to think about much other than the creative. And while she emphasized there is no “good” that ever comes from personal tragedy, she recognizes the importance of prioritizing creative work over operational challenges. As the industry speeds up production to churn out content that is faster and cheaper, she said, the fulfillment that accompanies an extensive creative process becomes an afterthought.

“That perspective of knowing what to let go of was really helpful, and I was really hopeful to share it with my team,” said Roffino. “I wish everyone could gain that without having to (experience) the pain.”

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Advertising

Want to Join the AAF Dallas Board? Apply Now!

AAF Dallas Posted On May 30, 2023

If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of one of the most influential advertising associations, now is your time.

AAF Dallas is the oldest civic organization in the Big D and has been a trusted business partner by connecting our corporate members and sponsors since 1908.

Apply here.

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AdChat DFW / Advertising

Plot Twist Creates ‘Our Texas, Our Future’ Spot for H-E-B’s Sustainability Commitment

Plot Twist Creativity Posted On May 22, 2023

As part of H-E-B’s ongoing “Our Texas, Our Future” sustainability commitment, H-E-B is proud to partner with Texas State Parks to conserve and protect miles of Texas public land, while also encouraging more Texans to enjoy our parks. With 76 state parks, Texas has a lot to offer, but Texans’ lack in experience and preconceived notion that Texas parks are not worth their time kept a lot of people from visiting – even if the parks are in their backyard.

For this spot, we wanted to show how H-E-B’s responsibility to take care of Texas extends beyond their own aisles – to the miles and miles of Texas land. We used a visual device to talk about H-E-B’s sustainability commitment in a way that only they could – match-cutting between an aisle in the store to similar looking vanishing points out in nature. For this campaign, we traveled to five Texas State Parks across the state – Caddo Lake, Inks Lake, Longhorn Caverns, Palo Duro Canyon, and Sea Rim – to capture the diversity of scenery and types of activities at Texas Parks. It resulted in a stunning spot celebrating the beauty of Texas. To top it all off, we worked with Austin-based band Shakey Graves to create a cover of the Texan classic “Miles and Miles of Texas”.

We partnered with production company Revival Film and director Luis Peña on the project. Recess Editorial handled the post-production, with Jason Payne as the editor.

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Advertising

TMA is 30 Years Young | Check Out Their New Work Reel

The Marketing Arm Posted On May 22, 2023

TMA is 30 years young this year, and their evolution over the past 4 years has been dramatic. Their focus on Cultural Resonance means redefining and innovating the ways a brand can be truly integral to the culture of their consumer. You can see the change in the leading role TMA has taken with its newer clients, and the caliber of brand creative and multi-platform work.

Check it out…

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Advertising

TRG Looks Beyond the ‘Sea of Sameness’ for High Fashion Cayman Islands Spots | WOW!

AdChat DFW Posted On May 18, 2023

Cayman Islands Department of Tourism merges the real and the surreal in a new fashion-inspired tourism campaign from agency TRG courting the luxury traveler.

Four spots present the Cayman Islands as more of a luxury lifestyle brand than a traditional destination. In the first spot to launch, a couple paddle silently across a glowing body of water—a reference to the Cayman Islands’ bioluminescent bay. All of the spots feature a new Sarah McTaggart cover of the Bobby Darin song “Beyond the Sea.”

A second spot shows a mother and daughter walking down a Cayman pier as clouds drift below them and starfish sparkle above in the sky.

The creative team at TRG told Ad Age that the campaign is designed to stand out from the “sea of sameness” that characterizes most Caribbean advertising.

“The Cayman Islands offer a unique blend of luxury, mystique and sophistication for our typically more affluent travelers. So we positioned the islands more like a luxury fashion brand than merely another island with white sand, turquoise water and couples frolicking in the surf,” said Ron Henderson, group creative director (copy). He said the campaign “combines the natural wonder of Cayman with the whimsical, surreal imagery one might experience in the fashion world or in a dream. The evocative imagery—along with the music in the videos—appeals to the more sophisticated luxury traveler seeking out a more unique, dreamlike island experience.”

The spots were directed by Jeremy Charbit, who has a background in fashion.

“We wanted a director who could bring a fashion sense and dreamlike quality to the work,” said Dennis Walker, group creative director (art). “Jeremy has an impressive body of work that combines a wonderful sense of fashion with some beautifully executed surreal scenes. Perhaps the spot on his reel that most sold us—and the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism—was the underwater scene he created for Kusmi Tea, where an entire living room set was built underwater with people in fashionable attire performing graceful, choreographed movements in the water-filled room.”

Two more spots, “Ibis Chariot” and “Octopus Dress” will launch later in the year. See those below.

The production used mostly local talent for the cast and crew, and there’s also a Cayman connection with the music. Sarah McTaggart is the daughter of Stephen McTaggart, a well-known Caymanian folk singer, and her great aunt, Leila Elberta Ross-Shier, wrote “Beloved Isle Cayman,” the official national song of the Cayman Islands.

One of the more challenging parts of the shoot was obtaining the ideal boat to feature in the “Ibis Chariot” spot.

“Throughout the production, we relied heavily on our local team to find the perfect locations, people and props,” said Henderson. “To obtain the catboat used in ‘Ibis Chariot,’ our production team contacted one of the most famous captains and catboat builders in Cayman, Captain Crosby Ebanks, who also happens to be credited with the birth of the now internationally famous Stingray City, one of Cayman’s biggest tourist destinations.”

The boat had been landlocked for years, “so it needed a good deal of patching and sealing and painting to make it seaworthy,” added Walker. “The other small detail: The boat was on Grand Cayman, and the shoot was on Little Cayman—and the ferry operated one day a week. Fortunately, that one day was the day after the boat was found and a day before the shoot.”

original content

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Advertising

AAF Dallas Announces Dallas Shining Stars 2023

AAF Dallas Posted On May 18, 2023

We’re excited to announce the TOP 20 women in Dallas Advertising & Marketing – The 2023 Class of Shining Stars!

These women are Community Leaders, C-Suite Executives, Co-Founders, Executive Vice Presidents, Strategic Masterminds, Media Mavens, and more. They are breaking glass ceilings and elevating the Dallas advertising community to heights we have never seen before!
#WeAreDallasAAF #AAFDallas #AAFDallasShiningStars

🌟 Congratulations to the 2023 Class of Shining Stars! 🌟

⭐ Amy Mosteller, Group Brand Director at TRG
⭐ Andee Bradford, Senior Manager, Analytic Solutions at Drumline
⭐ Cassie Lee Kite, Associate Creative Director-art at TRG
⭐ Crystal Cardwell, Co-Founder & Chief Marketing Officer at Pugnacious
⭐ Dianne Le, Director of Shopper Marketing at Avocados from Mexico
⭐ Eli Milstein, Director of Sales at Simpli.fi
⭐ Haidy Leal, Media, Data & Analytics Manager at Avocados from Mexico
⭐ Hilary Hanger, Associate Media Director at Team One
⭐ Jessica Vasquez Walker, Principal at TRG
⭐ Katie Olivier, Account Director at Spire Agency
⭐ Maddy Kulkarni, global marketing head DEI in marketing at Pepsico
⭐ Natalie Draeger, Senior Director at 101Media
⭐ Priscilla Samuel, Media Supervisor at Moroch
⭐ Rachel Dawer, Senior Copywriter at Plot Twist Agency
⭐ Roneka Patterson, Creative Director at Publicis Hawkeye
⭐ Shanna Rossi, Art Director at Twisted X Global Brands
⭐ Silvana Rosero, Chief Executive Officer at Laguna Media Group
⭐ Stephanie Hoppe, Chief Marketing Officer at Cici’s Pizza
⭐ Tina Tackett, Executive Creative Director at The Loomis Agency
⭐ Tricia Mahoney, Chief Marketing Officer at Twisted X Global Brands

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Advertising

Community Coffee Launches New Creative with Baker & Bonner Creative Emporium

Baker and Bonner Posted On May 10, 2023

Community Coffee, the nation’s No. 1 family-owned retail coffee brand, just launched its first brand spot created and produced by its new creative agency of record, Baker & Bonner Creative Emporium. The new ad, called “Bustin’ Loose,” is a 30-second spot that supports Community Coffee’s new Dark & Bold blend. The spot debuted in early May.

“Bustin’ Loose,” aims to connect with dark roast coffee drinkers who may not yet be aware of Community Coffee’s darkest blend to date. The spot opens on a city scape in the early morning hours where a rooster is perched on a rooftop. As he belts out his morning wake-up call walking from rooftop to rooftop, neighbors’ lights begin to trickle on along with their coffee makers. Dozens of other chickens join in the early morning celebration grooving along rooftops throughout the city. The spot is fittingly paired to a cover of Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers’ well-known 1979 hit song, “Bustin’ Loose.” The ad ends with, “Mornings are Coming on Strong.” Community Coffee positions itself as the go-to dark roast coffee brand to start the day right. To view it, click here

“We wanted to create a memorable spot that truly captures the spirit and craftmanship of our unique Dark & Bold blends,” said Leah Herrington, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Community Coffee. “The new creative that the Baker & Bonner team developed was beyond our expectations. We think “Bustin’ Loose” will connect well with coffee lovers of all kinds and get people up and moving in the morning like never before.”

According to the National Coffee Association’s recent specialty coffee report from May 2021, millennials are the largest group of coffee drinkers currently. Some 44 percent of total coffee drinkers prefer dark roast and drink nearly 2.7 cups of coffee a day.

“Community Coffee has an incredibly rich history – more than 100 years of producing delicious coffee that people have come to rely on as part of their early-to-rise morning start,” said Rob Baker, co-founder and CEO of Baker & Bonner Creative Emporium. “We liked the idea of celebrating that with a funk-fueled wake up song to start the day. Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers leant their classic song to our rooster, and Jimmy and I just let happen, what needed happening.”

The spot’s executive producers were Ed Koenig and Melody Alexander and directed by Michael Gregory through The Mill. Music licensing and the cover song were handled by Shindig Music. There are 15-second and 06-second version ads that will be running across BVOD, online video, socials and owned channels, including in-store. Media planning and buying was handled by T2 Media.

About Community Coffee Company

Community Coffee Company, an importer, roaster, and distributor of high-quality premium coffees, is the largest family-owned and operated retail coffee brand in America. Founded in 1919 by “Cap” Saurage in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and run by four generations of the Saurage family. Community Coffee works directly with farmers around the world to hand-select exceptional coffee beans that create its whole bean, ground, single-serve, and ready-to-drink products. For more information, visit CommunityCoffee.com, or find the brand on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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Older Posts

Arm Candy’s Quentin Smith Evaluates Blockchain Viability in Advertising

Slingshot Suggests How Travel Marketers Should Plan for Fall 2023 Season