Hello Marketers!
It’s Friday afternoon, so let’s spend some time talking about subway ads, shall we? Part of the challenger brand strategy is to post eye-catching ads all over the train system. Reporter Katie Richards wrote about that strategy late last fall in her feature on the agencies behind well-known challenger brands. Something about it must work—otherwise, you wouldn’t see it replicated over and over again.
Over the last year, Richards has tracked a strange wrinkle to the story as sex toy brands must deal with MTA red tape when trying to advertise on the subway. The companies have tried to work in earnest with the MTA only to deal with a never-ending back and forth that has discouraged one brand (Unbound) and found another rejected (Dame Products).
While the MTA points to its “long-standing policy that prohibits advertising promoting a sexually oriented business,” the companies, as well as other marketers, question that policy, wondering if there is a double standard at play when they’ve seen phallic imagery associated with upstart brands like Hims and Romans posted in the subway. Read the full story by Katie Richards here.
To completely switch gears, Target has promoted CMO Rick Gomez. He will now serve as the company’s Chief Marketing and Digital Officer. In the role, he's focused on “personalization, loyalty and the overall shopping experience,” according to the company’s statement. It’s a notable change, as more and more companies are either rebranding or reshaping the CMO role.
What does that look like? Well, in recent years, companies have asked CMOs to push marketing further with technology. That’s something Adweek has recognized with our annual CMTO list. We’re currently putting that together (FYI, we don’t like to repeat names) so if you work with a great CMO who uses innovative technology in marketing and would fit the bill, please email me Kristina.Monllos@adweek.com.
In, er, saltier (forgive me, it's Friday) news this week: Robert Klara dug into the recent makeover Kar's gave its trail mix packaging. Not only does it get into fonts and logos but Klara gives you some insight into trail mix history. If you want a story that could help you win at a round of trivia this is it.
One more thing, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention in this letter, did you know that Clinique recently used the Mission Impossible theme song to tout its new personalized products? That's a strange tidbit reporter Diana Pearl found out while reporting on the company's push into personalization. For some reason, thinking of a legacy brand like Clinique using a song that's meant to soundtrack Tom Cruise running away from an explosion or jumping out of a helicopter is, well, hilarious. Though, if Cruise is using Clinique product to keep his skin looking youthful there could be some weird synergy there.
Quote of the Week: “I’m positive that our ads aren’t any more prurient or salacious than Roman or Hims,” said Dame Products co-founder and CEO Alexandra Fine. “Why are we saying the pill and ED medication are OK, but vibrators aren’t?”
Say What? You might be part of a facial recognition database—even if you don’t know it or didn’t consent to it. As tech reporter Lisa Lacy put it in her cover feature on the topic earlier this week: "Per Clare Garvie, senior associate at the Center on Privacy and Technology at the Georgetown School of Law, at least 133.5 million American adults in 31 states—or 54.4 percent of the population—are represented in one of these databases."
Have a great week!
Thanks for reading,
Kristina Monllos
Senior Editor, Brand Marketing
