Hello marketers,
Was 3G Capital's approach to Kraft Heinz always destined to fail? That's the question brand marketing reporter Diana Pearl and editor-at-large Patrick Coffee set out to answer this week. They spoke with global brand officer and CMO Eduardo Luz as well as sources within Kraft Heinz and experts to figure out what went down and what other marketers can learn from it.
It's a great deep-dive and one you should absolutely be reading but the question remains: How much can marketing really do when brands aren't innovating or keeping up with current consumer trends? What is the job of a marketer today if not to push for innovation outside of pure creative? Especially when hits like Paylessi can't even keep Payless afloat.
That's something we'll likely discuss at our second annual Elevate: Creativity this coming May in New York City. We've got a great line-up of top-notch creative minds speaking like Refinery29's Piera Gelardi and HBO's Steven Caldwell.
Over on Inside the Brand this week, editor and svp of programming Lisa Granatstein continues her Brandweek Women Trailblazers. "Women need to stop aiming for perfection and instead do their best while being strategic about how they get there," said Mary Beech, CMO of Kate Spade.
Quote of the Week: "We wanted this letter to be read by Meghan as well as the 4 million women who will give birth this year in the U.S.,” said Fridababy’s CMO, Eric Hirschhorn, of the open letter the brand wrote to Meghan Markle. “An open letter in The New York Times has arguably become one of the most-recognized platforms for people and brands to share their values and advocate for a shift in the cultural conversation.”
Say What? Casper is now a unicorn. Per retail reporter Ann-Marie Alcántara, the direct-to-consumer mattress brand now has a valuation of $1.1 billion after its latest round of funding pulled in $100 million. It is the third DTC brand to reach unicorn status in the last month. (Glossier and Rent the Runway are the others.)
Thanks for reading,
Brands Editor
Kristina Monllos