Reading up on the most compelling social media, tech, and brand stories is one of the joys of being the editor of Marketing Dive.
From Aerie's 'real' models to the 'worlds most valuable brands', here are the most important stories of the week.
The #AlexFromTarget debacle
Who would have ever thought a teenage Target cashier would have sent the social media world into such a frenzy? A simple twitpic of the employee with a Justin Bieber-like hairstyle started to circulate on Sunday. Within 24 hours, had been searched over 200,000 times on Google and even got a shout out from Target's Twitter account. The plot thickened on Tuesday when a company claimed responsibility for the sensation, a company Alex claimed to never have heard of. It's unclear what Alex or Target's next move will be to capitalize on the buzz, but at the very least Alex has entered the world of memes.
Microsoft's seemingly never-ending marketing woes
First, Microsoft announced last week it was laying off a chunk of its ad sales team to shake up its lackluster marketing efforts. Then, on election night, CNN anchors were using Microsoft Surface as stands—for their iPads. Ouch. It's clear Microsoft needs to breathe some fresh air into its brand, and perhaps the marketing shuffle will help.
Forbes announces 'World's Most Valuable Brands'
On Wednesday, Forbes announced its annual 'Most Valuable Brands' list. To the surprise of hopefully no one, Apple topped the list. And despite its recent problems, Microsoft came in second with an 11% increase in value after three years of flat earnings. Google, Coca-Cola, and IBM rounded out the top five.
The end of photoshop was good business for Aerie
Aerie, American Eagle's lingerie brand, announced earlier this year it was going to stop using photoshop on its models. It was a lofty, but noble, plan. What the brand likely didn't expect is the pledge meant seriously good business, as Aerie's earnings shot up 9% last quarter. Meanwhile, Victoria's Secret has recently come under fire for its "perfect body" campaign, a move to get girls to accept their bodies—all the while using models with the "perfect body." It looks like Aerie's move was not only good karma—it shows people want real-looking models.
Facebook throws down the gauntlet
For a time, the Facebook newsfeed was a bit like the Wild West. Users were overrun with things they didn't care to see and spam seemed to be all too common. The site has been changing its algorithms for the past few months to give people what they want, and this week the site is ending what became known as "like-gate." Pages will no longer be able to ask for likes as a point-of-entry for contests or content, which increased audiences for brands. However, the 'likes' weren't translating into a real, engaged audience. As marketing becomes more targeted, it was natural that Facebook made changes to the algorithms of user's feeds.
