WPP commits $10M to accelerate timeline for eliminating racism in advertising

Its renewed commitment to equality comes after more than 1,200 Black ad professionals wrote an open letter calling out the industry for a lack of change.

By Dianna Christie , Chantal Tode • June 18, 2020

Heinz unifies core products with 1st master brand refresh

Since hitting shelves in the U.K. earlier in 2020, the visual identity has reached over 32 million customers and spurred an 11% average lift in sales volume.

By Dianna Christie , Natalie Black (Koltun) • June 18, 2020

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Retail Marketing

Top stories that underscore the leading influences on retail marketing, including the creator economy, '90s nostalgia and Gen Z. 

By Marketing Dive staff

Uncle Ben, Cream of Wheat chef and Mrs. Butterworth all under review for racist imagery

Less than 24 hours after PepsiCo announced it was discontinuing its Aunt Jemima branding, Mars, B&G Foods and Conagra Brands are taking another look at the Black faces on their products.

By Megan Poinski • June 18, 2020

Crisis management: How two DTC brands found success in the midst of a pandemic

As much of retail struggles to survive, intimates brand Knix and bridal business Azazie have seen sales spikes amid an outbreak that has pushed more shoppers online.

By Cara Salpini • June 17, 2020

PepsiCo will discontinue Aunt Jemima branding

"We recognize Aunt Jemima's origins are based on a racial stereotype," Kristin Kroepfl, VP and CMO of Quaker Foods North America, said in a statement.

By Megan Poinski • June 17, 2020

Buffalo Wild Wings CMO who led creative revival departs after less than 2 years

Seth Freeman spearheaded innovative creative concepts, including rebranding Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, that supported a turnaround for the brand.

By Peter Adams • June 17, 2020

Jack Daniel's celebrates Pride with drag brunch video series

The "Drag Queen Mukbang" series combines the real-world trend of drag brunches with the online fad of "mukbang" food-eating videos.

By Dianna Christie • June 17, 2020

Busch gives fans 'golden ticket' to outdoors with puzzle contest

Tapping into the jigsaw puzzle trend, the beer brand is offering a chance for a socially distant, outdoor adventure.

By Dianna Christie • June 17, 2020

How Kraft Heinz converts renewed interest into new brand experiences

Through licensing deals, the foodmaker's iconic brands are extending to merchandise and new food experiences, a company vice president told a virtual conference.

By Megan Poinski • June 16, 2020

The Macallan's e-commerce boutique fulfills orders from local retailers

Using Thirstie's API addresses the growing demand for online alcohol sales and same-day delivery that has become apparent during the pandemic.

By Dianna Christie • June 16, 2020

3 months in, how COVID-19 has permanently changed marketing

CMOs are already applying some hard lessons learned in the pandemic's early days to other crises, such as the current protest movement — but some of their confidence might be misplaced.

By Peter Adams • June 15, 2020

Walmart forges deep tie-in with HGTV show about home projects under quarantine

Home goods from the big box retailer are key to "Design At Your Door," and shoppable articles featuring the products will appear on HGTV.com.

By Peter Adams • June 12, 2020

Volkswagen overhauls marketing after backlash from racist ad

The carmaker owned up — though no one was fired — but will likely continue to face criticism as consumers grow increasingly fed up with these kinds of failures.

By Dianna Christie • June 12, 2020

P&G debuts 'The Choice' in multimillion dollar ad push addressing racism in America

Building on prior ads like "The Talk" and "The Look," the creative asks white Americans to leverage their privilege to vote, donate and march for change.

By Peter Adams • June 11, 2020

McDonald's names global CMO after 11-month vacancy

Alistair Macrow, a 15-year veteran of the chain, will work to accelerate its pandemic recovery and build customer trust as dining areas begin to reopen.

By Dianna Christie • June 10, 2020

Dunkin' flexes advertising muscle in 1st national recruitment campaign

The chain is promoting 25,000 job openings through TV spots, digital assets, social, radio, OOH and in-store signage as the economy is hit with pandemic-related unemployment.

By Dianna Christie • June 9, 2020

51% of marketing professionals expect virtual events to stick around, survey finds

New research by The 614 Group shared exclusively with Marketing Dive examines what the marketing business experience might look like post-pandemic.

By Dianna Christie • June 8, 2020

Vita Coco pens love letter to NYC bodegas in new OOH campaign

Honoring these stores may help the brand align itself as a bodega staple, especially as it pairs its drink with breakfast sandwiches that shops in the city are known for.

By Dianna Christie • June 8, 2020

J.M. Smucker cut marketing spend 5.8% last quarter amid pandemic disruptions

The CPG giant plans to leverage renewed interest in legacy brands like Folgers in its marketing, CEO Mark Smucker said in a conference call this week.

By Robert Williams • June 5, 2020

Coca-Cola eyes streaming, real-time content production in marketing restart

The beverage giant experimented with digital activations during pandemic lockdowns, pointing to a greater focus on agility in the months ahead.

By Dianna Christie • June 5, 2020

Campaign Trail: Polaroid tries to capture human chemistry in emotive new ad

With the world slowly reemerging from the pandemic, values of connection depicted in "Forever Now" have crystallized for many consumers.

By Natalie Black (Koltun) • June 5, 2020

McDonald's names victims of police brutality, racist violence in new ad

The chain shows solidarity with Black Lives Matters in the clip and pledges to donate to the National Urban League and the NAACP.

By Dianna Christie • June 4, 2020

Forrester: CMOs must adjust as agencies shed more than 50K jobs

The cuts are expected over the next two years, sapping a source of expertise and accelerating trends like in-house agencies and gig economy options.

By Robert Williams • June 3, 2020

Nike's 'For Once, Don't Do It' ad seen as empowering, exploitative: study

While less polarizing than its ads featuring Colin Kaepernick in 2018, people didn't want to see a corporation taking advantage of George Floyd's murder and subsequent protests to sell shoes.

By Dianna Christie , Natalie Black (Koltun) • June 3, 2020

Top brands, digital media rally around Blackout Tuesday, but it could backfire

Blacking out channels in support of protests risks drowning out #BlackLivesMatter online, The Verge reported, while skepticism toward corporate track records is growing.

By Peter Adams • June 2, 2020