When it seems like the world is crumbling, the month’s marketing news swoops in with a whiskey-soaked binky to soothe us. Supply chain issues might put the kibosh on Christmas, but hey, at least we can kick back with a human meat burger in our Arby’s-scented loungewear at the end of the day. When the world’s problems stress you out, marketers are here to remind you that they’re actually the world’s opportunities. Here are the top 15 marketing stories that tickled our fancy this month:
Our top 5 reads:
1. Facebook Renames Itself Meta
“The social network, under fire for spreading misinformation and other issues, said the change was part of its bet on a next digital frontier called the metaverse.” – The New York Times
2. Liquid Death Opens Cruelty-Free ‘Vegan Cannibal Steakhouse’ With Postmates
“Liquid Death, purveyor of canned water with a self-proclaimed badass vibe, has always celebrated Halloween a bit differently than the rest of the consumer packaged goods world.” – Adweek
3. Volley Clean Tequila Seltzer Launches New, Sustainable Packaging
“Rolling onto shelves this month, fans of the brand can purchase Volley products with an innovative foil topper and finally enjoy a hard seltzer that is both clean on the inside and clean on the outside!” – abdz
4. Christmas at Risk as Supply Chain ‘Disaster’ Only Gets Worse
“Across Europe, retailers such as apparel chain H&M can’t meet demand because of delivery delays. In the U.S., Nike cut its sales forecast after Covid-19 triggered factory closures in Vietnam that wiped out months of production.” – Bloomberg
5. How Sephora ‘Hacked’ Google Search Results to Surface Black Beauty
“The beauty retailer wants people to see more images of Black women and men when they search “Black beauty” on Google or YouTube.” – Marketing Dive
Everything else you may have missed:
6. How Panda Express Reversed a Sales Slump With Direct Mail
“When Panda Express noticed locations without a drive-thru were struggling, the brand sought to spur online delivery orders by connecting to customers’ offline mailboxes with direct mail.” – Adweek
7. Snap Launches Studio to Create Augmented Reality Ads
“Snap Inc (SNAP.N) said on Tuesday it is launching a studio to help brands create augmented reality advertising and experiences, part of a move to popularize the use of technology that can overlay computer-generated images onto a person’s view of the real world.” – Reuters
8. We Tried on Arby’s Meat-Scented Loungewear
“To promote its limited-edition Real Country Style Rib Sandwich, the sandwich chain partnered with apparel brand Stateline and agency Fallon to create Arby’s Smoked Sweats” – AdAge
9. Pig-To-Human Kidney Transplant Successful in Groundbreaking Experimental Surgery
“A surgical team at NYU Langone Health last month achieved a stunning medical feat: attaching the kidney of a pig to a human body, and watching it get to work.” –Design Taxi
10. Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator Are Coming to The Web, No Subscription Required
“Adobe has revealed that it will be bringing Photoshop and Illustrator to the web, which would be immensely helpful for clients and other collaborators who aren’t familiar with the software.” – Design Taxi
11. Miller Lite’s 6 Magic Rings Summon Free Beer for Life-But Only When They’re Together
“Miller Lite is offering consumers a chance to win its one-of-a-kind Miller Timeless Collection, an original set of six rings adorned with jewels and inlaid in 10-karat gold.” – Adweek
12. Netflix Sued By South Korean Internet Firm for Making ‘Squid Game’ Too Popular
“The provider said that Squid Game had become so viral, too many people are streaming it in the country at once, and it wants the streaming service to cover the extra costs.” – Design Taxi
13. Apple Opens its First US Developer Academy, Where Students Learn to Create Apps
“The new Development Academy features a curriculum covering essentials of coding, interface prototyping, and even entrepreneurship, design, marketing, and project management.” – Design Taxi
14. McDonald’s Cooks Up First NFT Play by Flipping Rare McRib Into Digital Art
“McDonald’s is putting a metaverse-minded spin on the return of the McRib, an occasion that typically leads to social media chatter and a rush from super fans to acquire one of the limited-run sandwiches.” – Marketing Dive
“Just as Facebook’s Antigone Davis was live on CNBC defending the company over a whistleblower’s accusations and its handling of research data suggesting Instagram is harmful to teens, its entire network of services suddenly went offline.” – The Verge
