Happy Q2! This month got off to an interesting start with the convergence of April Fools' Day and Mercury Retrograde — but the marketing news keeps coming and we're here to keep you in the loop. This week we're diving into March Madness, everything you need to know about livestreaming and a war between Uber and Lyft over Beyoncé?
So let's get you up to speed — here's everything you need to know now within the marketing + creative space.
Consider this newsletter a resource for marketers and creatives, by marketers and creatives. Enjoy!
Female Athletes Shine in March Madness Marketing Moments
The news cycle is never-ending. Marketing is ever-evolving. Here we’ll keep you in the know on timely topics and key learnings that can elevate your marketing game.
March Madness is coming to an end — which means it's time to recap the marketing moments. A massive theme this year? Brands taking notice of the power of women's sports. Of course, we've seen women's sports break barriers in a variety of arenas, and this year's March Madness has been no different. With this long overdue spotlight on female athletes, brands have been flocking to make strategic ad placements during women's games and highlight female athletes through NIL deals. Here are a few ways brands have been tapping in.
AT&T
AT&T has gone for an all-out media blitz this March Madness with six different ads running on repeat throughout the tournament. One that's garnering attention? A spot featuring current NBA star Jalen Brunson, whose March Madness viewing jacket goes viral and catches the attention of current USC Women's Basketball star JuJu Watkins — who just broke a major record as the first women's college basketball freshman to score 900 points.
State Farm
This year, State Farm has brought back the classic inspirational sports ad starring Iowa Women's Basketball star Caitlin Clark. The spot highlights Clark both on and off the court, with a voiceover sharing what it takes to be great. Though the ad itself is getting attention, State Farm is going full force not only with ad content but with ad placement — investing a significant amount of spend in a blanket media buy throughout the tournament.
Coca-Cola
This year Coca-Cola has gone big with a Coke Zero ad featuring notable NCAA alumni including Aliyah Boston who went on to join the WNBA and win Rookie of the Year in 2023. The minute-long spot is one you can't miss, but if you do? No worries! Coke Zero is also going on the road, bringing experiential campaign components to all Final Four host cities for both the men's and women's teams.
Though the final games of the tournament are still to come, one thing's for sure — brands won big.
Everything you need to know about livestreaming
Social is an endless scroll. Where to stop? Here we analyze relevant moments, cultural trends and the marketing geniuses behind it all.
Livestreaming. Love it or hate it, it's everywhere — and brands are taking note. Though livestreaming has its pros and cons, recently, we've seen brands tapping into TikTok and Instagram's live features to build connection with consumers. If you're interested in exploring this channel, here's what you need to know.
All About Instagram Live
Instagram Live has long been an incredible way to connect with your audience in real time and to collaborate with others. As Instagram has evolved, so have their live capabilities — here are a few key Instagram Live features that can take your livestreaming to the next level:
📱 Practice Mode: Practice before you go live — so you can feel confident in what you're sharing with your community.
🤝 Invite Collaborators: Add additional users to your live for fun conversation and collaboration.
💭 Live Q&A: Engage directly with viewers through the Q&A feature.
▶️ Easily Save Livestreams: Easily save live content to your profile — so your community can tune in at any time.
All About TikTok Live
It's more than likely that as you're scrolling through your FYP, you'll come across more than a few livestreams. In fact, TikTok Live has become so massive, that TikTok has recently invested in celebrating live creators through events like TikTok Live Fest. So what can TikTok Live do for you? Here are some key features:
🥳 Live Events: Schedule, manage and promote live events ahead of time.
🤝 Co-hosts: Add a co-host to your live to expand reach and promote conversation.
💭 Live Q&As: Engage directly with your community through Q&A features.
Why Brands are Tapping In
Brands are tapping into livestreaming for a variety of reasons. Some use it as a way to garner trust and connection by sharing BTS, some use it as a low-lift way to collaborate with a brand or creator and some simply use it to boost community engagement. However you use live content, as the importance of building community, trust and loyalty continues to be of the utmost importance, livestreaming is an amazing way to bring consumers into your world in real time.
Marketing Wins we <3
Who doesn’t love a marketing win? Below are recent marketing moments we couldn’t help but share — and their main takeaways.
Lyft Takes Uber Rivalry to the Next Level With a Feud Over Beyoncé
After Uber teased a Cowboy Carter-related announcement, they revealed a 16% discount code in celebration of the album release. Many Uber users were disappointed with the announcement being a minimal discount code, and Lyft wasted no time jumping in on the conversation, trolling Uber's campaign on X, subsequently offering Lyft users a 60% discount, and even changing the cars to horses on the Lyft maps of all Houston users.
💡 Takeaway: Everyone loves a little friendly competition — leveraging brand rivalry in a lighthearted way can drive engagement (and laughs).
Tinder's April Fools' Day Campaign Resonates
We were all on guard this week with the tsunami of April Fools' Day content, but one brand took an approach that became an instant fan favorite: Tinder. To celebrate the cheeky holiday, Tinder put out a video sharing that they're hiring for a new role, VP of Ghost Hunting, to lead a team to track down any 'situationship' who has left a message unanswered.
💡 Takeaway: Relatability = virality. Everyone's fallen victim to the dreaded 'ghost' — which made engagement on this video through the roof.
Kosas Shade Match Filter Goes Viral on TikTok
Everyone loves a functional filter, and with the rise of color analysis on TikTok, Kosas saw an opportunity — creating a filter that helps consumers find their skin's undertone. In the months since dropping the filter, TikTok users have become more and more curious about color analysis, and the Kosas filter has blown up as the go-to filter to find your undertone.
💡 Takeaway: Never underestimate the power of filling a gap in resources. With so much discourse around color analysis, there weren't many free resources for TikTok users to learn more about their perfect shades. Providing an easily accessible one put Kosas in front of millions.
Marketing Jargon
In marketing, it feels like there's a new term being thrown around every day. We've got you! Here are a few you should have on your radar (and mention in your next meeting).
CX: Short for customer experience, CX is the overall experience and impression a customer has of your brand after interacting through the buyer journey.
Sticky Content: Content that a user remembers after the fact — i.e. intentionally memorable content.
PMax: I.e. Performance Max campaigns, PMax is an automated campaign type within Google Ads, that uses AI to drive conversion across channels — including Search, Display, YouTube, Discover, Gmail and Maps.
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That wraps issue no. 19 of The Breef POV! Keep an eye on your inbox for the next edition. In the meantime, browse more on The Breefing Room.
