Mashable
In this Mashable production video, Gap global CMO Seth Farbman talks about the evolution of the brand from its early days when a proposal was floated to call it "Pants and Discs" since it was initially going to be a combo jeans and record store. Farbman explains how the company focuses on people in its marketing communications and how it adjusted its path a few years ago to become social-media centric.
Cincinnati Enquirer
Scooter is hip, wears aviators, and a turtleneck. And he has an irreverent sense of humor. And he's neutered. He's the star of a $2 million Cincinnati campaign to convince people that their felines can be like him if they get dismasted. The effort is by Cincinnati-based Northlich. Northlich's creative team wanted to evoke 1970s movies like "Shaft" or TV's "Starsky & Hutch."
Chicago Tribune
Poultry producer Pilgrim's Pride Corp. has made an unsolicited bid to buy Chicago-based packaged food company Hillshire Brands Co. in a deal valued at nearly $5.7 billion plus debt. Hillshire said it will review the proposal and still plans to stick with its intention, announced two weeks back, to buy Birds Eye and Vlasic maker Pinnacle Foods.
Detroit Bureau
Strong sales on Memorial Day may give this month the best sales numbers in 10 years. Even before the holiday weekend sales had been unusually strong. TrueCar sees new light-vehicle sales in the U.S. numbering 1.52 million units, up 5.5% from May 2013 and a 9.5% increase from April 2014.
The New York Times
Briggs & Riley Travelware launched a new campaign promoting its products as the real-world gear for the real world of traveling, which isn't very pleasant and includes the over-head bin wars. The effort is via New York-based Marty Weiss and Friends: Tag: "Engineered for reality. Guaranteed for life."
Tech Guru Daily
Twitter, in partnership with The Advertising Research Foundation, Fox and DB5, sampled over 12,000 Twitter users across all age groups and devices, including mobile and desktop. The study found that over half of Twitter users took action after seeing brands mentioned in tweets.
The Hindu Business Line
Foster's wanted to extend its global "Art of Chilling" promise through India but agency VGC found that surf boards and beaches wouldn't work. After research, an "Art of Chilling" interpreted for Indian audiences was developed. Chilling was redefined as meaning different things to different people. As a result, a gang of Foster's Chillheads was created, each one addressing a unique way of chilling.
Advertising Age
The big brands aren't the only ones backing craft beer with traditional media. Hawaiian brand Kona Brewing Co. shelled out earlier this month for its first-ever TV ad with a campaign called "Dear Mainland" to extend across the Pacific. The brand is well-known in Hawaii but less visible in the other 39 states where it is sold. Meanwhile, New Belgium Brewing, which owns Fat Tire, just launched its second straight year of TV advertising for its "Pairs Well with People" campaign.
Warc
Patagonia, Hollister and Warby Parker are among the brands using Instagram as a social marketing channel, per Jim Squires, Instagram's director/market operations.At the Advertising Age Digital Conference, he spoke about how marketers are leveraging its service. How, for instance, Patagonia was one of several companies focused on how the brand evinces a way of life, rather than using the platform for photos of products.
Automotive News
The used-car business is attractive to new-car dealers. Some are opening used-only stores. They like that the market is huge and terra nova to franchises. Used sales are more profitable than new-car sales because shoppers are web savvy. "We really need robust, high-performing used-car sales in our stores," says George Athan, vice president of sales at DCH Auto Group of South Amboy, N.J.