Even a crusty, jaded critic of the advertising industry like me can be a sucker for a great ad concept like JewBelong out-of-home campaigns on New York streets.

Post-pandemic marketing campaigns continue to roll out messaging that allude to lockdown experiences while underscoring a positive future focus. Grounded in pandemic and post pandemic behavior research, Rexona/Unilever's Degree deodorant brand's Move Again effort is as you'd expect from the CPG giant, a massive multimedia rollout leveraging every imaginable channel. One of their new buzzwords is "un-missable," says Kath Swallow, Global Brand VP for Rexona at Unilever. But that doesn't mean relentless TV spots and billboard coverage. As she tells Brand Insider this week, it's as much about creating critical partnerships: from a famous drag celeb to video games. It …

If Millennials have a signature food, then surely avocados would be it. But herein lies the opportunity, says Mission Produce head of marketing and communications Denise Junqueiro. Mission is a farm-to-grocery avocado brand that is both b2b and increasingly b2c. By focusing on creative product development, especially around Millennial lifestyle needs, Mission is working a different lane of produce branding and trying to de-commoditize this trendy fruit. If like me, avocado minis or even the prospect of avocado baby food sounds even zanier than avocado toast, think again, Boomer.

Post-pandemic ad campaigns are trying to thread the needle - find ways of gently alluding to the past 15 months of lockdowns, grief and social unrest, while pointing towards brighter days. Clif's "Let's Move the World" messaging wraps such a light note of return-to-normal in purposeful branding as well as a an overall theme of adventure. As Senior Director, Clif Brand Portfolio, Liza Darnell explains, it is designed for open interpretation around evolving notions of adventure, movement and social impact. In many ways, "Let's Move the World" recalls the fleeting age of the big idea but executed across a wide …

Even locked-down seekers of eating therapy eventually crave variety. Apparently, Bob Evans Farms is on it. The company famous for freezer aisle comfort dishes like mac and cheese sides and countless sausage varieties, recently launched a new line of riffs on classics and breakfasts. CMO Thyme Hill discusses how product development is central now to CPG marketing.

El Pollo Loco has a 45-year legacy of serving authentic Mexican fare principally to a Southwest clientele who know the difference. So as the company looks to expand beyond not only core Hispanic loyalists but into younger demos, it finds itself balancing familiarity with novelty. At last month's MediaPost QSR Brand Insider Summit, CEO Bernard Acoca outlined the ways in which the company digitized quickly during this past Pandemic year. And in the process, this legacy brand found some unlikely digital paths to new customers - like a fast following on TikTok. Acoca was interviewed at the Summit by MediaPost's …

Adversity is the mother of innovation, especially if you have been a marketer in the QSR industry this past year. But as consumers flow back into eat-out mode, what online behaviors will they want to bring with them to physical dining experiences? McAlister's Deli is trying to answer that one with a new table-side ordering function in their mobile app. As we explore with Danielle Parra, Head of Marketing and Culinary, bringing tech into the on-site QSR meal ordering chain actually helps McAlister's increase and enhance personal interactions with its customers rather than circumvent the human touch.

Few brands were better positioned for growth during this year of lockdowns than Peloton. The home exercise brand has reported triple digit sales gains.

Chipotle was already ahead of many marketing curves that both the pandemic and social unrest accelerated in the last year. App ordering: check. Esports: check.

Who's Jenny? Well, she isn't Rite-Aid's traditional target consumer - that retiree who hangs around the prescription counter every other day. Director of Digital Marketing Joe Tertel says she is the brand's new target. Jenny is much younger and tasked with buying for more family and pets. It requires a revamped media strategy that connects her online and offline behaviors across store, site, apps, social media and other media. Email - that most resilient universal identifier - remains at the center of it all.