Happy's marketing news - 21.04.17
It’s been a busy week in the marketing world, here’s what has caught our eye!
Check out the top 10 adverts on YouTube in March here. Cars, tech and shoes caught the attention of viewing YouTubers last month with brands such at Converse, Volvo and Samsung dominating the chart.
Sports giant Adidas has issued a swift apology after sending a marketing email to its customers congratulating runners for “surviving” this year’s Boston Marathon. The email sent by Adidas Running to customers on Tuesday used the subject line: “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!” The email then read: “You’ve conquered Boston. Share your race day experience and shop official gear.” Customers were quick to criticise the sports brand and remind it of the real survivors of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, in which three people were killed and more than 260 were wounded. Adidas quickly retracted the statement and apologised to their database.
Celebrities on Instagram have been warned about their conduct when advertising on the image-led social network. The US consumer regulator the Federal Trade Commission issued the warning and sent letters to more than 90 individuals and firms. The organisation carried out an investigation in 2016 which named Kim Kardashian and Rihanna alongside 113 other influencers who the group claimed had endorsed a product without disclosing that it was a promotion.
Marketers are feeling more optimistic about taking on new staff after recovering from a dip in confidence at the end of 2016, the latest quarterly IPA Bellwether report has revealed. When asked in January whether they expected overall employment to be higher, the same or lower at their company in three months’ time, almost a third (31.3%) of those surveyed signalled positive expectations for employment, compared to 16.8% who predicted a fall.
TV streaming company Netflix is to heavily invest in its marketing drives in 2017 to entice subscribers in a bid to drive it past the 100m members waypoint. The company said during its first quarter announcement that it was going to heavily invest in the marketing behind its original shows such as House of Cards season 5. For the $1bn it plans to spend on marketing, about 600% of that will be spent on content.
