No men need apply—Shoptalk conference takes all-female route: Marketer’s Brief

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“Extreme problems require extreme solutions,” according to Simran Rekhi Aggarwal, founder and president of Shoptalk, an annual retail conference that focuses on innovation and change in the industry. The extreme problem she’s referring to is the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles in retail and other categories. To that end, Shoptalk announced Wednesday that its 2020 speaker lineup will consist solely of women—a total exceeding 225 speakers. The roles include keynotes, track speakers and moderators. 

The 2020 event, Shoptalk’s fifth, will include execs from brands such as Lowe’s, Kellogg’s, Pizza Hut and Birchbox; last year’s Las Vegas-based conference attracted more than 8,000 attendees. Diversity of speakers is an issue many conference organizers have struggled with. Two years ago, CES, the tech trade show held every January, got backlash for failing to include any female keynote speakers in its lineup. Shoptalk’s all-female push is a one-time thing: Aggarwal says that starting in 2021, the stage will be evenly split 50-50 with female and male speakers.

Toyota's new oracle

A marketing analytics company co-founded by actor Edward Norton that got its start in the entertainment business is branching out into other sectors after inking a new deal with Toyota. EDO, which stands for Entertainment Data Oracle, is one of a growing number of vendors that are applying advanced metrics to TV ad performance in an attempt to give advertisers more analytics than what Nielsen provides. 

EDO says its technology monitors every ad that airs on linear TV and measures “minute-by-minute changes in anonymous, aggregated online search actions to understand consumer intent on a granular level.” The vendor, which has deals with major movie studios, says Toyota is its first major non-entertainment client. Toyota struck a longer term deal after piloting EDOs technology to measure one of its Super Bowl ads. “It helps us quantify with more confidence the impact that our TV advertising is having on brand consideration,” says Vinay Shahani, VP of integrated marketing operations at Toyota Motor North America.

Tea therapy

Lipton took the stressors of the holiday season and turned them into packs of free tea. The limited-edition teas available on the brand’s website have names highlighting some of the bad moments of the winter, such as colds, and the good, such as holiday cookies. The “Reali-Teas,” as Unilever’s Lipton calls them, are renamed versions of its wellness teas (green tea, bedtime bliss, etc.) with holiday names. They include “Dealing with Relatives,” “Finding the Perfect Present,” “Holiday Party Overload,” “Ho Ho Holiday Travel,” “Last Minute Shopping,” “Silent Night, Sleepless Night,” “‘Tis the Sneeze’n,” and “Whole Lotta Holiday Cookies.” The first batch was snatched up in less than 24 hours so the brand says it is working on a second limited amount of the eight teas.

Tito’s picks a new agency

Publicis Groupe’s Blue 449 has been named Tito’s Handmade Vodka’s media agency-of-record following a review that kicked off in July. The agency will handle the brand’s buying and planning, online and offline, across national and local markets in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico under the designation. Blue 449 says its focus will be on sharing Tito’s mantra of “turning spirits into love and goodness.” The account will be handled out of the agency’s Dallas office. “With Blue 449 we saw an agency with the capabilities to develop robust and customized plans for our markets with a deep understanding of our values,” says Taylor Berry, Tito’s senior director of brand marketing. Tito’s, which has enjoyed a meteoric sales rise in recent years, was founded by Bert “Tito” Beveridge, now a geophysicist, in 1997 after he obtained the first legal permit to distill in Texas. It is currently distilled and bottled by Fifth Generation in Austin.

Lexus levels up

The Esports Awards—think Oscars for competitive gaming—this week announced Lexus as a sponsor its third-ever event. The black tie event will be Saturday at Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The awards ceremony will feature so-called Lexus supercars from movies such as “Black Panther” and “Men in Black International” on stage. The inking of the luxury vehicle brand underscores a growing trend of brands spending ad dollars in the esports arena. This year, for instance, esports is expected to generate $1 billion in global revenue, up 27 percent year-over-year, according to NewZoo, an analytics company that specializes in gaming. The report also states that the global esports audience will be nearly 300 million by 2020, putting it on par with the NFL. Still, hurdles such as measurement and return on ad spend remain. 

NHL sticks with Honda

Honda has renewed its sponsorship of the National Hockey League through the 2021-22 season. The deal includes sponsorship of the NHL All-Star Game. Honda will also sponsor the NHL Gaming World Championship, an esports program covering U.S., Canada and Europe. The automaker began sponsoring the league in the U.S. in 2007-08 season and added Canada in 2014-15 season. 

Would you buy this? 

As if we needed more proof that rosé has jumped the shark, Pepsi is launching one—albeit for a very limited time on a very small scale. “Pepsi Sparkling Rosé,” a zero-calorie, rosé-flavored cola was created exclusively for BravoCon, a three-day event for super fans of the cable network that kicks off Friday in New York.

Number of the week

70 percent: The share of millennials who prefer to eat small meals throughout the day instead of a few larger ones, according to Mondelēz International’s “State of Snacking” report. Overall, 59 percent of adults prefer to eat that way, the study found.

Tweet of the week

Comings and goings

Planet Fitness Inc. has tapped Jeremy Tucker as chief marketing officer, tasked with overseeing all national and local marketing and branding for the gym chain. Tucker was VP, marketing communications and media at Nissan North America before leaving the automaker earlier this year amid a management overhaul. He starts Nov. 20.

Last chance for tickets

Find out what marketers need to know about producing and sharing content right now: Hear from Vox, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Meredith, Hearst, Essence, Complex, Condé Nast and more on Thursday, Nov. 14 in Manhattan at Ad Age Next: Publishing—a must-attend half-day conference for anyone looking to make sense of the changing media landscape. Register today.

Contributing: Jessica Wohl, Adrianne Pasquarelli, E.J. Schultz, George P. Slefo

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CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Louis Vuitton & Pringles were announced as sponsors of the Esports Awards. Lexus was the only sponsor announced.