Winner

Johannes Leonardo plucked Oscar Mayer from Dentsu McGarryBowen, giving the shop a high-profile brand from Kraft Heinz that is known for fun marketing, especially for its bacon. The win marks another victory for independent agencies, which are on quite a roll this year. 

Loser

While some retail brands like Kohl’s have shown signs of recovery, Macy’s is still struggling. The department store chain reported a 21% decline in same-store sales for the third quarter. Though digital sales were up 27% in the period, net sales fell 23% to $4 billion. Meanwhile, COVID has put a damper on one of the retailer’s most high-profile marketing events of the year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has been scaled back significantly.

Popular

Who knew “Singin' in the Rain” would play so well in 2020? This post on Burberry’s ad that puts a modern spin on the tune was among the most read Ad Age stories for the second week in a row. Also drawing a lot of eyeballs was this story on brands co-opting Twitter’s “this claim has been disputed” warning flag. What is not disputed is that brands will jump into nearly anything on social media if it gets them some cheap views.

Back at the ranch 

The next big thing in booze could be “ranch water”—so says beer trade pub Beer Business Daily, which describes it as the “next big seltzer trend.” The drinks, which are essentially tequila/agave-themed seltzers, are rooted in a popular cocktail in Texas that combines Topo Chico, tequila and lime, according to the publication, which reports that Anheuser-Busch InBev is seizing on the trend with Ranch Water Hard Seltzer from its Houston-based Karbach Brewing Co. brand.  

Number of the week

397%: Increase in online purchases of cranberry sauce in October, compared with October of 2019, according to tracking firm 1010data.

Save a seat for Snoop

Maybe grandma can’t come for Thanksgiving this COVID-plagued year—but Snoop Dogg can, at least virtually. Wine brand 19 Crimes is out with new augmented reality labels featuring the rapper, following up on the earlier launch of the Snoop Cali Red wine variety. Drinkers who scan bottles with their smartphone can activate the “Ask the Doggfather” experience, for which a hologram version of Snoop pops to life, offering his wisdom. 

Snoop also appears in SodaStream’s holiday campaign, which comes not long after he began popping up in Corona ads.

Tweet of the week

The Tampa Raptors?

The COVID resurgence is starting to take a renewed toll on the sports world. The Denver Broncos, one of several teams allowing a limited number of fans at games, announced today that it won’t let anyone in starting a week from Sunday. Meanwhile, the Canadian government won’t allow the Toronto Raptors to play in the country when the National Basketball Association restarts next month, and the team will now reportedly temporarily relocate to Tampa, Florida. Also, Sportico is out with a story revealing the financial toll on the the Pac-12 for canceling games due to the pandemic, which the publication tallies at about $5 million per game in TV money.

Quote of the week

“Fear messaging isn't going to work, because people will have already sacrificed so much, and the death toll is just going to get more and more horrific.”—Phil Graham, founding partner and CEO of consultancy Verdes, and formerly of the anti-smoking Truth campaign, shares advice on marketing a COVID vaccine.

On the move

Pinterest hired Celestine Maddy as global head of consumer marketing reporting to CMO Andréa Mallard. She previously spent time at Foursquare and Reddit. Audi promoted chief communications officer Tara Rush into the chief marketing officer role. Devika Bulchandani, North American president for McCann Worldgroup, is leaving for Ogilvy, where she will be CEO for North America.