Welcome to the latest edition of Marketer's Brief, a quick take on marketing news, moves and trends from Ad Age's reporters and editors. Send tips/suggestions to [email protected].
Marketer's Brief: A swan song from Sonos CMO
Today's brief has agency news from Peroni and Hair Cuttery and some double cheesiness from Pizza Hut. But first, find out which audio brand is now short a CMO.
Goodbye to you
Sonos Chief Marketing Officer Joy Howard, who joined the company in 2015 after holding marketing leadership roles at Patagonia, Converse and Coca-Cola, announced via Twitter yesterday that she will be leaving the company. There are no plans to replace her, according to the company. Under Howard's watch, the company's marketing embraced digital- and data-driven messenging informed by culture. Campaigns brought emotion to the Sonos One smart speaker.
With her announcement, Howard (who in an earlier life was member of the indie band Seely) left her crew with a touching playlist (reminiscent of one of the company's recent marketing moves).
All the love in the world to my @Sonos crew. You got this! And so do I. For my send-off, a playlist of all the artists we've worked with. Can't wait to see you there! https://t.co/FSilSANtCj
— joy howard (@joyehoward) May 1, 2018
According to Sonos, Howard's last day will be May 11. Chief Commercial Officer Matthew Siegel will be leading the company's unified sales and marketing team, reporting directly to CEO Patrick Spence.
Harmon Brothers of Squatty Potty fame turn to carpet cleaner
The Harmon Brothers, who created the original Squatty Potty video, are back with a new client, Zerorez, and one of the more entertaining five-minute infomercials you'll see on Facebook. The subject matter is inherently less funny than a stool you use with the toilet, but they do manage to work a reference to fecal matter into this takeoff on telenovelas. The idea is that Zerorez will actually remove filth from carpets rather than moving it around, covering it up and leaving behind soap and other chemical residue.
U by Kotex helps create Alliance for Period Supplies
Sanitary pads and tampons aren't cheap, and they sure aren't free, so women who are homeless or strapped for funds can't afford them. That's why Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s U by Kotex has joined with the National Diaper Bank Network to create the Alliance for Period Supplies, donating an initial round of 2 million period products. Various retailers, starting with CVS, will donate even more over the year in conjunction with shopper-marketing programs. PR shop Ketchum produced a 2-minute launch video with production by Vimby, which will be shared across U by Kotex social channels and shared via such influencers as Nadya Okamoto and obstetrician-gynecologist Jessica Shepherd.
For those spring hair-dids
Hair Cuttery, the salon chain out of Vienna, Virginia, has named Zimmerman Advertising its agency of record. Zimmerman is tasked with strategic planning, creative development and media buying, and will use a "hyper-local" approach. Hair Cuttery also owns brands such as Bubbles and Salon Cielo.
Ciao, Mono
MillerCoors is poised to put more U.S. marketing muscle behind Peroni after hiring a new agency for the Italian import. MDC Partners-owned Mono Minneapolis won the creative account after a competitive review. Previously, Peroni simply used Peroni's global marketing assets and adapted them to the U.S. But with a new agency on board that will change. "Peroni is at an inflection point. It's been growing nicely in high-density, urban markets and we are bringing in Mono to help us think through the next chapter in the Peroni growth story," says Pete Marino, president of MillerCoors' craft and imports division, known as Tenth and Blake.
Pizza Hut celebrates its 60th with a pizza mashup
Pizza Hut has blended two of its more famous pizzas, the Stuffed Crust and the Original Pan, to concoct the Double Cheesy Crust Pan Pizza. The pizza with a mouthful of a name is being sold for a limited time as part of a promotion around the brand's 60th anniversary. The pizza has a ring of cheese baked just inside the edge of the pan pizza crust and a layer of toasted parmesan baked on the crust edge. Marketing includes two TV spots from Tracy-Locke: A 30-second one shows highlights from the brand's past, such as being the allegedly first physical good ever purchased on the internet (accounts vary on that point), while a 15-second one is a bit more about the new pizza.
Would you buy this?
Cherry Cola flavored Oreo cookies, Kettle Corn flavored Oreo cookies and Piña Colada flavored Oreo Thins are now being sold in the U.S. after being chosen as finalists in the My Oreo Creation contest.
Tweet of the week
Hahahahahahaha pic.twitter.com/Z1dUpq3m9q
— Alex Vissaridis (@vizzee) April 30, 2018
Number of the week
48: the percentage of upcoming college grads who plan to shop for professional duds at brick-and-mortar stores, according to a recent survey by Barnes & Noble College, the campus-store operator.
Movers and shakers
Diageo has a new chief marketing officer for North America. The alcohol brand has named Ed Pilkington, who is currently CMO of Diageo Europe, as CMO and chief marketing and innovation officer, Diageo North America. The company also promoted Claudia Schubert to president for U.S. spirits and Canada from general manager, Diageo Continental Europe and Russia.
Real estate company Compass has tapped Khurrum Malik as CMO as it continues to expand its in-house marketing staff. Malik was most recently in charge of global product marketing at Spotify. He replaces Matt Spangler, who was promoted earlier this year to chief creative officer.
Judith Toland is joining Life Fitness, the seller of commercial fitness equipment, as VP, CMO. Toland had been senior VP and global head-customer and strategy office at Wells Fargo, commercial distribution finance.
Contributing: Ann Christine Diaz, Jack Neff, Adrianne Pasquarelli, EJ Schultz, Jessica Wohl