Marketing winners and losers of the week

This week’s marketing winners, losers and newsmakers. Winners Katy Perry: The singer may not have attended the Met Gala, but a clever post created with AI got her plenty of attention nevertheless. Earlier this week, Perry posted an AI-generated image of herself, clad in a flower applique-laden gown, at the event, with the caption, “couldn’t make it to the MET, had to work.” The May 6 Instagram post, which apparently fooled even Perry’s own mother, attracted 109,700 mentions across all platforms, creating an estimated $3.1 million in earned media value, according to Sprout Social, which analyzes social media trends. However, an NPR story points out that Perry herself joined 200 other artists in signing a letter to tech platforms and digital music services about the dangers of AI, particularly regarding its devaluing the rights of human artists. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) 7-Eleven: The convenience store chain also got some earned media when a travel influencer’s post went viral this week. The Instagram post from @twosometravellers used the “I was today years old” meme to point out the inconsistency of the “n” as the only lowercase letter in the 7-Eleven logo. The post resulted in some 18.8 million views, according to logo review site Brand New. A representative from 7-Eleven did not respond to an inquiry about how the chain plans to capitalize on the surge. Today on Brand New (Linked): An Instagram reel from @twosometravellers has gone viral with 18.8 million views as one half of Alex and James Lock (two travel content creators), notices that the “n” in the 7-Eleven logo is the only lowercase letter. https://t.co/AgsV3RJ09r pic.twitter.com/scNQ9tNW1b— UnderConsideration (@ucllc) May 8, 2024 Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Reddit: The social media company wowed investors with a strong quarterly earnings report, Reddit’s first since going public. The company said its daily active users rose 37% from a year earlier, to 82.7 million, surpassing the 77 million analysts anticipated. In addition, Reddit said revenue rose 48% to $243 million for the quarter; ad revenue was up 39% to $222.7 million. Losers Apple: The tech giant is feeling the pain from a rare ad miss as people pounce on a new spot that promotes its thinnest iPad ever by showing creative objects—including cans of paint and a piano— being slowly crushed. Critics say the ad devalues creativity, something Apple has long stood for. Apple apologized on Thursday and said it would no longer run the ad on TV. Read more: Apple ‘Crush’ ad gets crushed by critics I felt sad when I saw creative tools such as musical instruments and cameras being destroyed. I don't think the creators will like this video. Is it my Japanese sensibility that makes me feel this way?— Takuta (@Takuta) May 7, 2024 I think the ad would work much better if it was reversed. All the objects should be expanding out of the iPad rather than being crushed into itmade this edited version in five minutes (thanks iMovie!) pic.twitter.com/TZxzpuYzXu— kepano (@kepano) May 8, 2024 Degree: The Unilever antiperspirant brand was reprimanded by the BBB National Programs’ National Advertising Division for marketing that touts the superiority of Degree over Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice. The group, which runs the industry’s self-regulations program, recommended that Degree discontinue claims that the antiperspirant completely prevents underarm sweat, while modifying one commercial to avoid suggesting that Degree provides superior wetness prevention to Old Spice. The NAD found that ads—including social media videos for a “Gray T-Shirt Challenge” campaign—exaggerated what evidence supported. P&G initiated the complaint. Unilever stated that it will comply with the ruling but it “respectfully disagrees with NAD’s interpretation of the claims at issue.” P&G is on a bit of an NAD winning streak—in April, the Pampers owner got Huggies-owner Kimberly-Clark to tone down “best-fitting diaper” claims. @marlee_smith_ Join me & Degree in the #DegreeTshirtChallenge to show us how the Advanced 72-hour non-stop sweat & odor protection holds up for you! #degreepartner ♬ original sound - Marlee Smith New York Mets: The MLB franchise absorbed charges of sexism and infidelity this week after mascot Mrs. Met announced that her X content would now live at the account of her stitch-headed counterpart, Mr. Met. (Couples with joint X accounts signal one of them has been unfaithful, according to social media legend). Stepping back to the traditions of the 50s, all social media posts intended for Mrs Met should be directed to her husband’s attention. pic.twitter.com/9B1MJCpBBL— Pat Kiernan (@patkiernan) May 6, 2024 I’m blaming Mr. & Mrs. Met’s divorce as to why the Mets have lost 10 outta the last 14 games. Can’t focus on baseball when a family crisis is unfolding. Fix the family @StevenACohen2!!! https://t.co/ubHRY4vKAf— Ryan Hickey (@Ryan_Hickey3) May 6, 2024 Quote of the week “This will be buzzworthy.”—Craig Sloan, president of Playfly Sports, the sports media and marketing firm that secured a sponsorship deal for the Arizona Bowl that will make the college football game the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop. Social post of the week In 1996, McDonald's drove collectors insane by releasing a 101 Dalmatians Happy Meal toy set with ONE HUNDRED AND ONE DIFFERENT TOYS. pic.twitter.com/5JJwm0JSiU— Consumer Time Capsule (@consumertc) May 9, 2024 Number of the week $33.5 billion: Estimated amount consumers will spend on Mother’s Day this year, down slightly from last year’s $35.7 billion spend, according to the National Retail Federation. On the move LIV Golf has named Adam Harter as its new chief marketing officer Harter has more than 22 years of experience at PepsiCo, where he most recently served as senior VP of media, sports and entertainment, where his duties included overseeing sports partnerships and the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Read more on LIV’s marketing approach Wendy’s Global CMO Carl Loredo is headed to Pizza Hut to serve as the chain’s president, reports Restaraunt Business, which notes that Wendy’s U.S. CMO Lindsay Radkoski will be added to the burger chain’s senior leadership team in the wake of Loredo’s exit. WNBA legend Candace Parker was named president of women’s basketball for Adidas, according to Front Office Sports. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Marketing winners and losers of the week

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