Marketing winners and losers of the week

This week's winners, losers and newsmakers. Winners Philadelphia cream cheese: The Kraft Heinz brand seized on the nationwide cream cheese shortage by encouraging consumers to buy desserts other than cheesecake this holiday season, and then reimbursing shoppers up to $20 for the cost. While it’s probably just an attempt to collect first-party data, we’ll give Philly points for creativity. MediaLink: It remains to be seen how much the advisory will be able to help talent agency UTA bolster its marketing arm, but MediaLink is at least now freed from Cannes Lion-owner Ascential at a time when the industry event business seems shaky at best. Read more: What MediaLink’s deal with UTA means for advertisers and agencies Steph Curry: The NBA star is already a powerhouse endorser but his stock is soaring in the wake of becoming the league’s all-time three-point shooting leader this week. The game in which he did it—the Warriors vs. Knicks Tuesday on TNT—drew 2.35 million viewers, the fourth-highest audience of the season, reports Sportico. Curry celebrated the shot in the most 2021 way possible—by releasing an NFT that commemorates the record. Profits will go to the foundation run by Curry and his wife Ayesha that benefits children, Eat. Learn. Play. See Ad Age's 2021 Marketers of the Year here. Losers Peloton: The fitness brand gets credit for quickly pulling its “Sex and the City” response ad starring Chris Noth in the aftermath of sexual assault allegations against the actor. But the situation dampens the positive buzz the brand was getting from its fast reaction to Peloton’s appearance in the HBO Max reboot “And Just Like That…,” in which Noth’s character Mr. Big died after a Peloton workout. Read more: What brands can learn about product placement following Peloton’s ‘Sex and the City’ appearance Home improvement industry: After several quarters of growth, home improvement is seeing a downward slide as consumers turn to other investments like travel, a trend long predicted by experts. Lowe’s confirmed as much earlier this week when it announced its revenue forecast to investors. The company expects sales between $94 billion and $97 billion for the year ending in Jan. 2023, which misses analyst expectations. Lowe’s Chief Financial Officer Dave Denton said the “home improvement sector is likely to contract modestly” next year. OpenX: The FTC levied a $2 million fine on the internet ad exchange after finding it secretly collected data including children’s personal information. Tweet of the week Mariah Carey: ♫ All I want for Christmas is you ♫Me: Sorry, due to supply chain issues, you won't be able to have me. But you can have this guy.Mariah Carey: Who's he?Me: I think he's Todd.Todd: I'm Todd.Me: Yeah, he's Todd.— Keaton Patti (@KeatonPatti) December 15, 2021 Number of the week 10%: The rise in national ad spend for November 2021 compared to a year earlier, according to Standard Media Index, which sources invoicing data from all six global ad agency holding companies and major independent agencies. Quote of the week “[Virtual stores] are a chance to form an emotional connection with audiences like millennials and Gen Z who are more accustomed to virtual technologies, and these days see it as a standard that should be met for every brand.”—Naom Levavi, CEO of ByondXR, which builds immersive commerce sites. On the move Claire’s Stores Inc. announced the appointment of marketing veteran Kristin Patrick as chief marketing officer. According to Claire’s website, Patrick has served in the role since March, most recently spearheading the brand’s “Be the Most Festive” holiday campaign. Before Claire's, Patrick was CMO at Eros Innovations and served in marketing roles at PepsiCo and Playboy. Esports brand Evil Geniuses named Krystal Hauserman VP and global head of marketing. She previously worked at WarnerMedia and Fullscreen. Amazon Prime Video hired Snap Chief Creative Officer Leo Macias as its VP of marketing and global activation. Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis.

Marketing winners and losers of the week

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