Marketing winners and losers of the week

This week's marketing winners, losers and newsmakers. Winners United Airlines: The carrier brought in quarterly results that flew above analyst expectations. Revenue, of $12.4 billion, was 14% higher than the 2019 pre-pandemic period and an $843 million profit was up 31% from the 2019 period, United reported. Clever marketing, including a focus on sustainability and flexible scheduling, has helped the brand gain ground in the travel space. Under Armour: A jury sided with the Baltimore-based sportswear brand over a four-year-old trademark dispute with women’s activewear brand Armorina. Under Armour alleged that New York-based Armorina “misappropriates a core of Under Armour’s branding and combines it with the feminine suffix INA,” which could confuse consumers. Brach's: The brand’s candy hearts will come with some “Friends” nostalgia this Valentine’s Day. Each one will include a quote from the classic 90s sitcom, including “Ur my lbstr,” “Moo point,” and “on a break.” It’s not an original formula—other brands have channeled the show in recent years, including Lego and Pottery Barn. But it’s hard to go wrong tapping into one of the most successful shows in TV history. Brach’s worked with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products on its limited-edition offering. Ad Age events Sign up for events and awards Learn more here Losers Party City: The specialty retail chain known for its party products filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week, amid ongoing struggles to compete with larger retailers. The party has been on the wane for years; according to a CNN report, Party City lost money annually between 2019 and 2021, was expected to lose $199 million in 2022 and had a stock price that fell under $1 on average for 30 trading days. Procter & Gamble: Hefty prices are taking their toll on companies–the latest victim is Procter & Gamble, which this week reported sales declines and lower profits in its quarterly earnings. Sales fell 6%, which follows price increases of 10% for the quarter. Experts expect P&G to be one of the first of many CPG companies to show declines based on continuing inflation. Microsoft: The tech giant was the latest to cut costs by trimming its headcount. Microsoft said this week that it will lay off 10,000 workers, amounting to 5% of its employees. The company said customers are being more careful with their dollars as some parts of the world suffer a recession and other parts brace for further economic declines. Microsoft follows Coinbase, Crypto.com, Stitch Fix and Amazon, all of which also announced layoffs this month. Tweet of the week Let's play "AI or Actual Ad?"One of these imported sports car ads was written by AI. The other is from an actual banner ad. Which one's the real ad?1) Style. Power. Luxury.2) Performance and driving thrills.— John Long (@janthonylong) January 18, 2023 Read the thread to find out the answer! Number of the week 31%: Increase in price of a dozen refrigerated eggs, from $3.67 for the four-week period ending Oct. 9 to $4.22 for the four-week period ending Jan. 1, according to Spins, which provides in-store sales data. Quote of the week “As we get more and more into the post-Covid world of everyone having a side hustle, it’s getting very, very difficult to enforce noncompetes.”— Anomaly Founding Partner Jason DeLand on employment clauses that prevent employees from leaving to work for a competitor. agreements that keep said. Read more: Noncompete clauses in advertising—how FTC’s proposed ban could impact industry On the move Ann Lewnes, Adobe’s CMO and executive VP for corporate strategy and development since 2006, announced her retirement. The company is searching for her replacement. Volkswagen of America promoted Rachael Zaluzec into the newly created role of senior VP of customer experience and brand marketing. She had been VP of customer experience and digital strategy. The move comes six months after the marketer’s senior VP of marketing, Kimberley Gardiner, departed. She is now CMO at Tractor Supply Co. Neiman Marcus hired Nabil Aliffi as chief brand officer, a newly created position. He had been global chief creative officer of Soho House & Co. The department store also promoted Stefanie Tsen Ward to chief retail officer, also a newly created position, from senior VP of customer engagement. Zillow hired Beverly Jackson as VP of brand and product marketing. She had been head of global brand at Twitter. Hallmark Media hired Emily Powers as executive VP of streaming and digital platforms. She had been head of North American business at BritBox. Pinterest expanded the role of Chief Marketing Officer Andréa Mallard to chief marketing and communications officer. Web3 marketing trailblazers Entries are open for our first official Web3 honorific Enter here

Marketing winners and losers of the week

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