MLB sponsors celebrate end of lockout—and other marketing winners (and losers) of the week

This week's winners, losers and newsmakers. Winners MLB sponsors: The league and players settled their labor dispute, ending a three-month lockout while salvaging a full 162-game schedule, bringing relief to sponsors that would have been forced into tough decisions had the stoppage persisted. Budweiser was among the brands celebrating. Spring travel: A Tripadvisor study this week found that 53% of Americans plan to travel this spring—39% are expecting to take more than one trip. And they’re spending lavishly. The survey found that more than half of those travelers will spend more than they spent in the spring of 2021, and about 23% say they’ll spend “significantly more” than last year. One big caveat: the survey was conducted in late February, when the repercussions of the Ukraine war's effect on gas prices were yet to be realized by most consumers. Get your ticket for the April 5 Ad Age Next: Retail event at AdAge.com/NextRetail. CBS/Turner: The networks sold out March Madness inventory and are getting championship game ad prices of $2 million for 30-seconds. Read more: CBS and Turner sell out March Madness ad inventory Losers Kim Kardashian: The reality TV star drew backlash when she suggested in a profile published in Variety that women in business are not working hard enough. “It seems like nobody wants to work these days,” Kardashian said in the story. Criticism was swift, as many on social media found the advice from Kardashian, whose famous family factored heavily into her pop culture ascent, incredibly tone-deaf. The advice coming right after International Women’s Day did not help. Kim Kardashian telling women in business to get their asses up and work the day after International Womens Day has to be the biggest joke of the year— Annanikpe (@princess_nikpe) March 9, 2022 Adidas: Citing supply chain challenges, Adidas posted a quarterly sales drop this week, disappointing analysts and investors. The sportswear giant said fourth-quarter sales fell 3% to 5.1 billion euros. Adidas also said it plans to shutter Russian operations amid the country’s war with Ukraine. Activision Blizzard: The gaming giant was disinvited from a South by Southwest panel because of sexual harassment allegations that have dogged the company for months. Chief Marketing Officer Fernando Machado (who has not been targeted in the complaints) was replaced on a panel with Amazon Prime Gaming VP of marketing Andrea Cutright, the Washington Post reported this week. Tweet of the week This kit announcement marks an important milestone I never dreamed would happen: me using “kit” correctly in a sentence. https://t.co/uIkNnU5OW7— Ted Lasso (@TedLasso) March 7, 2022 Number of the week 56%: Percentage of U.S. consumers who plan to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year, according to a survey from research firm Numerator. Don’t miss the latest news. Sign up for Ad Age newsletters here. Quote of the week “Normally, I advise riding these situations out. Most of the time, the pressure is short-lived, and it moves on. This is one that transcends business. It could have a lasting impact not just on brands and their reputations, but on their legacy.”—Gene Grabowski, a partner in crisis management firm Kglobal, on how brands should be responding to the war in Ukraine. On the move Outside Interactive, a lifestyle media brand, appointed Amy DuBois Barnett its first chief content officer. She was most recently senior VP and general manager of BET Digital at Paramount. Peloton hired Andrew Rendich as chief supply chain officer. He was formerly chief operating officer at Grove Collaborative. The fitness brand also promoted Shari Eaton to chief people officer from senior VP, global head of people. Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis.

MLB sponsors celebrate end of lockout—and other marketing winners (and losers) of the week

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