Marketing winners and losers of the week

This week’s marketing winners, losers and newsmakers. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Winners Barbie The Mattel-owned doll maker introduced an Aaliyah Barbie, named after the R&B singer who died in 2001, as part of its Signature Series. Selling for $55, the doll hit Mattel’s site on what would have been Aaliyah’s 46th birthday, Jan. 16. It quickly sold out within minutes. For those shoppers who missed out, a Barbie brand spokeswoman said the dolls will also begin selling at Target later this month. The Aaliyah Barbie sold out in 2 secs I knew I wasn’t the only millennial that wanted one 🥹— M.O.E 💸 (@Coco_Dinero_) January 16, 2025 I cannot believe the Aaliyah Barbie doll is sold out 😩😩😩 omggg— Eb. ♑️ (@OhHeyEbony) January 16, 2025 Skechers The footwear brand worn by the likes of Martha Stewart, Snoop Dogg and now basketball players such as Terance Mann is now the third-largest shoe company by sales, reported the Wall Street Journal, which cited an expected revenue goal of $10 billion by 2026. Skechers is planning an ad in the Super Bowl this year as it continues to market the “everyman” appeal of its brand and promote a message of comfortable footwear. Super Bowl commercials Tracking the latest brand and agency plans Click here Toyota The automaker got a nice shout-out from the owner of a 2013 Tacoma whose house was burned in one of the Los Angeles wildfires. While Brandon Sanders’ residence was destroyed, his pickup survived. “Even the Eaton fire can’t kill a Tacoma. Let’s go places,” he boasted, repeating the brand’s tagline in a YouTube video published Jan. 11 that has that has drawn more than 16,000 views. While his keys were lost in the fire, Envision Toyota of West Covina got him a new key for free, Automotive News reported. Losers Big food A host of food brands must reformulate their products after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week announced a decision to ban the artificial food dye Red 3, which has been found to cause cancer in rats. CBS News rounded up some of the brands potentially affected. In a separate move, the FDA is proposing new food warning labels that would have to be placed on the front of packages (today they are on the back) that would include information such as sodium, added sugar and saturated fat, characterizing the levels of each as “Low,” “Med,” or “High.” The Consumer Brands Association is against the move, calling it “based upon opaque methodology” while criticizing the FDA’s “disregard of industry input and collaboration.” Robust research shows front-of-package labels can provide consumers a quick and easy way to identify foods that can be part of a healthy diet so you can glance, grab, and go. https://t.co/Tm2LSX3GqJ pic.twitter.com/bvkDLHtNtV— U.S. FDA (@US_FDA) January 14, 2025 Kohl’s The department store chain said it will close 27 stores as it deals with falling sales. The stores are in underperforming locations across the country, with multiple shops in California, Illinois, Ohio and Virginia. Competitor Macy’s is also closing more stores amid lackluster shopping demand. General Motors The Federal Trade Commission punished GM and its OnStar unit over claims the automaker was not transparent about how it used geolocation data and driving behavior information that the agency says can be collected as often as every three seconds. The OnStar enrollment process for data collection is “confusing and misleading,” the FTC alleged, noting that “many consumers were unaware of these practices and complained to GM after finding out that their driving habits were being used by insurance companies to set their rates.” Under a settle GM and OnStar will be banned for five years from disclosing sensitive geolocation and driver behavior data to consumer reporting agencies. Capital One The financial giant was accused in a lawsuit by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of bilking its customers out of $2 billion. The lawsuit alleges that Capital One purposely deceived customers by offering two very similar savings account products, one with a higher interest rate, and did not allow employees to market the one that would yield higher returns, according to the New York Times. Quote of the week “It’s not out of the question for other platforms [beyond Instagram and YouTube] to rise up quickly, because audiences follow people, not necessarily the platforms. As much as the platform matters, the connection between creator and audience matters more.” —Holly Jackson, VP of influencer marketing innovation and insights at Traackr, the influencer marketing platform, on social media alternatives to TikTok. Read more: How TikTok alternatives are competing for brands and creators Social post of the week oh so NOW you’re learning mandarin— Duolingo (@duolingo) January 14, 2025 Number of the week 11.3 million Number of views thus far of a TikTok video posted earlier this week by Australian bootmaker UGG Since 1974 about its trademark lawsuit with Deckers Outdoor Corp., which owns UGG in the U.S. @uggsince1974 We’re being sued by Deckers Outdoor Corporation - you know them as UGG with the big G in the middle. Watch the whole video for the details. We can’t thank you enough for welcoming our SINCE 74 mark with open arms. SINCE 74 is an ode to our heritage, handcrafting the world’s most bespoke Australian made sheepskin boots for 50 years. More information to follow. Stay tuned and be sure to sign up to our mailing list for our major updates. #uggsince1974 ♬ original sound - UGG Since 1974 On the move Planet Fitness hired Brian Povinelli as chief marketing officer. He had been global head of marketing and brand at Marriott International. Saks Global promoted Kristin Maa to CMO from senior VP of growth. Drew Panayiotou, who in late 2024 was hired as chief marketing officer, U.S. refreshment beverages for Keurig Dr Pepper, was promoted to also oversee U.S. coffee as well as enterprise marketing services. LinkedIn hired Jessica Jensen as chief marketing and strategy officer. She was previously CMO at Indeed. Fashion technology platform SSense promoted T. Haein Dorin to global head of marketing from global head of partnerships. Become an All Access subscriber Get access to exclusive resources including Leading National Advertisers, World’s Largest Advertisers, Agency Report, Agency Review Tracker and TV Pricing Report. Click here

Marketing winners and losers of the week

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