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‘This claim is disputed’

With Donald Trump looking like he’s not conceding the White House any time soon, some Twitter users have been turning to other tactics to troll the President. And now, brands are joining in.

Ever since the election results, Twitter has been using a new label on many of Trump’s unsubstantiated tweets about electoral fraud: “This claim about voter fraud is disputed.” This week, writes Ad Age’s Ilyse Liffreing, Twitter users turned the “disputed” tag into a meme, placing versions of the label on their own tweets making wildly grandiose claims. Then, brands like Oreo, Burger King and Snickers came to the table. Some turned the meme on its head to promote their products; Oreo  tweeted “Oreo cookies are the best” followed by “This claim has been disputed by no-one.” Snickers, similarly, tweeted “Snickers satisfies” adding “This claim has never and never will be disputed." However, Steak-umm lived up to its reputation for social wit by claiming "Brands are your friend."

Although brands are often worried about taking political stances in these polarized times, it seems that here, it’s being handled as a bit of harmless social fun; a Twitter spokesperson says the memes do not violate any of the platform’s policies.

Georgia (still) on their minds

While we're on the topic of the election, it seems the advertising spend fest is running into overtime, with the upcoming runoff elections for both of Georgia's U.S. senate seats coming up on Jan. 5. As Ad Age’s Simon Dumenco writes, “money is flooding into the peach state” and “it’s the most wonderful time of the year—if you happen to own a TV or radio station in Georgia.”

According to the first Ad Age Campaign Ad Scorecard, Overtime Edition, the tally for the two incumbent senators plus challengers, together with PAC money, is up to a whopping $101 million for the period from Nov. 3 to Jan. 5. By that calculation, each lucky Georgia resident "gets bombarded by nearly $10 worth of ads across just two months."

‘Iconic’ ads

People in our industry often talk about “iconic” advertising, but what exactly does that mean? Ad Age’s I-Hsien Sherwood has taken a comprehensive look at what makes an ad iconic, from Apple’s “1984,” to Goodby Silverstein’s “Got Milk?” campaign for the the California Milk Processor Board, and Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 campaign ad “Daisy” about nuclear war, which “tapped into the worries of a nation in a constant state of existential dread.”

Sherwood also digs into what exactly is going on in our brains when we’re recalling these super-memorable pieces of communication. “During times of stress—real or perceived—the stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol help consolidate memories, to better the recall of information necessary for future survival,” he writes. That might explain why the Super Bowl is such an effective platform.

Mars is feeling Kind

Mars announced yesterday it's buying snack-bar maker Kind North America for an undisclosed amount, with Kind founder Daniel Lubetzky retaining a stake in the brand.

The acquisition isn't entirely unexpected; the two companies had previously partnered in 2017 in an effort to expand Kind products into international markets.  But it's a smart move for the maker of M&Ms, giving it a foothold in the snack bar category where Kind, founded in 2004, has captured market share by marketing itself as healthier and touting simple ingredients without artificial sweeteners. And it comes as consumers have gravitated toward packaged food that’s marketed as natural and without additives in recent years.

A long way to go

There’s been much talk of diversity in the industry this year, but a new study from the Association of National Advertisers reveals just how far it still had to go.

It throws up the pretty unimpressive statistic that just 12% of chief marketing officer positions filled by Black, Hispanic or Asian people, writes Ad Age’s E.J. Schultz. The rate of change is also virtually nil for the past couple of years; white people accounted for 88% of CMO or CMO-equivalent jobs in 2020 and 2019, while Black people hold just 3% of CMO-level jobs, unchanged from 2019 and 2018. However, there is some progress on gender diversity: 52% of top marketer positions are now held by women, up from 47% in 2019 and 45% in 2018.

Just briefly

Keep calm: Katie Shill, senior director of brand marketing at Calm, joins Ad Age’s Jeanine Poggi today on a live edition of “Remotely” to discuss the meditation app's widely-praised election night campaign. Watch it here at 1pm EST.

Work (out) from home: Nikki Neuburger, chief brand officer at Lululemon, is the guest on Ad Age’s “Marketer’s Brief” podcast this week, revealing to Ad Age’s Adrianne Pasquarelli how the yogawear brand has tapped into the growth in online shopping and people working out at home in the pandemic. Listen here.

The return of ‘BBC Dad’: Remember Robert Kelly, the politics professor who went viral as “BBC Dad” when his two kids interrupted him in a live interview? Now Twitter has persuaded him to star in an ad. The digital spot by David Madrid, in which Kelly explains Twitter's new “conversations” feature for brands, sees his kids barrel into the room once again, now a little older but just as exuberant. Take a look over at Creativity. 

That does it for today’s Wake-Up Call, thanks for reading and we hope you are all staying safe and well. For more industry news and insight, follow us on Twitter:@adage. 

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