Reading up on the most compelling social media, tech, and brand stories is one of the joys of being the editor of Marketing Dive.
From boxes of bull excrement to auto sales moving online, these are the most important stories of the week.
Volvo shifts most of its retail marketing to the web
For most retail sectors, e-commerce is quite significant—except for the auto industry. That may change in 2015, however, after the announcement that Volvo is shifting its marketing strategies to mostly online. Also scaling back to just a few motor shows a year, Volvo hopes that putting more of a shift to online marketing will take some of the the hassle of buying a car. While Volvo is by no means the most important player in the auto industry, if it proves to be a successful move, we could see more people avoiding the car lot and buying online.
Cards Against Humanity has a simple message for American consumerism
Some 30,000 people got a very surprising box in the mail...actual bull excrement. For a Black Friday sale, the makers of the popular party game decided to promote a new product called 'Bullshit' that, unbeknownst to buyers, was actually a box of literal bull shit.
"We all really hate Black Friday, it’s just kind of a horrible day,” the game's co-creator Max Temkin told Time. To pull off the stunt, the Cards Against Humanity team found a cattle ranch in Texas that sells and ships pasteurized bull feces. While undoubtedly a gross stunt, all proceeds go to Heifer International, a charity that provides livestock to developing countries.
Uber apologizes....again
Oh, Uber. To be such a convenient service that has caught fire so quickly, it sure has gotten itself into some serious PR scrapes this year. This latest one comes from Uber Sydney, which surged its prices during a hostage situation that terrorized the central business district for 17 hours. As people watched the situation unfold on Twitter, some Australian Uber users took to the social site to screenshot the surge announcement from their phone. As criticism grew louder on social media, Uber announced it would be giving users in Syndey's CBD free rides to rectify the situation.
Sony hack reveals Snapchat's ambitions
The mysterious hack in Sony Pictures Entertainment has provided enough watercooler gossip to last for weeks. For the marketing industry, one of the more interesting morals of the hack were the revelations on Snapchat's grand master plan. Michael Lynton—Sony Pictures's CEO and a Snapchat board member—used his Sony email to keep up with the app, which apparently has eyes on the retail and music world.
According to the emails, Snapchat is aiming to zero-in on location-specific data in regards to the retail world and has ambitions to break into the digital music space. Snapchat also quietly acquired Scan, a tech startup specializing in QR codes to market to consumers. The acquisition is in line with Snapchat's "retail takeover," since QR codes are typically used for retail offers. As for Snapchat's feelings on the hacking, CEO Evan Spiegel is apparently "angry" and "devastated" over the leak.