Dinosaurs and delis: How Tool of North America crafts epic experiences for Amazon

Two executives at the agency detail how it created innovative activations around "Jurassic World" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" for the tech giant turned cross-channel marketing platform.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 18, 2018

TikTok makes first UK marketing push for the holidays

The festive campaign includes a series of hashtags and challenges related to Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 18, 2018

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Retail Marketing

Top stories that underscore the leading influences on retail marketing, including Gen Z, pop culture and generative AI.

By Marketing Dive staff

National brands rein in ad spend growth on Facebook, analysis finds

A desire for brand-safe environments is leading some national marketers to slow their pace with the social giant, according to Standard Media Index.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 18, 2018

Celebs, humor dominate YouTube's top ads of 2018

Amazon's "Alexa Loses Her Voice" topped the 2018 leaderboard with more than 50 million views.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 17, 2018

KFC, Tide, Nike among brands that 'won' Twitter in 2018

U.S. Head of Brand Strategy Ryan Oliver highlights brands that have mastered the social media platform.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 17, 2018

Conscious Minds promotes iTunes movie release with Instagram vending machines

The creative agency stocked machines with fake goods that parody social media features as part of a campaign for its documentary "Social Animals."

By Robert Williams • Dec. 17, 2018

Wendy's shares a syrupy holiday tale on Twitter

Illustrated "'Twas the Night Before Maple Syrup Day" tweets encourage fans to sample the chain's new Maple Bacon Chicken Sandwich.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 17, 2018

Before giving 'the talk' to my tween, I ran it through with some CMOs

A familiar conversation parallels why brands must rethink their social media approach, writes Something Massive founder Rebecca Coleman.

By Rebecca Coleman • Dec. 17, 2018

Esurance unrolls 'Surprisingly Painless Gifting' with Dennis Quaid wrapping paper

A limited-edition line of gift wrap, cards, boxes and tags featuring snarky messages and the actor's mug aims to ease stress around the holidays.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 14, 2018

Facebook Watch expands ad sales to 40 countries

As the social network maxes out ad inventory on its core News Feed, Facebook is seeking fresh ways to grow sales after missing analyst expectations for Q3.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 14, 2018

'Fortnite,' ASMR dominate Instagram trends this year

The annual analysis gives marketers insight into consumer interests and could guide them in developing campaigns that resonate.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 14, 2018

Diageo accused of running extensive, noncompliant Ciroc influencer campaign

Ad watchdog TINA collected more than 1,700 Instagram posts, more than one-third of which were shared by Sean "Diddy" Combs. Diddy deleted all but two after being notified of the findings.

By Peter Adams • Dec. 13, 2018

Digital represents 14% of movie ad budgets but drives 46% of revenue, study finds

TV accounted for 82% of marketing budgets and drove just 42% of media-driven box office revenue, while every dollar spent on Facebook brought a nearly $8 return on ad spend.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 13, 2018

Adidas pairs with Snapchat for AR sneaker try-on

The shoemaker's latest collaboration with the messaging platform removes friction in the shopping process before the shoes' Dec. 15 release.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 13, 2018

Philadelphia's holiday smart bowl snitches on double dippers

The Kraft Heinz brand's novelty "Double Diptector" pairs with a mobile app to warn hosts about the ultimate party foul.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 13, 2018

KFC's scented firelog, Busch's sound button continue quirky holiday merchandise trend

Busch is hosting a contest to give away a button that emits a sound like a can of beer being opened, while KFC's fried chicken-scented firelog is for sale online.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 13, 2018

Vitaminwater urges consumers to quit their smartphones in new sweepstakes

Interestingly, the method for entering the contest is built around smartphone participation with a focus on two mobile-first social platforms: Instagram and Twitter.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 13, 2018

Jaguar, HGTV star unveil a mobile holiday window in NYC

The carmaker also partnered with Pinterest to let users digitally unwrap special Pins and explore 360-degree views of the decorated truck.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 12, 2018

Acura revs up Instagram Stories with car customizer, Giphy stickers

Fans can build their dream 2019 ILX sports sedan and enter their design to be featured by social media influencers.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 12, 2018

Instagram tests special accounts for social influencers

The piloted software tools may help influencers manage a social following.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 12, 2018

Facebook tests search ads in results pages, Marketplace

The search ads are repurposed News Feed ads that appear only on mobile and direct users to external websites. 

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 12, 2018

Survey: Half of diners rely on friends, family — not Instagram — for restaurant suggestions

Only 7% of U.S. consumers have ordered a menu item because they saw an influencer share it on social media, according to a SevenRooms report.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 11, 2018

Calvin Klein adopts digital-first approach, leaving print ads behind

The brand plans to post more frequently on its social media platforms, work with more micro-influencers and host local activations.

By Erica Sweeney • Dec. 11, 2018

Comic Dive: Stroke of Midnight at the Influencers Ball

Payless fooled influencers with the fake luxury of its Palessi stunt, but not all the buzz was positive.​

By John Hazard and Lisa Burdige • Dec. 11, 2018

W Hotels boosts website traffic with St. Vincent YouTube videos

The hotel chain's website saw 39% of social referral traffic from YouTube, twice the industry average.

By Robert Williams • Dec. 11, 2018