Study: Social media ranks No. 1 for holiday ad spending

Facebook will be the most popular platform for ad buying by smaller businesses.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 28, 2018

Campaign Trail: Steak-umm's wild rant; Björn Borg swaps drugs for clothes; Aviation Gin takes flight

One brand gets ultra-woke online while another engages in some shady-sounding activity in our editors' picks for the week.

By Peter Adams , Natalie Black (Koltun) , Chris Kelly • Sept. 28, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Influencer Marketing

Amid a surge in confidence and new platform approaches, brands continue to turn to influencers for fresh content that can reach online consumers.

By Marketing Dive staff

Snapchat expands 3 e-commerce, ad targeting features to all marketers

After the initial test in June, eBay, Guess and Wish boosted engagement rates with their shoppable Collection Ads.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 28, 2018

Nike dishes on Kaepernick campaign risks, results

CEO Mark Parker talked up the effort's positive impact on the brand while a report suggests the controversial ad almost didn't happen. 

By Chantal Tode • Sept. 27, 2018

Punky Colour and YouCam offer virtual hair color trial, one-tap purchasing

Users can purchase their preferred shade directly from Target and Ulta Beauty.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 27, 2018

Liquid-Plumr trends on YouTube with 'Will It Clog?' challenge

The Clorox brand of drain cleaner partnered with​ YouTube channels Vat19 and HellthyJunkFood on the influencer campaign.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 27, 2018

ExxonMobil's influencer campaign generates 1M engagements

The energy giant partnered with YouTube social influencers to demonstrate its Speedpass+ mobile app.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 27, 2018

Facebook opens Stories ads to all advertisers

KFC, iHeartRadio and Kettle Chips reported seeing brand lift from campaigns that used the format.

By Chris Kelly • Sept. 26, 2018

Subway boosts foot traffic 31% by targeting ads based on weather patterns

The sandwich chain used IBM's artificial intelligence technology to create dynamic ads for a sandwich promotion.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 26, 2018

Snap's ad revenue forecast drops 36%, eMarketer says

Automated ad buying has pushed down prices for Snapchat's inventory, even as more marketers are placing ads on the image-messaging platform.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 26, 2018

Dunkin' drops 'Donuts' from its name in new branding

The change is part of the company's efforts to focus on coffee and support digital offerings that cater to on-the-go consumers. 

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 26, 2018

How Facebook's brand can get its humanity back after losing Instagram's 'heart and soul'

Urban Airship's Mike Herrick discusses how Facebook should shift its focus to WhatsApp and make it the digital giant's first subscription-based platform.

By Mike Herrick • Sept. 26, 2018

Study: Just 15% of consumers say social channels influence travel choices

However, half of surveyed leisure travelers report that internet and device connectivity have made their experiences better overall.

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 26, 2018

FabFitFun unboxes Facebook Live video programming

The show includes product demonstrations, DIY tutorials, games and Q&A sessions.

By Dan Alaimo • Sept. 25, 2018

Chipotle shares 2nd Instagram page to drive 'For Real' campaign

As the burrito chain works past several food safety incidents, it aims to emphasize quality ingredients and provide greater transparency into how it sources and prepares food.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 25, 2018

Instagram co-founders jointly resign, will leave in coming weeks

CEO Kevin Systrom and CTO Mike Krieger will pursue other opportunities at a time when the Facebook-owned app is ramping up efforts in content, commerce and more.

By Peter Adams • Sept. 25, 2018

Comic Dive: Permanent Promotions

Brands like Domino's and Arby's have upped the ante on marketing stunts, promising food, money and more to consumers who get tattoos or go to other extreme lengths to show their loyalty. 

By John Hazard and Lisa Burdige • Sept. 25, 2018

Old Spice taps scruffy NFL brothers to promote new Amazon-exclusive beard products

Jason and Travis Kelce sport their facial hair and senses of humor in a series of social media videos and a downloadable poetry book.

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 25, 2018

Snapchat links with Amazon on visual search function

If successful, the new feature could help to generate much sought after m-commerce revenue for parent company Snap.

By Chris Kelly • Sept. 24, 2018

Carvana parades cars wrapped in takeout bags around NYC to promote auto delivery

The vehicle e-commerce site also used on-street digital displays to showcase users' social media photos using hashtag #TheNYCWayToBuyACar. 

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 24, 2018

Cheddar: Facebook readies debut of Portal smart home device

The camera-enabled tech will reportedly have social networking features and Amazon's Alexa assistant built in.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 24, 2018

How brands can use mobile targeting for good

By shifting the focus from how data can be used to benefit a brand to how it can benefit the consumer, marketers can take a massive step forward when it comes to trust, Kiips's Lauren Farricker writes.

By Lauren Farricker • Sept. 24, 2018

Subway's new campaign grilling McDonald's backfires with consumers

An ad depicts the Golden Arches and a high-pitched voice repeating the word "burger" like a racing heart rate monitor, which eventually flatlines. 

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 24, 2018

Ketel One Botanical pairs with influencers, Drizly for girls' night in events

The Diageo-owned vodka brand encourages women to unwind from everyday stresses and savor time with friends over cocktails at home on Sept. 22.

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 21, 2018

Facebook ad spending rebounds but ROI drops significantly, analysis finds

Due to the Cambridge Analytica scandal and ensuing campaign addressing the controversy, consumers may be growing more suspicious of Facebook advertisers.

By Erica Sweeney • Sept. 21, 2018