Coca-Cola plans to boost marketing as lockdowns ease and sales drop 28%

The beverage giant’s plans include eliminating “zombie brands,” ramping up advertising investment and scaling e-commerce and digital efforts.

By Robert Williams • July 22, 2020

Back-to-school advertising activity drops 50% from last year, study says

As consumers continue to avoid in-store browsing, many back-to-school campaigns are moving to TV this year.

By Dianna Christie • July 21, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Consumer Packaged Goods

If CPGs can adeptly adjust to emerging mandates, they have an opportunity to strengthen their brands.  

By Marketing Dive staff

65% of Americans think brands should take a stand against racism, study says

Nearly two-thirds of Americans aren’t completely sure that removing racist brand mascots or labels will make a big difference, with 31% saying companies should first get rid of racial bias within their organization.

By Dianna Christie • July 17, 2020

NBA, Sprite find more reward than risk with BLM ads, study says

As more brands wade in with messaging related to the racial justice movement, new research shows ads can be empowering without being exploitative.

By Dianna Christie • July 15, 2020

ANA: Content marketing budgets jumped before pandemic

The percentage of advertisers expressing a “strong commitment” to content marketing doubled to 52% from 26% two years earlier.

By Robert Williams • July 15, 2020

Marketers to focus ad spend on regional, digital media in 2020’s 2nd half

Advertisers will continue to shift priorities, with about half planning to trim Q3 spending, a slight improvement from the 72% that lowered spending in the prior quarter.

By Robert Williams • July 14, 2020

Majority of consumers won’t return to economic activities for 1 month or longer, survey finds

However, activity could return sooner in some categories, including anything related to staycations or financial services, according to Kantar.

By Dianna Christie • July 14, 2020

Consumer habits rapidly evolved in H1 2020. Here’s what could stick

Several trends accelerated by the pandemic, including e-commerce, are becoming integral to marketing strategies, but there may be deeper psychological shifts to consider.

July 13, 2020

Key marketing stats that define the 1st half of 2020

Campaigns, industry changes, spending and results from the first six months, broken down by the numbers.

By Marketing Dive • July 13, 2020

9 pivotal campaigns that show how marketing transformed in H1

Rocked by disruption, marketers were pressed to address both a pandemic and racial injustice amid slashed budgets. Some efforts stood out with fresh creative, a hopeful tone or tangible action.

By Peter Adams , Chris Kelly , Chantal Tode • July 13, 2020

Starbucks leads in forging emotional connections among fast food brands, study says

The impact of positive emotions on performance has been mixed during a crisis that’s delivered an unprecedented hit to restaurants.

By Dianna Christie • July 10, 2020

Study: Most Americans say brands should respond to Black Lives Matter movement

One-fifth of Americans said they would stop buying from a brand perceived to have behaved hypocritically on the issues of racial injustice and police brutality.

By Robert Williams • July 10, 2020

Gen Z wants brands to be ‘fun,’ ‘authentic’ and ‘good,’ study says

With high expectations for digital experiences, 82% of the cohort say they trust a company more if it uses images of real customers in its advertising.

By Robert Williams • July 8, 2020

Pandemic-related WFH policies spur burnout for 73% of marketers

Stress and longer hours are pushing marketing professionals to seek new employment, a Fishbowl survey found.

By Dianna Christie • July 7, 2020

DTC brands struggled with profitability prior to COVID-19. Now what?

While the pandemic provided some relief to high customer acquisition costs in the near term, it doesn’t necessarily equal long-term profit.

By Caroline Jansen • July 6, 2020

Ads for purpose, product topped Q2’s most empowering ranking

Frito-Lay and Tide generated emotional responses from viewers around when the pandemic kicked into full force, Ace Metrix found.

By Dianna Christie • July 6, 2020

Gartner: CMOs prioritize brand strategy amid pandemic-related budget cuts

Fifty-nine percent of CMOs predict their marketing budgets will lift in 2021, an outlook Gartner warns may be too optimistic during the pandemic.

By Robert Williams • July 1, 2020

Amazon’s brand value tops $400B, while TikTok debuts on top 100

Companies investing in long-term marketing are managing to survive the pandemic and still add brand value, according to the latest BrandZ rankings.

By Dianna Christie • June 30, 2020

Beverage makers disproportionately market sugary beverages to Black, Hispanic youth

Total sugary drink advertising expenditures increased 41% in 2018 as compared to 2013, according to a study from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.

By Dianna Christie • June 29, 2020

ANA: Marketers believe innovation drives brand growth, but many don’t have time for it

While 84% of marketers expect brand growth to be connected to innovation and technology, 45% said they spend a quarter or less of their time on both.

By Dianna Christie • June 26, 2020

Brands blocking ads on Black Lives Matter-related keywords draws criticism

Content related to George Floyd and protests saw 57% lower monetization rates than other news content as advertisers avoid related keywords, according to Vice Media Group.

By Dianna Christie • June 25, 2020

Back to school? Maybe

As summer rolls on, the COVID-19 pandemic promises to interfere with one of retail’s most important annual shopping seasons.

By Daphne Howland • June 24, 2020

McDonald’s, P&G wade into ‘danger zone’ with Black Lives Matters ads, study says

Both brands created ads perceived by viewers as more exploitative than empowering, a challenge as marketers look to support the social justice movement.

By Dianna Christie • June 23, 2020

Google’s 2020 ad revenue will dip 5.3% due to COVID-19, eMarketer says

The search giant has been hit by a lack of travel ads due to the pandemic, and as Amazon and Facebook continue to nab online ad sales.

By Dianna Christie • June 23, 2020

Marketers invested in digital tools were quicker to pivot when pandemic hit, study says

Looking ahead, two-thirds of marketers anticipate a move away from agency to in-house content creation and management.

By Dianna Christie • June 22, 2020