ADWEEK

The Marketing Vanguard Awards recognize the most impactful chief marketing officers. These are CMOs who have powered themselves and their organizations, proving themselves indispensable to their CEOs, their colleagues, their teams, their boards, and ultimately their businesses.? Through their work, they are exceeding the standard of effective marketing leadership and paving the way for the next generation of marketing leaders.? Read more here: https://adweek.it/3O2AR6r ? Congrats to this year's winners ???? Ilona Aman (Formerly Stepanyants), chief marketing officer, Athleta? Leslie Berland, evp and chief marketing officer, Verizon? Jonathan Bottomley, evp and global chief marketing officer, Calvin Klein? Chris Brandt, chief brand officer and chief marketing officer, Chipotle? Phil Cook, chief marketing officer, WNBA? Paulie Dery chief marketing officer, AG1? Asmita Dubey, chief digital and marketing officer, L’Oréal Group? George Felix, chief marketing officer, Chili’s? Norm de Greve, global chief marketing officer, General Motors? Marissa Jarratt, evp, chief marketing and sustainability officer, 7-Eleven? Ramon Jones, evp and chief marketing officer, Nationwide? Zach Kitschke, chief marketing officer, Canva? Melody Lee, chief marketing officer, Mercedes-Benz? Vineet Mehra chief marketing officer, Chime? Alice Milligan, chief marketing officer, Morgan Stanley? Kenneth Mitchell, svp and chief marketing officer, Levi’s? Jim Mollica, chief marketing officer, Bose? Carrie Palin, svp and chief marketing officer, Cisco? Nicole Parlapiano, chief marketing officer, Tubi? Karuna Rawal, chief marketing officer and chief revenue officer, Nature’s Fynd? Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer, American Express? Maggie Schmerin, chief advertising officer, United Airlines? Alex Schultz, chief marketing officer and vp, analytics, Meta? Kate Trumbull, evp and global chief marketing officer, Domino’s? Vanessa Wallace, chief marketing officer, Savage X Fenty? Shannon Watkins, evp, chief brand, marketing and communications officer, Fiserv

Jaguar’s “rebrand” has set the internet ablaze. We spoke to several creatives about what went wrong. ?? https://adweek.it/48Y7X0V

Hey Sharks! I’ve always loved Gap for how it’s defined & kept a pulse on culture. Call them butter because they’re on a roll! From the iconic ad with Tula to Troye Sivan, they know what it takes to play on nostalgia yet cater to Gen Z. I spoke with Global CMO Fabiola Torres to get the formula. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/d7kDpVXs

EXCLUSIVE: GEICO CMO Damon Burrell is stepping down after nearly three years as the insurance giant’s top marketer. https://adweek.it/4hXAtUm

Google has implemented a significant update to its Site Reputation Abuse policy, targeting a longstanding SEO practice where publishers allow third-party vendors to publish affiliate content on their websites. The practice involves vendors creating product recommendations with affiliate links that benefit from the host publisher's strong search authority, with both parties sharing the revenue. A notable example is Forbes Marketplace creating financial content for CNN Underscored, though the third-party nature of this content is often unclear to consumers. This practice, sometimes called "parasite SEO," has been identified as problematic due to its lack of transparency and is now being addressed through Google's policy update. Read more — https://adweek.it/3OhHbah

Dollars spent advertising on posters, billboards, and other OOH placements climbed to $2.04 billion between July and September, according to U.S. trade group the OAAA. The amount represents a 4.3% increase compared to the same time last year and an all-time high for the third quarter. Overall, the OOH category has grown 4.6% so far this year. “We are excited to see another record-breaking quarter for OOH, underscoring its enduringrelevance and effectiveness in today’s media landscape,” Anna Bager, president and CEO of the OAAA, said in a statement. https://adweek.it/3V5tDlN

Caitlin Clark just wrapped up a WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) Rookie of the Year season with the Indiana Fever, but State Farm and Disney Advertising have been valuable teammates as well in 2024. The University of Iowa star teamed up with the insurer and The Walt Disney Company on both a docuseries and the CLIO Awards-winning spot "Inner Baller" just before launching her pro career earlier this year. Now, with the NCAA women's basketball season tipping off, Clark rejoins Jake from State Farm and Cassidy Hubbarth from Disney's ESPN for a new "Rookie Move" spot touting the benefits of auto insurance. After State Farm signed Clark to its first NIL deal in 2023, it followed her record-breaking, viewership-boosting college campaign into the 2024 WNBA Draft—with State Farm billboards touting her achievements in Times Square and Jake from State Farm congratulating her on being the No. 1 pick. ESPN’s broadcast of the WNBA Draft ultimately drew 2.45 million viewers (and a peak of nearly 3.1 million)—almost four times the previous draft record for viewership—and television data firm EDO noted that viewers were 275% more likely to engage with State Farm ads that aired during the draft than typical primetime ads. During Clark's rookie year, ESPN averaged 1.2 million WNBA regular season viewers (up 170% from 2023), 3.4 million WNBA All-Star viewers (up 305% year over year), and more than 429,000 WNBA Countdown viewers (up 80%). “We’ve found leveraging endemic athlete talent, like Caitlin Clark or Sue Bird or broadcast talent like Cassidy Hubbarth or Charissa Thompson, in this platform authentically engages viewers and performs incredibly well,” State Farm's Alyson Griffin told ADWEEK. “We find value in tapping into the power and reach of the State Farm plus ESPN audience combined to tell a broader story of how we’re showing up in sports and sports culture,?which is?a key component of our marketing strategy.”

Sports sponsorships can be transformative for brands, but unclear pricing often clouds decision-making. A new report from SponsorUnited shares data-driven insights so you can negotiate smarter and maximize your impact. #sponsored https://adweek.it/4fDqnpY

Norwegian soccer player Erling Haaland is no ordinary athlete. Beats by Dre enlisted the star footballer for a new spot called “Ordinary is for everyone else,” highlighting Haaland’s knack for unique training methods and his affinity for nature. Created by Uncommon Creative Studio, the ad sees the footballer using various Beats by Dre devices, like its Solo 4 headphones and Fit Pro earbuds, to stay locked in while working out in the Norwegian woods. Read more — https://adweek.it/40Vz1vu

*That's my line* OWOAHWOAHAHOOOaOOaoO" With Wicked set to be released tomorrow, we've decided to round up some standout partnerships the Universal Pictures movie acquired. https://adweek.it/40XVmIZ