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During the 2023 and 2022 holiday seasons, marketers cautiously planned for seasonal revenue growth of 10% or less, according to Digiday’s previous holiday surveys. This year, however, brands and retailers are expressing more optimism about 2024 seasonal spending. More than one-third of survey respondents (35%) said that they expect their 2024 holiday revenue to increase 11% to 30% in comparison to their actual 2023 holiday revenue.

Pop-ups are becoming a popular marketing tactic for emerging brands, and Digiday set out to analyze how these brands are approaching such activations. For young CPG brands, year-round investment into standalone pop-up events isn’t feasible. Although the majority of CPG startups included in Digiday’s sample?invested in a pop-up event last year, the capital and resources required to continuously host these events throughout the year are just out of reach for the growing marketing budgets of these startups. Instead, these new brands are showing up at large events as sponsors or investing in exclusive parties for brand partners and influencers, rather than hosting multi-day pop-up activations for the public. In fact, over a 12-month period, these startups sponsored more large ticketed events like music festivals, expos and professional sporting events — and hosted more private invite-only brand parties — than they held standalone pop-ups for the public. Story by Dania Gutierrez-Flores

Throughout 2024, one marketing trend has continued apace: Brand collaborations. To name a few: Oreo and The Coca-Cola Company; Airbnb and Mattel, Inc.’s Polly Pocket; Grubhub and Amazon; Scrub Daddy, Inc. and Dunkin'; multiple feature films (Wicked and Beetlejuice, to name a couple) and several brands (CarMax, Google, Crocs, Stanley 1913, Starbucks). Marketers seem keener than ever to partner up and collaborate with another brand as a way to generate attention for both brands. The approach isn’t just a way to save ad dollars (a reason for brand collaborations in the Super Bowl in previous years) but to help boost the likelihood that people will actually notice what the brands are doing in an increasingly cluttered and fragmented landscape. In this piece by Kristina Monllos, we speak to Laurie Lam of E.L.F. BEAUTY, Olivia Newman of Campbell Ewald, Jonny Shaw of VCCP, Rafael Pitanguy of VML, and Paul Furia of Media by Mother.

In the age of social media, algorithms and viral content, social media users are increasingly looking for ways to stretch the concept of?“15 minutes of fame” into full time careers?as content creators, influencers and media personalities. Recently, thanks to TikTok, that arc has played out with viral trends like Jools Lebron, the creator behind the “very demure, very mindful” trend, or Haliey Welch’s “Hawk Tuah” viral moment. Both Lebron and Welch join a long list of names who are working to take bursts of notoriety into sustainable careers. Notably, Lauren Speed-Hamilton and Cameron Hamilton have had a five-year go at this since first appearing on the hit Netflix show “Love Is Blind” back in 2020. Since then, the couple has sketched out somewhat of a playbook for capitalizing on virality and turning it into a viable career path. Last month, the couple launched The Love Seat podcast with sponsorship opportunities for brands. “I remember Lauren saying that we don’t know how big the buzz of this show is going to be, how long it’s going to sustain itself. That was something we both understood early on,” said Cameron Hamilton, on a recent episode of the Digiday Podcast. “So we said, let’s hit the ground running and create as much content as we physically can.”

Facebook recently announced that “views” would be the main metric used to measure how all content is performing on the platform, combining metrics like “plays” and “impressions.” Five publishing execs told Digiday this new primary metric is just another way of measuring impressions, and the change has no impact on their Facebook strategy. Facebook’s decision?—?which follows in the footsteps of sister site Instagram’s move to make views its main measurement in August — is another example of Meta’s focus on engagement on the platform (rather than sending users off to other sites). In this piece by Sara Guaglione, we speak to Wesley Bonner of BDG, and Chris Anthony of Gallery Media Group.

After weeks of intense testimony and mountains of evidence, the Department of Justice and Google rested their case with?closing arguments?in the Google adtech?antitrust trial?in federal court. Making the government’s case Monday morning, DOJ attorneys cited the Charles Dickens novel “A Tale of Two Cities” to contrast Google’s portrayal of a thriving sector industry with the darker reality faced by publishers and adtech providers. Meanwhile, Google’s lawyers challenged the government’s interpretation of the market as insufficient to prove harm and described an industry with growth, innovation and plenty of competition. In this piece by Marty Swant, we speak to Roger Alford of University of Notre Dame, Megan Gray of GrayMatters Law & Policy, Karina Montoya Guevara of Open Markets Institute, and Elise P. of Public Knowledge.

As shoppers navigate economic challenges, they’re looking for loyalty programs that offer both value and a personal touch. With this in mind, brands and retailers are revisiting their loyalty initiatives with the understanding that discounts alone aren’t enough for customer retention. Sponsored by Marigold.

As Netflix dives further into games, the company is using Roblox to get its original properties in front of more eyes. Netflix’s?“Nextworld”?Roblox experience —?a virtual world filled with characters, settings and mini-games from Netflix shows and films such as “Stranger Things,” “One Piece” and “Rebel Moon” —?launched in May. Since then, the streaming platform has gradually populated the space with an increasing number of assets from its original properties. In this piece by Alexander Lee, we speak to Nate Spell of Barrier Four, Kerry Waananen, and Sami Barnett of TMA.