August

So the calendar is telling me it’s the end of August. Here in the UK at least, it doesn’t feel like summer has started yet, let alone ended. As I write this, raindrops hammer against the window, the sky is a deep shade of moody grey, and I’m chilly despite wearing some very fluffy socks (side note: isn’t working from home great?).

As we move into September, the schools go back and the seasons change, it feels more like a new year to me than January ever does. September is a time for renewed energy. I think it’s tied to our childhoods and adolescence where September meant a fresh academic year. I always try to find some time to take stock, think about what could be done differently, and look around at what others are creating. In fact, this newsletter was launched in September last year, making this the twelfth edition. So thank you for reading and engaging with 'The target marketer' this past year - I hope you continue to stick around and that neither of us gets the ick.

Enough preamble, let’s get into the marketing and brand stories that made the headlines in August.

Making vodka cool again

In May I talked about how Aperol was the drink of the summer. This month, Grey Goose stepped up and it was ‘Honey Deuce season’ at the US Open. The vodka-based cocktail includes three melon balls to replicate a tennis ball, and the brand is hoping for the Honey Deuce to become as iconic as Wimbledon’s Pimms.

Grey Goose has sponsored the tournament for 18 years, and the cocktail isn’t new for 2024 but the brand is putting a big PR budget behind the drink to generate a buzz this tournament. Tennis star, Frances Tiafoe, features in a series of fashion-based shorts to tap into the increase in searches for US Open outfit inspo.

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?Also attempting to make waves in the vodka scene is… Ricky Gervais. This month TFL advertisers rejected an ad from the comedian-backed vodka brand, Dutch Barn. The ad showed Gervais holding a glass of vodka with the caption ‘One day, you’ll be underground for good’. TFL said in a statement: “We think there is a risk that this may be construed as implying that because life is short, one might as well drink, potentially to excess”.

The ad is bold, but to me, it does feel in poor taste - no pun intended. The brand is making a splash with punchy billboards, also running one stating ‘Buying Dutch Barn will make a person rich and happy. And that person is Ricky Gervais.’

I think this style of advertising is very marmite. I for one, am kinda over it. I loved it when brands first started breaking down that advertising fourth wall. Notably Oasis billboards and Innocent Drinks’ social media approach. However, to me this style of ‘ha! We’re just going to say it ‘cos we’re so quirky, buy our product please’ is totally over-used. The style seems to have had a real boom lately and it just doesn’t have the impact it used to.

An edited version of the Dutch Barn campaign has now been accepted by TFL advertisers.

ASA come for influencers again

This month social media entrepreneur Steven Bartlett was the latest influencer to get sanctioned by the ASA for misleading ads. In May, I wrote about how influencer and founder of apparel brand Tala, Grace Beverly, had six posts from her personal Instagram account banned due to not disclosing that the posts were an ad.

At the time, Tala stated that the brand hadn’t paid Beverly for the posts, arguing that she is the founder, so of course she’s going to post the product, and that labeling it #ad would be more misleading. However, the ASA upheld its ruling in a ‘precedent-setting’ move.

Bartlett has come under fire as ads for two brands he is financially linked to used his image and testimonials to sell their product. The ASA has banned three Facebook ads for not disclosing his commercial links to the brands ZOE and Huel.

The ZOE ad used a testimonial from Bartlett, and while the brand argued that it was clearly an ad, the ASA decided that due to the nature of the ad itself, the testimonial needed to have a clear disclosure of Bartlett’s investor status.

Huel is a similar story; a testimonial-style ad featuring Bartlett. Huel argues that Bartlett’s commercial link with the brand is well-known. This is the argument Tala tried and lost with. It seems brands are assuming that the everyday consumer knows the financial backing of every brand they see and clearly the ASA feels differently.

I think it is tough for brands when it comes to influencer marketing when that influencer also has a financial link to the brand. It’s natural that someone who has financially tied themselves to the success of a brand is going to be a fan of the product, but it also blurs the lines regarding the honesty and incentive around promoting it. Ultimately, transparency to consumers should come first. Some people will see an ad and understand the spin involved, others won’t. The ASA’s job is to hold all brands to account, and that doesn’t mean ads need to be boring, but they do need to be clear.

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Nike ad speaks to Paralympic spirit

The ad from Nike aims to debunk the sentiment that para-athletes are winning just by attending the Paralympics. The athletes are just as motivated by winning as able-bodied Olympians.

I love this ad and everything it stands for. I think the gap between the Olympics and the Paralympics is unnecessary and outdated. When I watched the Olympics closing ceremony pass the torch to LA, it felt wrong, it was as if the Paralympics aren’t a thing. I’m not claiming to be an expert in the logistics, but the gap between the two events and the lack of cohesion in the ceremonies creates a feeling that the Paralympics are secondary. I think this needs to change and I know many others feel the same, so it’s great to see Nike make a statement that addresses the different attitudes towards the two events.?

Emily’s on Google

Marketing Dive shared that Google is partnering up with Netflix to make the outfits worn in ‘Emily in Paris’ shoppable via Google Lens. The show is back for a fourth season and it’s loved by many of us for being an utter parody of what working in marketing and advertising is really like.

For the uninitiated, Emily, played by Lily Collins, is your typical overexcited and often clumsy American marketer working for an oh-so-chic French agency. The show is flamboyant, the plot is… questionable, and the outfits are the star of the show. It’s a bit of a running joke on social media that whenever there’s a crisis, Emily simply takes a pouting selfie and uploads it to her Instagram and suddenly the brand in question is appeased. Alongside her career, she has stumbled into a side gig as an influencer, so the fact her on-screen looks are now shoppable is very meta indeed.

That’s all for August, here’s to an inspired and energized Autumn, better weather, and some fresh marketing approaches. Au revoir for now!?