What Peacock's NFL playoff game signals for the future of live sports

This year, shoppable TV ads may deliver the goods that live shopping never could

By Zac Wang

• Shoppable TV ads let users shop while they watch, merging entertainment with retail — a decades-old winning formula.?
• Streamers and retailers are increasingly investing in these formats, and industry leaders believe that the year ahead will see more interest from brands.?

?? Lightbulb moment

“The blending of commerce and content has been a driving force behind the interest in shoppable TV. This is part of a broader evolution in consumer behavior and technology, where traditional boundaries between entertainment and shopping are increasingly blurred.”

– Gary Mittman, CEO, Kerv Interactive?

Read more

____________________________________________________________________

Lessons from a viral Snoop Dogg campaign that went up in smoke

By Travis Clark

• The CEO of Solo Stove, which makes a smokeless fire pit, recently resigned after an ad campaign starring Snoop Dogg failed to meaningfully grow sales for the product. ?
• Some marketing experts say that while the campaign was creative and buzzy, it relied too heavily on its celebrity star, lacked a call to action for consumers, and could have more effectively targeted consumers interested in the product.?

?? Lightbulb moment

“While creativity for the sake of fun or buzz can be enticing, it’s essential to balance it with a data-driven approach, considering the ultimate objective of business prosperity.”

– Pedro Wald, marketing strategy consultant?

Read more

____________________________________________________________________

Moderna’s Kate Cronin on turning a pandemic hero into an everyday hero

• Fresh off pandemic fame, Moderna wants consumers to know how it's applying mRNA technology to reimagine health and wellness.
• Among other strategies, the company is leaning into sports and music to reach consumers when they're likely to be most receptive.

?? Lightbulb moment

"Instead of Iecturing consumers about, 'You need to get vaccinated,' we spend more time engaging with them when they're at sporting events or when they're at concerts, reaching them when they're having fun and they're open to hearing more."

– Kate Cronin, chief brand officer, Moderna

Listen here

____________________________________________________________________

What Peacock’s NFL playoff game and Netflix’s WWE deal signal for the future of sports streaming

By Travis Clark

• Peacock’s exclusive NFL playoff game attracted 23 million viewers, making it the most-streamed live event in the U.S. of all time, according to NBCUniversal. That success could hasten football’s shift to streaming, and perhaps other sports, as Netflix announced it had acquired the rights to WWE’s Raw soon after.?
• Experts expect the NFL will keep experimenting to learn more about its audience while its current distribution agreements are in place.

?? Lightbulb moment

“Advertisers will start to focus on the consumer and not the platform. The big shift for the industry is not thinking about eyeballs, but thinking about behaviors and people.”

– Josh Walker, co-founder and CEO, Sports Innovation Lab

Read more

____________________________________________________________________

This content was originally produced in The Current’s weekly newsletter. Sign up to get the latest?in modern marketing delivered to your inbox.

The Current?also now has its own LinkedIn and YouTube channels. Follow and subscribe to learn more about identity, the future of TV, retail media, and beyond.