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Showing posts from September, 2019

Forever 21 has aged: now it's outflanked on sustainability, fast-fashion and relevance

Forever 21 , the teen-facing fast fashion brand, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US and will shut 350 of its 815 global stores.  Its substantial real-estate cost, and lagging innovation and sustainability efforts have been blamed for its latest cuts.  The brand, founded in 1984 and once headquartered in Los Angeles ; will shut 178 US stores and exit from much of Europe and Asia to instead operate primarily in Mexico and Latin America. The restructure has been a few months coming  and it has received $350m in financing to mount a revival. Linda Chang, executive vice president, said: “This was an important and necessary step to secure the future of our company, which will enable us to reorganize our business and reposition Forever 21 .” But where did it all go wrong? At its peak, the company reportedly made $4.4bn in revenue . Those days are now behind it as it grapples with several factors eating away at the hem of its business. One of the brand's defining

How can brands ensure that they work with the right KOLs in China?

Excitement, love, boredom, fatigue: the relationship between brands and Chinese influencers, also known as key opinion leaders (KOLs) has had its ups and downs in recent years. However, thanks to international brands needing to connect – now more than ever – both digitally and culturally with Chinese consumers, the flames are being re-kindled. China’s speed of digital development coupled with a mobile-first, social media-native population leaned itself perfectly to the influencer phenomenon. Several years ago, simply ‘using a Chinese influencer’ was seen as sufficient – until the inevitable happened. The market exploded with near-infinite influencers, allegations (and open confessions) of fake numbers, and with brands starting to feel less confident about the worth of views as a long-term result. Yet over-simplifying the potential of working with Chinese influencers risks dismissing a crucial marketing strategy. Though the sheer quantity of potential brand influencers in China may

Spotlight on India: Gemius, Tonic, Dream Theatre, Times Bridge and Fruitbowl on key trends

The Drum's 'Spotlight' is a bi-monthly series that take a look at the key trends, influential people, rising stars and important events in interesting Asia Pacific countries. We previously looked at Singapore and Hong Kong . This month, we are looking at India . Home to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India, which is also the second-most populous country in the world, is quickly becoming the go-to destination for companies looking to expand their business and succeed in Asia. In this edition, we ask the industry, namely the likes of Gemius Design Studio, Tonic Worldwide, Dream Theatre and Fruitbowl Digital Media, what to look out for in the South Asian country in the month of October. What are the current trends in India at the moment? Saurabh Pacheriwal, co-founder of Gemius Design Studio With regards to the field of marketing and branding, India is moving towards impactful storytelling which is not only meaningful but also engaging and creates a ripple

Oppo pushes into eSports after tying up partnership with Riot Games

Video game publisher Riot Games has signed a multi-year partnership with Oppo until 2024 to enhance fans live event viewing experience. The partnership will see Oppo become the exclusive official global smartphone partner for League of Legends eSports international events: The World Championship, Mid-Season Invitational, and All-Star Event.  As the exclusive global smartphone partner for League of Legends eSports, Oppo will have year-round activations around League of Legends global tournaments. This is Chinese smartphone brand's debut into the eSports realm and it previously signed up as the first Asian sponsor of Wimbledon Championships. Brian Shen, Oppo vice president and president of global marketing said: “As a consumer-centered brand, Oppo always seeks the right way to communicate with young people, our target audience. This is a great move for Riot and Oppo; the partnership will allow us to continue to strengthen our bond with the young as we join them in celebrating

The North Face cuts through environmental chatter by focusing its marketing on product

The North Face ’s campaign promoting its Futurelight fabric innovation will be one of its biggest, setting a fresh, product-focused tone to cut through in an age of environmental advertising. The brand, which is known predominantly for its outdoor sportwear, is using the launch of the breathable, waterproof material as a stake in the ground for its revamped type of marketing communications. Rather than focus creative on what the 51-year-old brand represents, its global vice-president of marketing has made moves to turn the spotlight on The North Face’s products in order to tell and sell the company’s story to an audience. Top marketer Steve Lesnard, who joined the VF Corporation label in July, said he was taken on to “elevate product marketing” at a global level, so that the product story takes center stage in the company’s brand marketing strategy. “Great brands can not only have a clear point of view on who they are and how they add value but also develop products that sustain th

The Top 13 Inbound Marketing & HubSpot Partner Agencies for 2020

When people ask who the best inbound or HubSpot Partner agency is, it’s easy to huff and say IMPACT -- but I’m not about those cliches. We're proud to be one of HubSpot's top agency partners and honored to have been named HubSpot's partner of the year in both 2017 and 2018. But while we are approached by many companies that want to work with us, we recognize that we're not right for everyone .  The HubSpot Partner Agency Program is rich with gifted inbound marketers who have taught us a thing or two over the years, and also vice versa. From content and strategy to design and development, our team is proud to be part of a community in which we can learn from and inspire one another; A network where we can have immense respect and admiration for each team's talent both as competitors and colleagues. To put it another way, think of each partner as a doughnut in HubSpot ’s bake shop. They’re similar in shape and ingredients but ultimately have their own unique fl

Spotlight on India: Gemius, Tonic, Dream Theatre and Fruitbowl on key trends

The Drum's 'Spotlight' is a bi-monthly series that take a look at the key trends, influential people, rising stars and important events in interesting Asia Pacific countries. We previously looked at Singapore and Hong Kong . This month, we are looking at India . Home to one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India, which is also the second-most populous country in the world, is quickly becoming the go-to destination for companies looking to expand their business and succeed in Asia. In this edition, we ask the industry, namely the likes of Gemius Design Studio, Tonic Worldwide, Dream Theatre and Fruitbowl Digital Media, what to look out for in the South Asian country in the month of October. What are the current trends in India at the moment? Saurabh Pacheriwal, co-founder of Gemius Design Studio With regards to the field of marketing and branding, India is moving towards impactful storytelling which is not only meaningful but also engaging and creates a ripple

Believe in brand purpose? Clean your own house first

True brand purpose is not running a one-off advertisement -- it is something that all company actions should exude. And it is certainly not what happened at Advertising Week in New York. Last week, the major industry event held several sessions on how businesses can help to improve society. Here are just a few titles that I collected from the schedule posted online. “The Power of Purpose: What Does it Mean for a Company to be Values-Based and Purpose-Driven?” “Always Bet on Equality: Why Brand Purpose and Inclusivity Win Every Time.” “The State of Women's Representation in Advertising.” “Raising the Stories of Women Who Came Before Us.” “Eyes on 2020: Fearless Female Voices Reshaping Media and Impacting the World.” Sounds good, right? But just like the hypocrisy at Cannes Lions earlier this year , Advertising Week’s walk did not match the talk. Just see this astute observation from The Drum’s Katie Deighton on musician Pitbull’s wrap party performance. Show me entity :: 296

The incoming ePrivacy Regulation will break B2B marketing – here's what to do about it

Just managed to get over the trauma of GDPR? There's worse to come in the form of Europe's... from Blog feed - B2B Marketing https://ift.tt/2mTt5mq via IFTTT

Q3 Wrap-Up: What’s Changed For B2B Marketers & What’s Ahead in 2020?

We've now reached the end of the third quarter of 2019, one filled with many significant B2B marketing changes and several surprising twists and turns that will combine to affect how the industry moves forward as we enter Q4 and push forward to 2020. Q3 saw numerous exciting shifts in new directions, and a few seemingly slight changes in course that are nonetheless poised to make big impacts in 2020. We're always working to bring you the most relevant B2B marketing news , including over 180 weekly industry news videos, hosted by Tiffani Allen , Joshua Nite and others here on our blog and on our TopRank Marketing YouTube channel . Each quarter we reflect on what's happened in digital marketing and look ahead with key trends. Let's examine both the challenges and opportunities the quarter's top B2B marketing news has brought our industry. The Digital Marketing Sights and Sounds of Q3 When It Comes to Digital Marketing Spending … Forecasts from the third quarter