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D2C Retailer Opps: Keen names PR AOR amid YOY digital display spend decreases (Score 50)

Portland-based outdoor shoe brand lost its CMO in January 2019. It doesn't seem to have found a replacement. It's possible Keen plans to redefine the CMO role as many retailers have; the ever-evolving digital climate has called on more technology and digital officers to take on lead marketing responsibilities, per Adweek. According to the press release, TRUE will help Keen get in front of a "broader audience" (channels not mentioned). 

The revamped marketing staff, mentioned in the previous article, may have sped up the agency process. It's possible the company is no longer looking for a lead marketer and is instead relying on the global directors and channel managers to lead agency decisions. 

Adbeat estimates a total spend of $271.7k on digital display ads from January 2018 - 2020. Spend tapered off in late Q4 2019 and has yet to pick back up; it reportedly reached ~$63.5k from January 2019 - 2020, which is a -70% decrease from the ~$208.2k spent from January 2018 - 2019. In 2019, the top spending period for this channel appears to have been mid Q3 to the beginning of November (Q4). Most ads in the past year were placed programmatically through Google ($63.1k) onto sites such as someecards.com ($17.2k), urbandictionary.com, yourtango.com, pch.com and cheatsheet.com. Sellers may see spending increase in H2 2020. 

Keen hasn't aired a national TV ad since at least before 2016, according to iSpot. However, Kantar reports smaller OOH ads placement in Q2 and Q3, 2019, so sellers may want to reach out for possible outdoor ad opportunities soon. 

Sellers -- Target Gen Z and millennial outdoors-minded, sustainability-focused hikers, fishers and earth-lovers throughout the country. Keen sells wholesale in retailers such as REI and Mountain High Outfitters; look for retailers near you on its Nordstrom. 

Agency readers -- This account is widely comprised of non-AOR relationships. SYZYGY US  began leading paid digital media ad placement decisions in February 2018. With the addition of PR AOR TRUE, this account may be full. However, the marketing team may decide to review one of these digital agencies as it targets younger hikers and pushes Keen's e-Commerce platform. See if you can offer any assistance with consumer data analytics to make its targeting more efficient.