Female Digital Opps: Revlon taps CMO amid spend decreases (Score 57)

Revlon named Martine Williamson CMO, effective December 2020. This is Williamson's second tenure with Revlon, as she worked her way up through the marketing ranks from 2001 to 2013 when she was named global marketing SVP. She most recently served as strategic marketing advisor of Topix Pharmaceuticals. In her new role, Williamson will report to president and CEO Debra Perelman. She will be responsible for global creative, strategic plans and brand equity. Williamson is replacing Serge Jureidini, who served as CMO for almost two years; we are unsure of Jureidini's future plans. This hire will likely lead to new marketing strategies and potential agency reviews. 

According to iSpot, Revlon has not aired a national TV ad yet in 2020. It has been decreasing spend in this channel over the last few years, as full-year spend dropped $33.9m in 2018 to $17.3m in 2019. 

Magellan reports the company placed around 12 podcast ads over the last year. 

Per Pathmatics,Revlon earned 159m impressions through Instagram ads (38%), desktop video ads (29%), Instagram ads (25%), desktop display ads (6%) and mobile display ads (1%). It placed the majority (96%) of these ads site direct onto sites such as instagram.com, youtube.com, facebook.com, yahoo.com and coupons.com. It placed the remainder through a variety of indirect channels onto sites such as madamenoire.com, yahoo.com, amazon.com, hellobeautiful.com and the simsresource.com. It spent around $1.3m on digital display ads YTD, just 19% of the $6.9m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2019. Full-year spend equaled $7m in 2019 and $4.6m in 2018. 

Sellers-- Revlon has a broad target audience consisting og women and gift-giving men from Gen-Z to Gen-X. The company's recent shift to primarily digital ads indicates it is trying to reach millennials and Gen-Z more effectively. Digital spend has been unpredictable over the last couple of years, as its has gone up and down over the last few years. It is down significantly in 2020, which is most likely due to cost-saving measures amid coronavirus. It also invests in OOH and print ads, per Kantar. Sellers should reach out as Revlon is still spending on advertising. Remember, these strategies are subject to change once the new CMO implements her own strategy. 

Agency & martech readers-- As you know, new CMOs commonly conduct agency reviews, so start reaching out in order to be top-of-mind. Revlon brought creative in-house in 2018 when it launched its internal team The Red House; it is unclear whether or not Williamson will want to outsource creative or keep it in-house. You might have better luck offering media, digital and social media assistance. You can also try offering work on a project-by-project basis.