Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by iSpot; digital spend insights estimated by Pathmatics; additional channel insights estimated by Vivvix; podcast data estimated by Podchaser.
Millennial Media Opps: SmileDirectClub hires CMO (Score 50)
Sales lead: Keep an eye on this company because CMO hires commonly lead to spend & agency roster shifts.
- SmileDirectClub hired Kevin Wertz as CMO, effective April 2023.
- Wertz brings agency experience since he most recently served as CEO of Campbell Ewald.
- He now leads all of SmileDirectClub's marketing operations.
Target demographic: Millennials
The company will likely:
- Continue shifting ad dollars from TV to digital channels
- Experiment with new ad channels
- Review the current agency roster/seek additional assistance
Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
- YTD spend: SmileDirectClub spent close to $6.3m on national TV ads YTD, about half (54%) of the $11.6m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022.
- 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend fell 42% from $33.7m in 2021 to $19.5m in 2022.
- Ad programming: It placed ads during programming such as NFL Football, The First 48, Family Guy, College Basketball, and NBA Basketball.
Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
- YTD spend: SmileDirectClub spent nearly $11.7m on digital display ads YTD, a significant increase from $5.1m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022.
- YTD data: 1.6b impressions via Instagram (67%), Facebook (30%), and YouTube (2%).
- 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend fell by 37% from $28.1m in 2021 to $17.8m in 2022.
- Ad location: It placed 99% of these ads directly onto sites such as instagram.com, facebook.com, youtube.com, today.com, and thinkadvisor.com. It placed 1% of these ads indirectly through Google AdX+AdSense onto sites such as answers.com, nhl.com, tutsplus.com, eventhubs.com, and apnews.com.
Additional channel insights
- Vivvix: SmileDirectClub also utilizes OOH, radio, and local broadcast.
- Top podcasts sponsored: Business Wars, The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories, and Real Crime Profile.
Agency analysis:
- Opportunity: This hire will likely lead to agency changes, so reach out now to be top-of-mind.
- Current roster:
- Horizon Media.: media planning & buying
- In-house: creative