Sales lead: The CMO hire & new funding signal the company will increase ad spend & may seek agency assistance. ID.me named Marcus Hearne CMO, effective April 2023. Hearne most recently served as chief commercial officer of Varicent. In the same month, ID.me secured $132m in a Series D funding round. This brings the company's total evaluation to about $240m.  Target demographic: Wide range of individuals The company will likely: Significantly inc...

Sales lead: Contact the new CMO for more details about his future plans.  LoanDepot elevated Alec Hanson to CMO in May 2023. Hanson joined the company in 2019 as division manager & SVP. He is now responsible for brand, digital, lead generation, campaigns, and building brand awareness.  Target demographic: Male Gen-Xers & millennials seeking loans The company will likely: Return to 2021 spending levels Experiment with new ad channels Outsource some marketing duties ...

Sales lead: Contact this company's DMs if you can help it promote its new on-air look.  CNN is celebrating its 43rd anniversary with a brand campaign and a new on-air look. The new look includes an updated on-air graphics package that it believes is more modern. Details regarding the campaign are sparse, so reach out to see if you can offer ad space. We predicted a campaign when we told you about CNN's new chief creative officer in February.  Target demographic: Millennials &...

Sales lead: Reach out to this company's DMs if you can help it reach a younger audience.  Xerox kicked off its biggest brand campaign in over five years in May 2023.  The company paused ad spend during the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is ramping spend back up now that many workers are returning to the office.  The "We Make Work, Work" campaign is part of Xerox's ongoing experiment with new ad channels to reach Gen-Z & millennial workers.  Xerox is ramping up streaming video, digital,...

Sales Lead: Dave & Buster's (D&B) recently launched a summer campaign for adults. The company has retired its former tagline, "Ding, Ding, Ding!" in favor of a new one, "You Know You Want To." This initiative includes the launch of "The Dave & Buster's Method," a program that helps adult unlearn their misconceptions about adulthood while reprioritizing fun and happiness. The new campaign rolled out across TV, CTV, YouTube, Twitch, Roku, Meta, TikTok, and Search. Additional campaig...

Sales Lead: XFL recently dismissed its CMO, Janet Duch, and its marketing and brand VP, Anthony Zucconi, as part of broader job cuts. The brand is reportedly shifting from an emphasis on brand marketing to one on revenue-driven strategies designed to bolster ticket and sponsorship sales. The brand will likely: Shift spend as it shifts its strategy Seek new agency partners Target demographic:  Male sports enthusiasts Additional spending insights: ...

Sales Lead: Workato is currently searching for a replacement for its former top marketer, Will Davis. One might even say it didn't work out, or does that not sound enough like "Workat(o)?" I digress. Davis, who held the leading position of Workato's marketing VP, is now the CMO at CData. The company will likely: Need additional marketing assistance in his absence Shift strategy Return to higher spend Conduct agency reviews, especially once it taps a new top marketer ...

Sales Lead: In May 2023, Will Davis became CData's CMO. Davis joined from Workato, where he was the product marketing VP. At CData, his marketing leadership will span its go-to-market strategy, brand awareness, and demand generation. He seems to have succeeded Eric Madariaga, CData's first CMO since November 2014; we will let you know when we confirm this. The company will likely: Implement strategy shifts Return to higher spend Seek new agency partners Target...

Sales Lead: Wendy's promoted Carl Loredo to global CMO earlier in March. Loredo joined the company in January 2016 and became its US CMO in June 2019. The company will likely: Pursue similar influencer partnerships centered around pop culture Continue bolstering experiential initaitives Keep increasing spend Seek new agency partners following a recent VP hire (more below) Target demographic:  Nostalgic Gen-Z and millennials with a strong male skew Wend...

Sales lead: Reach out now to offer last-minute campaign ad space.  Zillow just launched the first campaign from its new creative AOR, 72andSunny. The campaign includes a 60-second hero spot with a new brand tagline, "Let's Get You Home." It will be supported through linear, CTV, online video, radio, podcast, and social media.  We predicted a campaign when we told you about Zillow tapping 72andSunny last year.  Target demographic: Millennials  The company will likely: ...