Sales Lead: Yelp is now in search of a new top marketer since the April 2023 departure of Dan Kimball. Kimball, Yelp's CMO since November 2018, led the company's marketing across brand, consumer, growth, local business, midmarket, and enterprise. He is now the CMO at Spectrum Equity. The company will likely: Need additional marketing assistance in his absence Ramp up spend Conduct agency reviews, especially once it taps a new top marketer Target demographic:  ...

Sales lead: This company signals it is more focused on marketing by hiring its first-ever CMO.  Teacher Created Materials (TCM) created a new position by naming Alexandra Smith its first-ever CMO in May 2023. Smith joins from William H. Sadlier, where she served as marketing SVP. She is now responsible for all of TCM's marketing operations. Target demographic: K-12 teachers The company will likely: Significantly increase digital ad spend Diversify ad placement Outs...

Sales lead: The new president has CMO experience, so she will likely be heavily involved with marketing strategy.  Polar Electro (PE) appointed Peggy Ang as US president earlier in 2023. Ang joins from LG Electronics, where she served as CMO. In her new role, Ang is responsible for business and brand development.  Target demographic: Millennial fitness enthusiasts The company will likely: Increase its marketing investment Experiment with new ad channels Build out t...

Sales lead: Reach out now to offer ad space ahead of the NBA Finals.  The National Basketball Association (NBA) is gearing up for the Finals with its "We Are All in the Finals" campaign.  The push includes multiple spots that will be supported across linear TV, CTV, social media, and digital.  The NBA's creative partner, Translation, created the ads. The Finals will tip off on June 1st.  This is the league's first major marketing push since hiring Tammy Henault as CMO last year....

Sales lead: Get in touch to help this company promote its new name.  Certinia, formerly known as FinancialForce, hired Rick Caccia as CMO in May 2023.  Caccia most recently served as CMO of Palo Alto Networks.  He is now responsible for brand, creative, demand generation, global communications, digital, and product marketing.  The company changed its name earlier this month. Target demographic: Businesses that need customer success management, financial planning, & accounting...

Sales lead: Keep an eye on this company because a CMO hire will likely lead to spend shifts & agency reviews.  Palo Alto Networks (PAN) lost its SVP & CMO, Rick Caccia, in May 2023. Caccia is now the CMO of Certinia.  We will be sure to update you as soon as a replacement is announced.  Target demographic: Businesses that need cybersecurity services Once it hires a new CMO, the company will likely: Review its agency roster Shift ad dollars around Experiment with ne...

Media Sales Lead: Jones Soda revealed during its recent Q1 earnings report that it has been bringing marketing duties in-house in an effort to lower SG&A costs. It believes the money it previously spent on agency partnerships will be more effectively spent directly on advertising. While it is cutting costs, the company has not decreased ad spend. In fact, it has been increasing digital spend for the past couple of years. Jones will also monitor ad spend and promotional programs closely so tha...

Sales Lead: The General recently launched its first campaign from Energy BBDO, its creative AOR since last summer. The company is experiencing an ongoing brand evolution, which now includes a new brand logo, mascot, and campaign spot. The campaign features Shaquille O'Neal, who has appeared in The General's work in the past. The campaign also includes a spot designed for Latinx audiences. It rolled out across linear and streaming TV ads and social channels. The General has also ...

Sales Lead: Jason John, the CMO of 1-800-Flowers since April 2022, recently detailed the company's current strategy. The company has started leveraging technology innovation all year round. For Mother's Day this year, 1-800-Flowers is running an AI-based campaign, "MomVerse." The company also relies on events such as birthdays, anniversaries, and funerals throughout the year. It has also started embracing live shopping and social shopping, along with a stronger focus on experient...

Media Sales Lead: For its latest campaign, D2C pet products company PetPlate showed focus groups conducted with dogs. The campaign promotes how much dogs love PetPlate's dog food. Many say that dogs don't really care what food they eat, but PetPlate proves that that isn't true. Key Lead Takeaways: Get in touch soon since PetPlate will likely keep rolling out new work. Target Demographics: Pet parents with a female skew Key Spend Notes:  Spend shift summary: Digital spend has dr...