Are global giants like Adidas changing their marketing strategy?

Welcome to Marketing in the Age of Machines. Each week, we bring you the following:

👉 An innovative marketing strategy that has worked for others.

👉 The 3 most relevant contents in marketing, AI, and business that will help you understand the ever-changing landscape.

👉 3 tools for the Marketer of the Future.

👉 The quote of the week. A simple take on everyday marketing concepts.

🤓 Marketing isn’t about gut or data.

Problem: 
Marketing strategies like short-form videos and banner ads are becoming less effective over time. For example, the success of short-form videos dropped from 54.77% to 32.18% in three years. The effectiveness of the first banner ads fell from 44% to less than 0.01%.

Solution:
To deal with these issues, marketers should try new strategies regularly. By testing at least one new idea every week, they can find out what works and what doesn’t. Even though most experiments will fail, the few that succeed can make a big difference.

Lesson:
Constant testing and trying new things are crucial in marketing. Relying only on old data or gut feelings isn't enough anymore. It's important to keep experimenting to find new ways to reach and engage people effectively.

How could you apply this approach to experimentation in your current marketing strategies?

1/. Adidas, McDonald’s and Coke CEOs laud the power of marketing in driving success:
In 2024, leading companies Adidas, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s are highlighting the critical role of strategic marketing in propelling their growth and sales. Adidas, facing its first annual loss in over three decades, is significantly increasing its marketing budget to revive its brand. McDonald’s is maximizing its loyalty programs, which contributed close to £5 billion in revenue last quarter, to enhance personalization and customer visit frequency. Coca-Cola is focusing on refining the flavors of its existing products, banking on its established global presence rather than pursuing new markets. Each company is implementing distinct marketing strategies suited to its particular financial and market conditions, showcasing the transformative impact of well-executed marketing campaigns.

Insights for B2B Marketing Directors:

• McDonald’s strategy of using loyalty program data to tailor customer interactions highlights the effectiveness of personalization in boosting engagement and retention, a tactic that B2B firms can adopt to strengthen client relationships.

• Coca-Cola’s method of enhancing existing product flavors, which involves customer-driven taste tests like the 'orangier' Fanta, shows how internal innovation can refresh brand appeal and maintain consumer interest.

Read the full post here:

2/. YouTube Now Wants to Show You Ads When You Pause Videos:
YouTube is set to introduce ads on paused videos, expanding its advertising strategy as disclosed in Google's parent company Alphabet's Q1 earnings call. This development, initially piloted on smart TVs, aims to capture user attention when videos are paused, potentially increasing ad engagement. Philipp Schindler, Google’s Vice President, reported positive early results from these "Pause Ads," which have shown to enhance brand recognition effectively. As YouTube increases its ad placements, including previously launched unskippable 30-second ads, this new format could also push viewers towards subscribing to YouTube Premium to avoid ads altogether. This move highlights YouTube's continuous efforts to monetize viewer interactions more aggressively.

Read the full post here:

3/. 5 marketing trends companies are ignoring:
The post highlights five overlooked marketing trends. First, it discusses the potential of ChatGPT as more than just a task tool, suggesting its use for marketing given its high traffic volumes. Second, it suggests that companies focus on updating existing content to enhance engagement rather than constantly producing new content. Third, it recommends shifting SEO strategies to target new and question-based search queries that haven't been heavily exploited. Fourth, the post notes a preference among social media users for authentic, low-fidelity content over polished, high-production content. Finally, it discusses the advantage of long-form content in creating lasting impressions compared to the fleeting impact of short-form content.

👉 Tools in the Age of Machines:

Hotjar: A website heatmap and behavior analytics tool that shows you how users are interacting with your website.

Saral: An influencer marketing platform that helps brands find influencers, manage relationships, track performance, and more

Tinywow: A free online tool website that offers a variety of tools, including PDF editing, image editing, video editing, and writing assistance.