Top Ten Marketing Highlights of 2024

With 2024 now history, it's time for my annual "Top 10" marketing highlights post – incredible that this is my 15th post featuring annual marketing highlights – and a traditional January 1st blog post.

What do you remember from the 2024 marketing reel? What stood out as marketing innovation, and what will go down in history that was as memorable as Apple's 1984 Super Bowl ad? Without further ado, let's get to it!

With a nod and thank you to David Letterman for the format, here's my list:

NUMBER 10: Effective January 1, 2024, an early version of the Walt Disney Company's internationally-recognized mascot, Mickey Mouse, that was featured in the 1928 short film, "Steamboat Willie," entered the public domain for the first time. According to CNN, "The good-humored rodent, which has been synonymous with the Disney brand for nearly a century, has grown into one of the most iconic characters in American pop culture. But since U.S. copyright law, last updated by Congress in 1998, allows copyright to be held for 95 years, Disney’s sole claim to the character has officially ended. A Disney spokesperson explained to CNN, 'More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise.'"

NUMBER 9: In May, Cartier, the expensive international jewelry brand, made a mistake and listed gold-and-diamond earrings for 237 pesos ($14 USD) instead of the correct price of 237,000 pesos ($14,000 USD). A doctor in Mexico, who was doing his medical residency, ordered two sets. After months of back and forth discussions between the customer and the company, the customer received the earrings for the advertised price. According to Mexico's Consumer Protection Agency known as Profeco, "Companies have to respect the published price. If there's a mistake, it's not the consumer's fault."

NUMBER 8: In November, a federal judge ordered the Port of Oakland to stop using "San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport" as its airport's new name, agreeing with San Francisco's claim of trademark infringement. The judge explained that, over the last 97 years, San Francisco had spent millions to develop its brand, and as a result, ordered Oakland's airport to remove any signs with the new name.

NUMBER 7: After six seasons as a co-host of the popular ABC morning talk-show made famous by Regis Philbin and many co-hosts over the years, Ryan Seacrest said goodbye to the show in April. Kelly Ripa welcomed her husband, Mark Consuelos, to join the show, and the promotional tagline became "From Co-Stars in Life to Co-Hosts on Live." The show's name changed from "Live with Kelly and Ryan" to "Live with Kelly and Mark." Time will tell if viewers tire of the married couple's stories. In addition, Seacrest left the morning show to take over from retiring TV show host Pat Sajak of the nearly 50-year-old evening game show, "Wheel of Fortune," for which he served as host for 43 years.

NUMBER 6: On April Fools' Day, Oreo posted the best joke of the year after changing its brief description to: "We're done." Oreo posted the following message on Twitter/X:

"After time and consideration, we have made the decision to separate the cookie and the creme duo that you all know to be as OREO cookies. There are no secrets or anyone to blame, we are just two best friends who met at a very young age and have grown over the past 112 years in our own ways. We appreciate your continuous support as we enter this new chapter, separately."

Then, "Follow @just_the_water and @just_the_creme on Instagram for more."

The message was signed: "Wafer and Creme."

On Instagram, @just_the_creme described itself as: "Better off alone."

On Instagram, @just_the_wafer described itself as: "This cookie won't crumble."

A follow-up post stated: "Just the Creme and Just the Wafer hit shelves 4/31."

However, April has only 30 days, so if fans didn't realize that this content was an April Fools' Day joke, that final post provided the gotcha!

NUMBER 5: In late-October, after a decade of division wins and great season-ending records, the Los Angeles Dodgers finally won a World Series Championship! And against the rival New York Yankees to boot! The two franchises have clashed on the Fall Classic stage 12 times, five more than any other matchup in World Series history. This was the Dodgers' eighth World Series title in franchise history and first since the 2020 pandemic-shortened season. As a lifelong Dodgers fan, this championship was very sweet!

NUMBER 4: Two terms appeared during 2024 as a result of singer-songwriter-entrepreneur Taylor Swift's international fame: "Visitor Economy" and "Economic Fairy Dust." These terms reflect the impact on local economies where she performs because visitors flock to each location's airports, hotels, restaurants, and more - and Swift dusts the cities with an economic boom.

NUMBER 3: After years of filming plus delays caused by the Covid pandemic and the SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild strikes, the movie that is based on the 20-year-old musical "Wicked" opened in movie theaters on November 22nd. According to NBC, "Grammy-winning pop sensation Ariana Grande brings her huge vocal talents to the young witch's musical role, playing Galinda in her pre-Good Witch days as she befriends the picked-on Elphaba after the two first meet as students. Where Elphaba is unpopular at school, Galinda is just the opposite. Everyone thinks she's pretty (and POPULAR), yet she forms an unlikely friendship with Elphaba that has sweeping implications for the musical's bigger story." During the movie's opening weekend, it broke a record with an estimated $114 million at the domestic box office, marking the highest cinematic opening for a Broadway adaptation. That's a lot of popcorn!

While two summer blockbusters from last year created a new portmanteau (a word formed by combining the sounds and meanings of other words), "Barbenheimer" derived from BARBIE THE MOVIE and OPPENHEIMER, this year's pre-Thanksgiving weekend saw the arrival of "Glicked" to promote WICKED and GLADIATOR II. According to CNN, "A lesson learned is that two very high-profile movies can go head-to-head, and both can thrive in the theatrical marketplace." And according to Yahoo Entertainment, fans were asked to "Celebrate Glicked by watching both movies either as a double feature or over the course of a weekend and dress the part donning something earthy and Romanesque for Gladiator II and either Galinda pink or Elphaba green for Wicked."

While the movie's story was the main attraction, countless brands jumped on the co-branding bandwagon to cash in on Wicked's buzz. Some of the brand partnerships and/or co-branding campaigns included Starbucks, Lego, Ulta Beauty Stores, Vera Bradley, Croc's sandals, Hasbro's Monopoly, Kellogg Company's Rice Krispies Treats, and Lexus.

NUMBER 2: During the summer of 2024, the eyes of the world were on Paris, France, and the Summer Olympics (also referred to as Paris 2024) did not disappoint! Here were some highlights:

Was that a boat parade, or was that a boat parade? Despite months, if not years, of naysayers saying it couldn't be done, the parade of athletes in the Opening Ceremony took place along the Seine River in an incredible manner. No host country will ever match the originality, creativity, and artistry of that opening arrival of athletes.

The Olympic cauldron shone brightly in a large balloon and hung high in the sky (via a tether) each night so that Parisians could see and enjoy it.

According to the Olympics, "The LOGO for Paris 2024 combines three separate symbols – the gold medal, the flame, and Marianne, the personification of the French Republic. Each of these symbols reflects a part of the French identity and values. It is also the first time in history that the same emblem has been used for both the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. The MOTTO of the Olympic Phryge and Paralympic Phryge is: "Alone we go faster, but together we go further," representing the ways in which the mascots, and the people of the world, can make each other better by working side-by-side."

Which athletes stood out to you? To me, American gymnast Simone Biles with her four medals, American swimmer Katie Ledecky with her four medals, and Swedish and American-born pole vaulter Armand "Mondo" Duplantis with his gold medal and world record. Duplantis summed up his experience eloquently, "If I don't beat this moment in my career, I'm pretty ok with that. I don't think you can really get much better than what happened."

For the Paris 2024 Olympics, 206 countries participated. Of those countries, 11,000 athletes participated. The United States, France, and Australia had the largest country representations – each between 450-600. And the least represented countries were Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru, and Somalia – each sent only one athlete to compete. Russian and Belarusian athletes competed as "Individual Neutral Athletes" – because the International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted to suspend both countries from competition due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. And finally, for the first time, the IOC announced that an equal number of men and women athletes competed at the Olympics.

This Paris Games hosted Olympians of a wide range of ages. The youngest competitor was skateboarder Zheng Haohao of China at 11-years-old; and the oldest was 65-year-old Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo, an equestrian from Spain. Zeng Zhiying (age 58) competed at table top tennis and made her Olympic debut almost four decades after she missed out on being selected to represent China in Los Angeles in 1984. Zeng represented Chile and is affectionately called "The Table Tennis Grandma."

The number of medal events was 329. The United States won total 126 medals (40 Gold, 44 Silver, and 42 Bronze), China won 91 total medals (40 Gold, 27 Silver, and 24 Bronze), and host country France came in fifth with 64 total medals. According to NBC, "Medalists at the Paris Olympics will get to own a piece of the one of the world's most iconic structures. An original piece of the Eiffel Tower is included at the heart of each Olympic and Paralympic medal this year as host nation France puts its own stamp on the 2024 medals...Approximately 5,084 medals were created: 2,600 for the Olympics and 2,400 for the Paralympics."

Unfortunately, a disappointing asterisk will forever tarnish the Paris Olympics. American gymnast Jordan Chiles won the bronze medal for floor exercise, however, there was an appeal of the score. The dispute may be a months-long or even years-long battle over the gymnastics scores, and time will tell as to how this drama unfolds. Another reason why this is sad is that the photo from that floor exercise medal/victory ceremony will forever be etched into all viewers' minds as one of the highlights from the Paris Olympics. America's two gymnasts (Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles) bowed down to Brazil's gold medal winner.

And, regarding medals, did you know that medals can equate to a financial reward other than advertising endorsements? According to Business Insider, "US athletes receive $37,500 for a gold medal, $22,500 for a silver medal, and $15,000 for a bronze medal. Hong Kong offers the highest reward of $768,000 for gold medalists."

What products stood out due to their co-branding with the Olympics? Some of my favorites included the Minions from their mini-movie integrated into the Opening Ceremony and inclusion on athletes' attire, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts with their "Go USA" collection "to fuel your dreams and sweeten your victories," Chipotle (meals aligned with various athletes), designer Ralph Lauren (Team USA's Opening and Closing Ceremonies apparel), GK Elite (Team USA's Women Gymnasts' apparel), Visa, and Samsung. And let's not forget that each day during the competition, there was a unique Google Doodle!

According to Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024, "The most difficult part of any love affair is saying goodbye. And at the Closing Ceremony, we are all in love with the Games. The feelings of hope, inspiration, and love will remain. And when the time comes, we will be reunited in Los Angeles in 2028."

And finally, drum roll please...

NUMBER 1: Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic Party's nominee for President after President Joe Biden pulled out of the race. The 2024 Presidential campaign was littered with negative language, some terms stood out and became battle cries: "Childless Cat Ladies," "Felines Versus Felons," and more.

As Hillary Clinton said following her November 2016 Presidential election loss, "We still have not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling. But some day, someone will." Who could have forecast that another educated and talented woman would run for President so soon? With VP Harris' foray into the race as the first woman of color and first woman of South Asian heritage, the election contained many firsts. Hopefully, the third time that a woman participates in the U.S. Presidential race, the female candidate will be victorious.

In the meantime, let's remember what Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren said, "Remember, every step toward progress in American history came after darkness of defeat. Abolitionists, suffragettes, Dreamers, and marchers for civil rights and marriage equality all faced impossible odds, but they persisted. Now it is our turn to pull up our socks and get back in the fight."

Lastly, let's always remember what VP Harris said, "While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign. The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation. The ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up."

What would you add to this list? Here's to 2025 and another year of marketing highlights. Happy New Year!

Image Credits: iStock, Wicked the Movie/Universal, Paris 2024 Olympic Organizing Committee, and Harris Walz Campaign.

Branding and Marketing Build Businesses

To quote Matthew Kobach (@mkobach), "Twitter is a key that unlocks thousands of doors, some of which you never even knew existed." As a member of the Twitterverse for 13 years, I always enjoy meeting new people and learning from them. I recently connected with Suzanne Huber and invited her to appear here on my Blog in a Q&A format. Highlights of our conversation follow a brief introduction.

Suzanne Huber, based in Toronto, Canada, has worked as a digital marketing consultant for hundreds of companies and non-profits over the last decade. She's a trusted advisor to entrepreneurs and executives growing their companies with a proven track record. Today, her company trains leaders and their teams to strategize and implement their next level of growth by accelerating new client acquisition. Connect on Twitter @SuzyHuber and on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/suzanneleehuber); and check out her website at www.suzannehuber.com.

QUESTION: You use a term to describe what you do (just like I do): "Brand Strategist." How do you explain that term to people who don't live and breathe marketing?

SUZANNE HUBER: "Business Builder." I have launched over a dozen businesses and non-profits over the course of my career. Setting up the foundation or helping more mature organizations scale to their next level of growth has been what I have invested most of the time in my career in. If you are starting from scratch as an organization, you will need to get your baseline messages and collateral together as well as your go-to-market marketing plan. Alternatively, I have helped other more established businesses grow to new heights by accelerating their marketing tactics and their effectiveness, creating new revenue opportunities and fast client acquisition in the process. It's really fun to be a part of a fast growing organization. It's also very rewarding to create something from nothing that attracts the first batch of customers for an organization's brand.

QUESTION: You also describe yourself as an avid reader. What types of books do you enjoy, and what are you currently reading?

SUZANNE HUBER: I just bought the new Gabrielle Bernstein book "Happy Days" today. I have read most of her books and tend to read spiritual, business, and personal development books. A few others titles that I enjoyed lately are "The Big Leap" by Gay Hendrinks and "The Ride of a Lifetime" by Robert Iger.

I enjoy reading books that are education, business, and life wisdom oriented. I appreciate that you can read one book that summarized the expertise of someone's whole life and that they are willing to share these valuable insights. It's a pretty special opportunity and for those that read versus those that don't, it is also a huge advantage in a number of different ways: getting exposure to expertise, how people communicate and think, and their recommendations and approaches to different topics.

QUESTION: What marketing term annoys you the most, and why?

SUZANNE HUBER: "Personas." I think interviewing customers is more effective then making assumptions about people's interests, behaviours, and motivations. I can't tell you why Joe the CIO is staying up late at night or what he wants to read next or what motivates him. Customers can tell you what challenges they have that need to be solved and what outcomes they had working with your brand. Personas can be useful, but I wouldn't strictly rely on them or put a lot of time into them. Testing and learning what works for messaging is also another avenue I prefer to persona development.

TWEET THIS: Customers can tell you what challenges they have that need to be solved and what outcomes they had working with your brand. ~@SuzyHuber #DebbieLaskeysBlog

QUESTION: What are your three favorite brands, and why?

SUZANNE HUBER: Here are my three:
(1) Big Ass Fans: I love this one because they took feedback from customers and rebranded their company and built a brand personality around it. I joke that they are my marketing crush.

(2) Chanel: For the brand's ability to maintain and sustain a premium image over time.

(3) Disney, more specifically the Mickey Mouse character. Simple and timeless.

A brand is the connection to future and current customers. It sparks feelings, interests, and loyalty across products, industries, and services. It's the unique way that a brand stands out in the marketplace.

TWEET THIS: A brand is the connection to future and current customers. ~@SuzyHuber #DebbieLaskeysBlog

QUESTION: You wrote a great post on your blog entitled “Four Signs It's Time for a Marketing Makeover” (link provided below). Can you briefly highlight the four signs and explain which sign you consider the most important, and why?

SUZANNE HUBER: The sign that I think is most important is definitely number 1: the inability to attract new customers.

If your brand and messaging are missing the mark or are dated, you are missing out on valuable revenue opportunities and likely losing out to the competition. I have seen CEOs that have invested in growing sales teams and other resources that fell flat because the overall image of the company didn't resonate with the ideal buyer. The funny thing is, a dated brand identity issue was so clear to all of the employees who even made a new logo for a rec team sport because they didn't want to use the current one. It was that bad! New customers are the lifeblood of any business, and this disconnect can have a really negative affect on the bottom line. Plus, it is a problem that is easily fixed. So why wouldn't you do so before continuing on a path that clearly isn't working?

(Read the full post here: https://suzannehuber.com/4-signs-its-time-for-a-marketing-makeover/)

My thanks to Suzanne for sharing her marketing insights and for appearing here on my Blog.

Image Credit: Kadyn Pierce via Unsplash.

Some Lessons in Marketing Terminology

Over the last decade, thanks to social media, I have had the privilege of meeting a variety of amazing marketing, branding, customer experience, leadership, and social media experts all over the world. One of these experts is Maureen Jann, a marketing pro based in Seattle, Washington. We recently had a discussion about marketing, Covid19's impact on marketing, and social media, and highlights follow below.

Maureen shares her experience and background in her responses, and you can meet her on LinkedIn at https://linkedin.com/in/maureenjann, on her website at https://www.superdeluxemarketing.com, and follow on Twitter @NeoLuxeMo.

QUESTION: How do you explain your title of "Co-Conspirator and Chief Marketing Strategist?"
MAUREEN JANN: So, the term “conspirator” reflects Neoluxe Marketing’s focus on becoming part of our client’s story. When they’re stressed, we step up next to them and say something like, “We’re in this together and we’ll figure it out.” You can’t expect that from your normal run-of-the-mill co-founder title. I wanted to make sure that people know that if you hire me and my team, you’re getting someone who will be side-by-side with you helping to plan your most innovative marketing shenanigans.

What I also love about the phrase “co-conspirator” is that it describes my role in our organization as well. Not only am I able to be my partner’s co-conspirator, planning strategy and growth, but I’m able to bring that same kind of “in it together” type of approach to our team. Whether that means that I stand up and act as a buffer in difficult client situations, or someone is just overwhelmed with deliverables, I can step up next to him/her/them and we can walk through the tough spot together.

As for the Chief Marketing Strategist, that’s simpler! I provide the overarching marketing and content strategy inside NeoLuxe and in our client organizations. As a perfect example, right now, I find myself as an interim VP of Marketing at a few organizations we serve. I start by providing the strategy and am then able to engage my team to help execute on the details.

QUESTION: What appeals to you most about the field of marketing, and why?
MAUREEN JANN: I started out as a graphic designer. But even early in my career, I discovered that waiting for someone to tell me what to make and why wasn’t going to cut it. As I dug into the world of marketing while I was tolerating my first job as an administrative assistant at an insurance brokerage (they were great, I was just a truly terrible admin), it became clearer and clearer to me that marketing demanded a broader, more balanced set of skills. It combined creativity and analytical thinking in a way that I didn’t expect. And as I’ve matured into my career, what’s also clear is that there is always a ton to learn.

The ability to help people taps into my empathic nature as well. Not only do I get to help marketers achieve their goals, but I get to help connect them with their customers as well. I can walk a mile in their shoes and distill their wants, needs, desires, and influences into personas that can drive an entire organization’s understanding of their customer. Using my natural ability to connect and build trust with people to create that level of impact feels like the holy grail of occupations. I truly love what I do.  

QUESTION: Based on your professional experiences since March of 2020, how has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the world of marketing?
MAUREEN JANN: I’ve found that my personal experience during the pandemic is indicative of what I’m seeing in the market. By May of 2020, I had lost every client I had. I was starting from zero. But true to my phoenix form, I merged with another agency to form NeoLuxe Marketing. Of course, starting a new business in a pandemic is tricky and I knew if I didn’t hustle hard, I would fall flat on my face. So, I took 500 meetings in 5 months to build up the pipeline and get a real sense for what my prospects and the marketing industry at large were dealing with. This was in combination with homeschooling my kiddo and managing complex social structures with our education pod. The good news is that it worked. We went from zero clients to signing 6-figure clients in nine months thanks to the work of myself and my partner, Chris Craft. The bad news is that this didn’t happen without many tears and much gnashing of teeth (and a whole lotta time on Zoom). It just happened to close with a happy ending.

Marketing as a whole, much like my story, comes out the other side of this pandemic with a newfound desire to survive. That means we are navigating new internal demands, shifting persona populations dealing with more stress and anxiety, and in many cases, smaller teams. We are in a world where we need to know our customers better than ever to ensure that we don’t step in a pile of “NOPE” when we communicate with them.

There is added complication with the growing tech stacks as well. We were required to double down on digital transformation (although we were pretty digital to start with) because we are doing more with less in a way that we have never needed to in years prior. Automation is more important than ever. Efficiency and planning are more important than ever before. But doing it with a loose grip is critical as well because things could change again in the flutter of a butterfly’s wing.

TWEET THIS: We are in a world where we need to know our customers better than ever to ensure that we don’t step in a pile of “NOPE” when we communicate with them. ~@NeoLuxeMo #CX #marketingtip #brandexperience

QUESTION: What's your favorite social platform, and why?
MAUREEN JANN: I love Twitter. It’s fun, immediate, active, and allows for true interaction. I do a ton of TweetChats and highly recommend anyone in the marketing and business worlds to look up some TweetChats to participate in. They offer the opportunity to interact with the topic’s community in a way that’s moderated, fun, and fast.

Here are my three fave TweetChats:
(1) #CMWorld, 9am PT on Tuesdays - A wonderful community that has quite literally helped propel my career.
(2) #ContentChat, 12p PT on Mondays - Smart, sharp, and fresh questions on important topics. It's hosted by the amazing Erika Heald, and she brings together a unique community of outstanding marketers.
(3) #SEMRushChat, 8am PT on Wednesdays - A more technical crowd. I never fail to learn something new from a group of marketing experts that I don't often get to connect with.

QUESTION: How do you convince/make a case to a client to create a brand style guide when none previously existed for the business?
MAUREEN JANN: I always show them the money. Much like a creative brief, brand style guides offer an agreed-upon approach that saves endless rounds of editing, tweaking, and updating to reflect current brand approaches and strategies. The employees, contractors, and vendors know what’s anticipated of them, and they’re far more likely to get it right the first time if you set the expectations with a brand style guide.

QUESTION: What's your favorite marketing buzzword, and why? What's your most disliked marketing buzzword, and why?
MAUREEN JANN: Honestly, I don’t think or speak in buzzwords so this question is a little tough for me. Of course, as I type that, the words “machine learning/artificial intelligence” pop up for me as some of my least favorite terms. Not only are they ambiguous, but they are often grouped together when they are clearly two different concepts. Sometimes they can work together, but most frequently, organizations are creating dynamic algorithms and calling it AI. I get really tired of folks leveraging those phrases incorrectly.

I’m also hesitant to say that I have a favorite marketing buzzword. I like the word shenanigans (as seen in my response to the first question) and I love slipping that into every-day conversations. But the marketing specific buzzword that I am really enjoying and learning about is OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). The idea that you start with the objective, then you work your way back towards key results feels intuitively like a much more effective approach to goals and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). Goals often feel arbitrary and KPIs can feel like a goal’s equally arbitrary cousin. Starting with what you want to achieve through an object process seems far more useful.

My gratitude and appreciation to Maureen for appearing on my Blog and for sharing her marketing insights.

 

Additional reading about OKRs:

OKRs Vs. KPIs: Breaking Down The Difference:
https://www.clearpointstrategy.com/okrs-vs-kpis/

A brief history of OKR:
https://www.perdoo.com/okr-guide/

Image Credit: Daniel Herron and Unsplash app.