Adweek September 13, 2021

A year ago, marketers and broadcasters were wary about whether the NFL season could—or should—take place during the pandemic, but there has been no such trepidation as the 2021 season kicked off last weekend. Demand for football ad inventory is higher than ever, especially as entertainment ratings and ad impressions plummet elsewhere in the TV landscape. Now, “we are the sole purveyors of scale,” said Seth Winter, evp of sports sales at Fox Sports. That’s leading to what ad sales execs are calling the busiest NFL marketplace in years—one that is expected to easily surpass the $3.78 billion in ad revenue generated last season, according to Standard Media Index. Two emerging categories are having a big impact on ad sales this season: sports betting and cryptocurrency. Meanwhile, advertisers’ NFL regular season frenzy…

In 2020, Burger King touted the lack of artificial preservatives in its signature burger with the Moldy Whopper. The chain’s latest bid to position itself as a better-for-you QSR is banning 120 “nonessential, artificial ingredients” from its menu. Burger King has slowly been removing artificial ingredients from its menu since 2015, noted CMO Ellie Doty. As part of the reveal, Burger King is introducing three Keep It Real meals curated by rapper Nelly, singer Anitta and TikTok influencer Lil Huddy, all lending their real names to the promotion. “Our brand identity that we work under internally is authenticity of food and people,” Doty said.…

Jolie Hunt set out to create a different type of strategic communications agency when she launched Hunt & Gather in 2014. Hunt was shaken by her brief, unpleasant stint as AOL’s chief marketing officer. It was the first time in her career that hard work didn’t equal professional success, and she knew it was the right time to open her own firm. Nearly seven years later, the move has reinforced her belief that listening to your gut is essential. Hunt & Gather’s work focuses on three areas: content, experiential, and executive counsel and positioning. “I don’t think that what breaks through is what a typical or traditional PR firm does these days,” Hunt told Adweek. “It’s far more nuanced.” ‘Never in my wildest dreams did I think it would be this fun.’ Describing what Hunt…

Here at Adweek, we’re on what we like to call “the road to Brandweek”—the time of year when we are thinking, writing and talking about brands nonstop. Not just any brands, though—the best. Brands that invented products you didn’t know you needed and deployed marketing tactics that made you stop scrolling. Marketers who dug deep to find their purpose and had such a bright idea, you wish you’d thought of it first. The ones who took a blow and turned it into an opportunity. Our fourth annual Brandweek experience is Sept. 20-24, and in this edition, we’re getting ready by talking with marketing pros about how they do what they do, and how you can build on that knowledge (page 36). The next two editions of Adweek are among the most important…

There is a paradigm shift happening in how brands approach disability, according to Loebner. “People with disabilities are not only being represented in the communications, but also in the product design and development.” DEGREE INCLUSIVE Wunderman Thompson made a deodorant that is easier for people with upper limb disabilities to use. It won the Innovation Grand Prix at Cannes this year. VOYA FINANCIAL Recognized by nonprofit Disability:IN as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion in 2020, it offers products and financial planning services that support disabled people. CAT & JACK The clothing brand sold at Target made an adaptive apparel line for children living with disabilities.…

Depictions of disability in advertising tend to fall within one of two camps: evoke inspiration or pity. Rarely are disabled people shown as layered, three-dimensional humans; instead, they are othered, stereotyped, stigmatized or ignored altogether. But when 15% of the global population is disabled—a striking fact highlighted by the International Paralympic Committee’s recent “#WeThe15” campaign—that is “too many to consider as abnormal or different, and too many to marginalize or ignore,” said Laura Rogers, global creative director at adam&eveDDB, the agency behind “#WeThe15.” Lately, advertising has begun moving toward a new era of representation, one that disability advocates hope will finally erase stigma and better represent a vast and diverse community. “I’ve heard multiple times [from advertisers] that disability wasn’t in the target market they were trying to reach. But in the demographic…