Welcome to Sports Career Consulting’s Marketing Currents (MC)
Please enjoy free access to Marketing Currents (MC), our business and marketing current events program for the remainder of the school year. Next year, Marketing Currents (MC) subscription content will be featured on our new website, launching in September. USING MARKETING CURRENTS (MC): Each week, we will post headlines (marked “MC”) highlighting creative and unique marketing campaigns. Articles with suggestion questions for students will be tagged by category in the “Notable Campaigns” list of headlines. Additional links to relevant marketing initiatives will be provided in the “More News” list of headlines. Archived stories can be found in the categories list at the bottom of the column on the right side of this page. Enjoy!For the Week of November 16th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- Whole Foods, Progressive team up to offer Thanksgiving turkey insurance
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Can Supreme survive its acquisition by VF Corp?
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Chipotle upgrades pickup and delivery options with first digital-only restaurant
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Mountain Dew Is Releasing an Official Cookbook with Plenty of Green-Hued Recipes
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Is it ethical to recommend travel while the world is in the grips of a second COVID-19
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Lexus Inspired By Pandemic For Holiday Campaign
- Click here to read the story from mediapost.com
- Millennials Don’t Like These Brands Anymore And They’re Struggling
- Click here to read the story from moneywise.com
- Cracker Barrel and Dolly Parton Team for Thanksgiving Day Parade Experience
- Click here to read the story from fsrmagazine.com
- McDonald’s looks to chicken, loyalty program and celebrities to drive mid-single digit sales growth in 2021 and 2022
- Click here to read the story from cnbc.com
- RITZ® Brand Promotes Message Of Inclusion And Belonging With Launch Of “Where There’s Love, There’s Family” Holiday Ad Campaign
- Click here to read the story from prnewswire.com
- Cheetos Just Released a Holiday Cookbook Full of Recipes, and Mac ‘n Cheese Is Involved
- Click here to read the story from news.yahoo.com
- Inside the wild design of the Playstation 5
- Click here to read the story from fastcompany.com
For the Week of June 8th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- With a Slew of New Customers, J.M. Smucker’s Next Task Is Keeping Them
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Whole Foods, Costco, Trader Joe’s Lead ‘The 6-Foot Economy’
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Zoom’s founder on how it beat the competition
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Corporate Voices Get Behind ‘Black Lives Matter’ Cause
- Click here to read the story from nytimes.com
- Where ad spending is thriving during COVID-19, including a few surprises
- Click here to read the story from marketingdive.com
- How Can Starbucks Be Starbucks In A Post-Corona World?
- Click here to read the story from fastcompany.com
For the Week of June 1st, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- The Psychology of Color in Marketing and Branding
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- COVID-19 Will Inspire a Dunkin’ 2.0
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Burger King celebrates employees with customer thank yous
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Free Samples Returning To Costco After COVID-19 Expenses Soar
- Click here to read the story from mediapost.com
- La-Z-Boy launches marketing campaign to thank healthcare workers
- Click here to read the story from digitalcommerce360.com
- KFC puts mobile and agile ads at heart of plucky pandemic recovery plan
- Click here to read the story from thedrum.com
For the Week of May 25th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- BodyArmor heats up sports drink wars with new campaign, eyes Gatorade’s top spot
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Mastercard brings Priceless experiences lineup online
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- This $1K copper jacket is designed to kill viruses and bacteria
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Target Notches 141% Digital Gain, Says Consumers Coming Back To Fashion
- Click here to read the story at mediapost.com
- Pizza Hut Is Giving Away Free Pizzas to 2020 High School Graduates
- Click here to read the story at people.com
- Ad guru Martin Sorrell sees ‘aggressive’ marketing campaigns starting soon as coronavirus lockdowns are lifted
- Click here to read the story at cnbc.com
For the Week of May 18th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- Companies’ behavior mid-pandemic influences future brand loyalty, survey finds
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Shake Shack debuts social cooking series to build brand community during quarantine
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- McDonald’s is investing about $200M to boost marketing
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Ikea Created Instructions for 6 Ways to Make Furniture Forts
- Click here to read the story at adweek.com
- Grocery Outlet driving new customers with bargain pricing as food costs rise elsewhere
- Click here to read the story at marketwatch.com
- Bed Bath & Beyond Hires L Brands Executive for Image Overhaul
- Click here to read the story at bloomberg.com
- Chili’s, DoorDash to present virtual celebrity dinner party
- Click here to read the story at chainstoreage.com
For the Week of May11th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- TikTok Boom! How the Exploding Social Media App Is Going Hollywood
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- California’s tourism-dependent towns cautiously prepare new marketing for reopening
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- KFC, Olive Garden, P.F.Chang’s Scramble To Celebrate Mom
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- For Mothers Day, Lowe’s promises to deliver $1M in flowers to senior homes
- Click here to read the story at foxnews.com
- Why Experience Columbus launched a new marketing campaign in the middle of a pandemic
- Click here to read the story at bizjournals.com
- Peloton reports 66% increase in sales as coronavirus keeps consumers working out at home
- Click here to read the story at businessinsider.com
For the Week of May 4th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- Your next potato chip may be flavored by artificial intelligence
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Mattel made action-figure replicas of doctors, nurses, grocery store workers, and delivery drivers — and it’s donating proceeds from sales of the toys to frontline workers
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Tesla stock drops after Elon Musk’s confounding tweet
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Research shows that users desire a sense of normalcy from brands (click here to read the story at thedrum.com)
- Here’s how Burger King, Chipotle, Domino’s, and Subway are adapting their marketing as customers move to a delivery-based future (click here to read the story at businessinsider.com)
- According to Jeff Bezos, This May Be the Best Definition of Success He’s Ever Read (click here to read the story at inc.com)
For the Week of April 27th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- Aflac Continues to Put People First with ‘Not Alone’ Marketing Campaign
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Will The COVID-19 Shutdown Push Hollywood And Brands Into Closer Partnership?
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Oscar Mayer looks to keep cookout season alive with socially distant barbecues
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Coca-Cola slams brakes on ad spend: ‘There is limited effectiveness to brand marketing’
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Red Lobster offers custom Zoom backgrounds, Spotify playlist for date nights (click here to read the story at mobilemarketer.com)
- Target’s Ecommerce Soars; Walmart Launches Neighbor-To-Neighbor Push (click here to read the story at mediapost.com)
- How Brands Are Commemorating Earth Day 2020 (click here to read the story at adweek.com)
For the Week of April 20th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- Airbnb Is Turning Its Experiences Into Virtual Trips You Can Take From Home
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Is Disney Plus on track to overthrow Amazon and Netflix?
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Nissan, Rolls-Royce, Ford Engage Stuck-At-Home Kids
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Apple unveils a new, cheaper iPhone into a market vastly changed by coronavirus
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Hilton closes 1,000 hotels, experiences 56% decline in revenue per room resulting from coronavirus (click here to read the story at usatoday.com)
- Meet the Man Behind Burger King’s and Popeyes’ Viral Marketing Campaigns (click here to read the story at entrepreneur.com)
- Verizon is buying BlueJeans, one of Zoom’s videoconferencing rivals (click here to read the story from theverge.com)
For the Week of April 13th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- Brand Marketing Through the Coronavirus Crisis
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Nathan’s Famous upgrades tech, adds geotargeting and digital ordering
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Gamifying A Marketing Campaign: 12 Key Considerations
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Burger King Lets Students Unlock Free Whoppers by Showing Their Smarts (click here to read the story from adweek.com)
- Walmart, Costco, Target are banned from selling ‘non-essential’ items such as clothing and electronics in parts of the US (click here to read more from businessinsider.com)
- Cottonelle urges people to stop stockpiling toilet paper with social campaign (click here to read more from mobilemarketer.com)
For the Week of April 6th, 2020
Notable Campaigns:
- DoorDash Starts Delivering Toilet Paper and Other Groceries
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- Russell Stover readies GIFs, Instagram ‘bunny hunt’ for Easter
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
- CVS, Olive Garden and Sam’s Club coronavirus ads rank high in likeability
- Click here for the story and questions for class discussion.
- Brands Promote Social Distancing With Altered Logos, Slogans
- Click here for the article and questions for class discussion
More News:
- Brands from Heinz to Netflix are donating to COVID-19 relief. How you can join them (click here to read more from marketingdive.com)
- U.S. Seeks to Ease Small Business Loan Process, but Startups Fear Being Shut Out (click here to read more from wsj.com)
- Uber Eats now lets you donate $2 to support your local restaurants (click here to read more from venturebeat.com)
- Apple accidentally leaks AirTags, its Tile-like item tracker (click here to read more from thenextweb.com)