We don’t know about you all,

but it feels like we’ve officially hit the EOY sprint. It seems like we’re all trying to get everything approved before we stuff our faces with turkey, watch football and survive the in-laws 😅. Internally, our 2025 plan is in a good place, client agreements are being finalized and we’re deep in a handful of big pitches in the US and the UK. Keep your fingers and toes crossed!

Shameless Plug(s): We’re continuing to staff up. Georg Loewen has started to build out our digital marketing and customer acquisition programs. If you’d like a free audit…reach out! We’re also excited to welcome Ruvina Uppal to the UK team. She will act as our UK MD’s #2 and will manage new business AND client services. 

Here’s what captured our attention this week: how Aloft and Red Lobster approached advertising during election season, how a B2B tech brand is tapping into the Black Friday/Cyber Monday season, and an unusual collaboration between Studs and Shake Shack.

Enjoy!

Becky & Greg

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Getting non-political: How brands used messages of unity and humor to engage during the election season

TL;DR: Many brands didn’t shy away from conversations this US election season. Red Lobster launched its own Cheddar Bay campaign, hotel brand Aloft pushed its pet-friendly offerings, and mindfulness brand Calm bought ad spots to encourage meditation breaks amidst all the news.

Takeaway: Election season is a tough time for brands. Attention is elsewhere, but you also don’t want to engage in heated political conversations or take a political stance. These campaigns are great examples of how brands can engage in these trending conversations without risking reputational damage. It’s about talking around the topics at hand, not about the specifics. No matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on, election cycles can be stressful and tiring. These brands leaned into that unifying experience and used it to their advantage.

Consider:

• This messaging approach can be applied to other instances too, like religious holidays or other sensitive trends. Always be careful and strategic before you bring your brand into conversations, but recognize that there may be ways to jump into the convo without being divisive.
• Because so many brands are nervous to enter the political space, there’s a major opportunity to jumping into the conversation. Think about the brand Calm – they’re focused on integrating mindfulness into daily life, regardless of political affiliation. Does your brand have a similar unifying story you could be telling?

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Visualizing your product: Klaviyo partnered with Fishwife and Alison Roman for its first Black Friday/Cyber Monday campaign

TL;DR: Email and SMS marketing platform Klaviyo partnered with Fishwife, a DTC tinned-fish company, and food influencer Alison Roman on a brick-and-mortar pop-up shop in Manhattan ahead of the holiday season. The dual collaboration helped Fishwife reach customers IRL and provided fodder for Klaviyo’s own campaign which shows their high-converting communication platform helps marketers maximize every opportunity.

Takeaway: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are historically popular with consumer-facing and eCommerce brands. However, SaaS and B2B brands can also get in on the fun with a little creative thinking. Fishwife is a major eCommerce brand of the moment, especially with the modern millennial demographic – the growing B2B buyer cohort that Klaviyo hopes to attract. By bringing both Fishwife’s brand and Klaviyo’s tools to real life, the brands cut through the noise and help consumers truly understand what the brands’ products can do for them. Sometimes, consumers just need to picture themselves in the product, and an inventive pop-up is a great (and less cumbersome!) solution for this.

Consider:

• How can you help your consumers visualize themselves with your products? If you’re a SaaS company, how can you make your product seem more real than just your traditional demo and white paper?
• Klaviyo didn’t do this campaign alone. In partnering with Fishwife and influencer Alison Roman, they leaned into icons that already resonate with their desired target audience and provide a B2C approach. The result is a collaboration that feels natural, which is what makes it so successful. What collaborations could help you bring a more visual component to your B2B product?

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Find unusual partners: Jewelry company Studs is collaborating with food brands like Shake Shack to get customers

TL;DR: Studs, an ear piercing and jewelry company, is offering up delicious little treats to get customers into their stores. In the last year, Studs’ New York locations have partnered with local brands including Shake Shack, bakeries Glace and Noa, and candy company BonBon to sell limited-edition kitschy jewelry and get exposure to newer audiences.

Takeaway: This approach to getting new customers may seem a little out there. But Studs has found it incredibly successful in driving foot traffic into its stores. The concept isn’t all that different from newsjacking or jumping on a viral trend. Studs is intentionally picking brands with large social followings and crafting jewelry that complements the food products (see: Shake Shack hamburger earrings). The other key element here is that Studs’ partnerships are outside of typical jewelry collaborations, which often lean more into collaborations with celebrities or known fashion brands. By leaning into more unusual partnerships, Studs is carving a niche for itself and standing apart from the competition.

Consider:

• Think about which brands are already resonating with your target market. Of these brands, which ones could complement your product? The more unique, the better!
• Studs’ collaborations are highly beneficial because they often target brands with local ties. For example, they celebrated the opening of their Cambridge, MA location with a collaboration featuring ice cream brand Van Leeuwen, also from NYC, and expanding to the Boston area. What brands share a physical market with you? Leaning into these local ties can often attract audiences on that merit alone.

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