McDonald’s, Acura, Insurance Navy… and other brands targeting the U.S. consumer right now. Check our prior Sales Leads columns.
McDonald’s
For the first time ever, McDonald’s is spotlighting its´ creativity by officially debuting four fan-favorite creations on menus across the country for a limited time. Starting Jan. 31, customers can visit their local participating McDonald’s or go on McDonald’s App to order the custom ‘Menu Hacks’ by name and receive all the delicious menu items needed to build them by hand (because that’s half the fun)! So, which of the many mashups seen on social were chosen as the lucky four for the menu? To help introduce these craveable combos, McDonald’s asked a few self-identified ‘menu hack masters’ to share the diets on their favorites on McDonald’s new TV commercials premiering nationwide on Jan. 31. “This campaign shows that it has never been ‘our menu’ — the menu belongs to our fans,” said Jennifer Healan, Vice President, U.S. Marketing, Brand Content and Engagement for McDonald’s USA. The Hash Brown McMuffin, the Crunchy Double and the Land, Air & Sea are available at participating restaurants nationwide via carry-out, at the Drive Thru, on the McDonald’s App or through McDelivery. The Surf + Turf is available to order exclusively on the McDonald’s App and via McDelivery. Fans are encouraged to share their favorite builds on social media and tag @McDonalds with the hashtag#McDonaldsHacks. Happy (menu) hacking!
Kohl’s
US retailer Kohl’s has put its media account into review, Adweek has learned. Publicis Groupe’s Zenith has held the retailer’s account for the past nine years. Kohl’s last awarded its media business to Zenith in March 2013. Estimated media spend for Kohl’s between July 2020 and June 2021 was US$241 million, including US $84 million in digital spend, according to COMvergence.
Edgewell
Edgewell, an American multinational consumer products company headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, has named Havas Media Group as its U.S. media AOR for its sun, shave, and hygiene business lines following a 7- month review, Adage has reported. Assembly, the previous incumbent, defended the account. Havas will be in charge of media planning and buying for a number of brands, including Schick Hydro, Xtreme, Schick Hydro Silk, Intuition, Skintimate, Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and Wet Ones. The account will be handled by Havas Media’s health and wellness practice. Havas will also create dedicated teams for each brand which will part of a larger integrated team for the portfolio of brands, according to Adage. In 2020, Edgewell named Digitas as its U.S. creative and media AOR for its feminine products.
United Way Worldwide
United Way Worldwide announced that MyFreeTaxes™ is, for the first time, available in both English and Spanish. The bilingual free online tax filing program highlights United Way’s commitment to fighting for the financial stability of every person in every community by making tax preparation assistance more accessible. MyFreeTaxes has been helping taxpayers who qualify to easily and accurately file both federal and state tax returns electronically since 2009. In that time, MyFreeTaxes has helped more than 1.3 million taxpayers claim nearly US$2 billion in refunds and save US$260 million in filing fees. This year, MyFreeTaxes is made available because of the generous support of the Truist Foundation.According to the U.S. Census, approximately 13.5% of the U.S. population speaks Spanish in the home. United Way provides MyFreeTaxes in partnership with the IRS’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program that helps filers prepare their tax returns on their own or have them prepared at no cost. United Way is the world’s largest privately funded nonprofit, working in 95% of U.S. communities and 40 countries and territories.
Dove
Unilever´s brand Dove releases a NEW body of research, “Dove 2021 CROWN Research Study for Girls,” unveiling the alarming rate and young age at which Black girls experience hair discrimination in schools. As part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to ending race-based hair discrimination via The CROWN Act legislation (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), the study reveals that 53% of Black mothers, whose daughters have experienced hair discrimination, say their daughters experienced the discrimination as early as 5 years old, and approximately 86% of Black teens who experience discrimination have endured it by the age of 12.Fueled by these research findings, Dove released a short film, As Early As Five, inspired by the far too many real stories of those who have experienced hair discrimination and bias in both schools and the workplace. As Early As Five depicts three scenarios of race-based hair discrimination experienced by a girl – starting in elementary school, in high school and into adulthood – all inspired by real life events. Through this campaign, Dove continues its mission to raise awareness for CROWN Act legislation and spark urgency among parents, school administrators and advocates to sign The CROWN Act petition at Dove.com/CROWN to make race-based hair discrimination illegal nationwide.The CROWN Coalition is a national alliance founded by Dove, National Urban League, Color Of Change and Western Center on Law & Poverty, to end race-based hair discrimination in America. The Coalition, now consisting of 85 supporting organizations, is the founder of the CROWN Act movement and was the official sponsor of the inaugural CROWN Act legislation in California in 2019.
