Our Sales Leads column discuss the latest brand and media agency initiatives. View past columns in the archives here.
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Knorr
This Thanksgiving, Knorr features photos of people’s “A for Effort” home cooking – flaws and all – in its newest campaign to recognize that it is the effort in cooking that matters. On #FoodTok, people are unapologetically sharing their cooking fails to celebrate instead their hard work put into cooking for others. In fact, 87% of Zillennials aren’t afraid to admit that they’ve had more than one cooking fail during a special occasion*.
As the brand that champions home cooking and with 86% of Zillennials saying effort matters as much as the outcome*, Knorr was inspired to ditch the picture-perfect food photography in their seasonal holiday marketing campaign: #EffortisEverything.
The brand selected Matt, Anita and Roger and their everyday cooking attempts to capture the essence of the campaign and will feature images of their cooking fails on the brand’s social media channels and a digital-out-of-home ad in New York City:
Matt Welsh, from California, attempted to cook the turkey on the grill for a fun, new way to prepare Thanksgiving dinner, but his bird ended up a little more charred than he bargained for.
Anita Binder’s burnt green bean casserole, with its imperfections, shows the effort she put into cooking for her in-laws around the holidays. Roger Smith from Georgia was multitasking while cooking and forgot to add the egg to his cornbread recipe… making a crumbly, hard, cookie-like finish out of his Cornbread Dressing. “It is Knorr’s goal to make home cooking delicious, nutritious, and accessible so people can build more kitchen confidence – especially during the holidays, which is when we’re all susceptible to have more food fails in the kitchen,” said Gina Kiroff, Chief Marketing Officer, Knorr North America. “We believe that whether imperfect or perfect, all efforts in the kitchen should be celebrated – which is what our ‘Effort is Everything’ campaign is all about.” -
Mars
Mars is reviewing most global advertising except creative (mostly at Omnicom). WPP’s Mediacom (now EssenceMediacom) won the combined Mars global media account in 2022, currently estimated at US $2.4 billion, of which about half are U.S. media buys. Brands include M&Ms, Snickers, Wrigley’s, and petcare brands Pedigree and Cesar.
A Mars spokesperson said: “As part of our planned review of our agency partners, we are taking this opportunity to ensure we are set up to continue delivering best-in-class brand building. As a result, we are initiating RFP processes across several capability areas within our consumer brands and expect the process to conclude in 2025.”
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Principal Financial
iProspect has been named US brand media agency of record for Principal Financial Group and Principal Asset Management following an extensive competitive review. As US brand media AOR, iProspect will oversee media investment across channels for Principal while driving efficiency and optimizing paid media, accelerating the development of performance marketing capabilities, and improving tracking and reporting.
“We’re excited to be bringing iProspect on as our US brand media agency of record to ensure Principal is showing up consistently at every step of the customer’s journey with an integrated cross-capability approach,” said Diane Van Wyngarden, vice president of brand, media, and creative at Principal. iProspect was selected after the completion of a competitive review led by Ken Robinson of Ark Advisors and will get to work immediately. iProspect recently won accounts, including Ferrero Group, MoneyGram, OPTAVIA, and Reckitt Nutrition.
Find out about Portada Live events planned for 2025. Portada Live events are highly curated events. Their agenda is designed to maximize knowledge-sharing and networking between top brand marketing, media agencies, and media executives. To find out about thought leadership and networking solutions at Portada Live and Portada digital media offerings, don’t hesitate to contact Sales Director Irma Gutierrez at [email protected].
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iHop
Starting November 18, IHOP guests can dive into a special Indiana Jones and the Great Circle-inspired menu featuring the debut of Fully Loaded French Toast and signature beverages including ‘Explorer’s Caramel Apple Butter Hot Chocolate’ and ‘Long-Lost Cookie Butter Milkshake’. But the adventure doesn’t stop there— restaurant visitors can become International Bank of Pancakes members and upload their IHOP receipts to earn PanCoins that can be redeemed for exclusive Xbox-themed prizes in the IHOP Stack Market.The Stack Market will have weekly drops throughout the program, including full game downloads, exclusive merch, gaming accessories, one month of Game Pass Ultimate (new members only), and much more. IHOP and Xbox are hosting a live stream on November 18 at 12:30 pm PT on the Xbox Twitch and Xbox YouTube channels to unveil exclusive rewards available only to IHOP loyalty members. -
Zim
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. a global leader in shipping and logistics, announced the launch of its new Employer Brand Campaign, an initiative aimed at attracting top talent to ZIM USA, headquartered in Virginia Beach. The campaign will showcase ZIM’s corporate culture and the values that make it a unique and dynamic workplace within this vital and impactful industry. With the campaign slogan- Hear the Difference. See the Difference. Be the Difference: ZIM recognizes the importance of its employer brand in attracting skilled individuals who align with the company’s ethos and culture. This campaign is based on messages developed through extensive research and direct input from current ZIM employees. By reflecting the voices of its team, ZIM’s new initiative aims to connect authentically with prospective employees who share its commitment to excellence and the distinctive Z Factor spirit. The campaign will leverage various platforms, including social media, job search websites, and mobile billboards on container trucks. These advertisements invite potential employees to join ZIM USA, focusing on roles in customer service, sales, and other key positions supporting its rapidly growing global shipping services.
