Marcus, Eddie Bauer, Estrella Jalisco, Corporate Spending Innovations, SIA Scotch Whisky… and More

Marcus, Eddie Bauer,Estrella Jalisco, Corporate Spending Innovations, SIA Scotch Whisky… and other brands targeting the U.S. consumer right now. Check our prior Sales Leads columns.

• Marcus (Goldman Sachs)

Goldman Sachs’ Marcus consumer banking arm is launching its biggest advertising campaign since its launch in 2016. Advertisements for products including Marcus Loans and Savings will include upcoming products such as Marcus Checking. In the new campaign, Marcus will be touted as a one-stop consumer banking platform suited to people’s spending, borrowing, savings and investment needs. The campaign launched last week is the latest version of the bank’s “You Can Money” campaign and draws heavily on humor. The ads featured Hollywood actress Rosamund Pike taking a dig at other banks’ benefits like free pens and coffee, and annual percentage yields that are four times the national average. The campaign’s first two ads promote Marcus’ loan and savings products; Goldman said future ads will highlight its “robo-advisory” service Marcus Invest and MarcusChecking, which is set to launch later this year. The company said the campaign is for the first time making more use of digital channels such as connected TV versus traditional channels. The bank expects to spend twice as much as it has for previous campaigns. According to Kantar, Goldman Sachs spent more than US $28 million on advertising (excluding social channels) for Marcus in 2020.

• Eddie Bauer

Eddie Bauer launched a Gear Rental program.  Through its partnership with Arrive Outdoors, it launched aq camping gear and outdoor product rental business. The program is designed to make the outdoors accessible to people who want to head outside but may not have the equipment needed. Customers can log onto the brand’s website and reserve men’s and women’s apparel and gear such as backpacks, sun shelter tents, sleeping bags, and headlamps for a specific number of days. The order is then sent via FedEx to their homes, offices, or hotels or can be picked up at local FedEx facilities. A free return label is included with every order that needs to be dropped off at a FedEx office when being returned. The program is a brand-new initiative to overcome common barriers to adventure — namely, budget constraints and convenience. “Rentals offer consumers unique opportunities to try items before they commit to a large purchase, secure quality gear for a once-a-year trip when they need it, or try a new activity altogether,” the brand said in a press release.

• Colombe Coffee Rosters

La Colombe Coffee Roasters, a premium, specialty coffee roaster with 34 cafes nationwide, unveiled its summer integrated marketing campaign to celebrate increased national distribution of its beloved ready-to-drink (RTD) Draft Latte product. The summer campaign is a multifaceted strategy, including media, field & experiential, PR, and merchandising, designed to build brand awareness for the La Colombe Draft Latte among the coffee curious in key markets. La Colombe used key points of distribution and worked alongside New York City-based media agency, Big, and their proprietary market and media planning team, to identify three key markets to roll out the campaign – Los Angeles, Chicago, and D.C. La Colombe’s in-house creative team partnered with Brooklyn-based StarFish to create video ads. As part of the summer advertising campaign, La Colombe’s field marketing team will hit the road for a 3-month cross-country tour, beginning in July in New York and ending in September in Los Angeles. The team will be traveling in a branded RV that reads, “Cruising on Cold Brew Day Dreams,” surprising and delighting people with Draft Latte at retail stores, national parks, hospitality partners, universities, etc. The taglines, Taste Your Frothy Cold Brew Dreams, A Cloud of Cold Brew Daydream, and Frothy Boost of Cold Brew Joy, speak to the aspirational drinking occasion. Whether it’s a strong morning run, check-in from a friend, or a delicious Draft Latte, this campaign is designed to embrace moments that elevate the mind and mood of the consumer.“If you love cold brew and cold lattes, you will want to grab a Draft Latte after you see the deliciously frothy creative,” said Kathryn O’Connor, SVP of Brand, Marketing, and eComm for La Colombe. “

• AB-InBev

VaynerX, a division of Vayner Media, announced the launch of a new project, VaynerNFT focused on Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT). With the announcement, VaynerNFT signed on  Budweiser’s parent company AB InBev.  VaynerNFT will serve as the ‘NFT agency of record’ for Budweiser, a first-of-its-kind agency representation deal for a brand as large as Budweiser. VaynerNFT will serve as consultants for strategic NFT integration for brands. The team will look to be NFT projects that have long-term value, expand new revenue streams that leverage IP and owned assets, and create unique value-adds for NFT holders. “At AB InBev, we’re always looking for new ways to innovate and provide the best experience for our consumers,” stated Head of Global Brands for AB InBev, Richard Oppy.

• Estrella Jalisco 

Estrella Jalisco, the Mexican beer brand with more than 100 years of brewing tradition, is making summer 2021 the most flavorful yet with the introduction of its new Classic Michelada, an expansion of  its line of canned michelada offerings. Featuring a 3.5% ABV, the Classic Michelada is made by blending a Mexican-style lager with Clamato and lime juice to create a refreshing balance of sweet, savory and spicy that tastes just like a traditional michelada should.To celebrate the new flavor, Estrella Jalisco is teaming up with modern media company, Tastemade, and a lineup of award-winning chefs to introduce ‘Michelada Mondays,’ a chance for fans to win prizes and enjoy delicious new recipes. As part of ‘Michelada Mondays,’ Estrella Jalisco is commemorating our return to togetherness by encouraging people to take time off. Over the next few months, Estrella Jalisco will pay five lucky fans to take a Monday off work – and deliver a Michelada-inspired feast curated by Tastemade partner, TV star and cooking competitor, Chef Maria Mazon. Winners will also receive exclusive access to a virtual cooking class hosted by Chef Mazon. Estrella Jalisco is giving fans everywhere the chance to create their own ‘Michelada Mondays’ at home with help from Tastemade. Together, they’ve developed a collection of michelada-inspired recipes and are offering a complimentary three-month trial of Tastemade+, a subscription video-on-demand service featuring ad-free, premium lifestyle programming. Fans will be able to access the recipe content and trial by scanning the QR code on the back of all Classic Michelada cans. Recipe content, along with other co-branded programming, can also be found at https://www.tastemade.com/estrella-jalisco/ anytime and across Tastemade and Tastemade Español social channels throughout the summer.

• Corporate Spending Innovations 

Corporate Spending Innovations, an Edenred Company, and leader in business-to-business payments automation, announced that it has completed a major upgrade of its visual identity, branding and launched a new website. The rebranding effort was prompted by a desire to bring the company’s website in line with the company’s future-forward mission.Founded almost three decades ago, Corporate Spending Innovations first established itself in North America with fleet cards. Since then, the company has built new solutions to service new industries, and unlocked opportunities in new territories across the continent. With a design lead by Mayday, a New York-based agency with expertise in FinTech, the new brand and website succeeds in visualizing three strategic goals for Corporate Spending Innovations: to expand globally, to set the future of corporate payments and to deliver a tailored experience.With this shift in branding and new website launch, Corporate Spending Innovations is pressing on its mission to define and build the future of payments.Corporate Spending Innovations provides innovative payment solutions to world-leading brands with their highly secure corporate payment solutions. CSI customers can automate 100% of B2B payables including virtual credit card, ACH, check, or foreign exchange with cross-border payments settled in local currency. CSI is a certified Mastercard processor and has obtained Visa Ready for Business Solutions approval.

• SIA Scotch Whisky 

In the United States, multicultural entrepreneurs have reportedly received only a 2% share of venture capital annually over the last decade.[1] SIA Scotch Whisky, an award-winning spirits brand founded by a first generation Hispanic entrepreneur, is looking to help bridge this gap by partnering with celebrated activist, actor and producer Wilmer Valderrama to launch The Entrepreneurial Spirit Fund by SIA Scotch. Spearheaded by SIA’s founder Carin Luna-Ostaseski and inspired by her journey of building the brand from the ground up, this initiative aims to challenge conventions and inspire others to achieve the unexpected.This disruptive new grant program will deploy a quarter of a million dollars to multicultural small business owners in need of support, especially after the additional challenges they face because of COVID-19. It will also offer recipients access to mentorship opportunities with SIA’s founder, who is one of the first Hispanic people in history to create a Scotch Whisky, and who faced a myriad of challenges during her own entrepreneurship journey.The Entrepreneurial Spirit Fund by SIA Scotch launches in partnership with Hello Alice, a free online platform that guides business owners through the growth of their company and matches individuals with the resources to make their dreams a reality.The Entrepreneurial Spirit Fund by SIA Scotch will award US$10,000 grants to 25 qualifying entrepreneurs who self-identify as people of color, for a total of US$250,000. To apply, visit siascotchfund.helloalice.com. To be eligible, the business owner must be a citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States, 25 years or older, and must operate in at least one of the following states where SIA is sold: California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York and/or Texas. 

• Mirror by Lululemon 

At-home fitness company Mirror, recently acquired by Lululemon, has named Known its first agency-of-record, Adage reports. Mirror has appointed agency  Known following a pitch process. Founded in 2020, Known works with big-name clients such as Amazon, Microsoft and Beyond Meat. Knowm  will provide growth strategies, creative branding, media planning and buying, according to Known President Ross Martin.New marketing, including on linear TV, audio channels, out-of-home and social search and digital display, will debut in October. Known’s appointment marks the first time Mirror has designated an agency of record.

At this exclusive virtual event on September 22, 2021 Brand Decision Makers and Marketing Service Suppliers will share and accelerate knowledge on key topics including multicultural marketing, e-commerce marketing and marketing technologies. To find out about virtual networking solutions at PortadaLive involving a myriad of brand decision makers, please contact Sales Coordinator Michelle Lopez at [email protected].