Planters, Best Buy, eToro, Grupo Ferrero…Eleven New Brand Moves You Need to Know About

• Best Buy

Best Buy is introducing changes to its brand and for the personalized services it creates for its customers, as well as a a new tagline, “imagine that.” “Today, we’re excited to share some changes that are coming — to our brand and the personalized experiences we’re creating for our customers,” the electronic goods retailer said in an announcement. “Our customers are at the heart of all we do, and the role they want us to play in their lives and with technology has evolved. They don’t always need us to be the expert anymore. Customers are more familiar with technology, do a tremendous amount of research on their own, and know we will be there with our expertise when they need it. Today, they want us to play a bigger role in helping them discover new technology, how it can elevate their lives, and the extraordinary things it can do for them.” “We’re embracing this change, and we’re excited about it, because we know it’s where our customers want us to go,” said Jennie Weber, Best Buy’s chief marketing officer. “This new world of discovery is personal to every customer, their passions and the moments in life that matter most. They want technology to level up their lives — to help them do more of what they love — and there’s no one more passionate and better positioned to do that than Best Buy.” The broader decline in tech spending has been reflected in Best Buy’s results: The retailer in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2025 reported a 6.1% decline in comparable sales.

“The world of discovery we’re building is centered on asking our customers, ‘What if?’ In finding the answer, we’re introducing the new tagline, ‘imagine that.'”

Along with our new tagline, Best Buy is also giving its brand a modern look and feel, which will be phased in over time. “We’ll also introduce a refreshed color palette. Our iconic blue and yellow aren’t going anywhere, but we’re adding hints of magenta, teal and red. We’ve also added a modernized version of our tag that will show up across a variety of channels. Each of these new components bring to life the energy and vibrancy that is discovering new possibilities.”
Pulling this all together is the new spokesman called  Gram, who will quickly become a familiar character in Best Buy ads (see below). “Meet Gram — he’s ready to spark customer curiosity, help with discovery and talk some tech,” Best Buy’s press release says. The company is launching an ad campaign with five new 25- to 30-second spots starring Gram. Gram can also be found in new back-to-school ads across TV, online and social media platforms. An unnamed agency handled media buying, a Best Buy spokesperson told Adage.

• Planters

To support of the launch of new PLANTERS® Nut Duos, the PLANTERS® brand is launching a new advertising campaign titled ‘Duo-licious.’ The campaign includes three 15-second TV spots where snacking moments are humorously interrupted by a memorable singing duo who enthusiastically put on a show. The ads deliver on a challenge to create excitement for the new snacks while clearly communicating the pairing of two nuts and two flavors combined for a unique snacking experience. The creative reinforces this through the idea of “flavor harmony,” celebrated in the singing of a nostalgia-drenched R&B duo who appears every time someone pours a handful of PLANTERS® Nut Duos. “The ‘Duo-licious’ campaign highlights PLANTERS® Nut Duos with a blend of fun and excitement, highlighting how this new product transforms snacking into an unforgettable experience,” said Ashley Krautkramer-Gonya, senior brand manager for the PLANTERS® brand. Beyond TV and streaming services, the new ‘Duo-licious’ campaign will run across several digital and social platforms, including a Snapchat lens in which the duo serenades users in “flavor harmony” as well as TikTok creator content. During the product’s meticulous development, the PLANTERS® brand team explored over 100 nut-and-flavor combinations and tested them with consumers before determining the final recipes that had the most appealing, trending flavors. Each PLANTERS® Nut Duos snack flavor combination is packed in a convenient, 5-ounce resealable bag and sells at a suggested retail price of $4.79. (Planters is owned by Hormel Foods).  Planters has worked with BBDO as a  creative agency earlier this year.

• eToro

Trading and investing platform eToro is launching an AI-generated advertising campaign for the Paris Olympics. Produced almost entirely with AI, the campaign is being aired during all 16 days of live coverage of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Eurosport, and will be streamed on discovery+ and Max – in 45 markets and 19 languages. eToro is using Lightricks’ recently launched AI-powered video editing and storyboard tool LTX Studio to produce the ads. The initial visuals, stills and motion for the campaign were created using LTX Studio’s AI technology, which replaced the need for actual “live” filming on location. Nir Szmulewicz, CMO, eToro, says: “This campaign showcases how eToro has enabled investors across the world to access global markets, connect with one another and access the tools they need to grow their knowledge and wealth.

• Porsche

British singer-songwriter Dua Lipa is collaborating with Porsche on a new initiative as co-writer and co-director of the latest film about the all-electric Macan. Dua worked with French director Clemént Durou, known for high-profile projects like the music video for Pharrell Williams’ ,  to craft a unique and exciting concept that authentically represents both her and Porsche. The result of the work is a new film that promotes Porsche Macan. Since joining the brand in November 2023, the chart-topping British singer-songwriter has already left her mark on Porsche. From her introduction to Porsche cars at the Porsche Experience Center in Los Angeles, to her first official appearance at an internal Porsche event in Singapore, Dua’s connection with Porsche has been strong and immediate.

At this exclusive event on September 19, 2024 brand decision-makers and marketing service suppliers will share and accelerate knowledge on crucial topics, including Latin American marketing, e-commerce marketing, and leveraging marketing technologies. To find out about thought leadership and networking solutions at Portada Live involving many brand decision-makers, don’t hesitate to contact Sales Director Irma Gutierrez at [email protected].

• OnePlus

OnePlus unveiled three new products that will be available for users in the United States and Canada. The products include the OnePlus Pad 2, OnePlus Watch 2R and OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro. The OnePlus Pad 2 features an industry-leading Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 platform, an exclusive 12.1-inch large 3K display and six stereo speakers. Working in tandem with the hardware and OS to revolutionize user efficiency, is a set of powerful AI features. Through the AI Toolbox, users can accelerate their workflows by having AI Speak read text aloud while multitasking, call on Recording Summary to instantly summarize and condense information from long passages of text into key points, and open up AI Writer for help creating original content based on image and text prompts. Check out our recent interview with Marcel Campos, Director of Integrated Marketing Campaigns at OnePlus North America, where he describes the smart phone market and how he markets to  20 million U.S. tech wizards.

• T-Mobile – Metronet

T-Mobile announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to establish a joint venture (JV) with leading global investment firm KKR (NYSE: KKR) that will acquire Metronet including its broadband infrastructure, rapidly growing residential fiber business operations and existing customers.. The company currently reaches more than 2 million homes and businesses across 17 states with fiber solutions built on a state-of-the art broadband platform. Following the transaction’s close, Metronet will become a wholesale services provider for its retail customers and 100% of its residential fiber retail operations and customers will transition to T-Mobile. T-Mobile will have full responsibility for residential customer acquisition and support, leveraging its differentiated retail, marketing, brand and service model, and will utilize Metronet’s deep digital and fiber infrastructure expertise to expand to more households with fiber broadband services. Metronet will focus on build plans, network engineering and design, network deployment, and customer installation. Following the transaction close, Metronet is expected to be self-funding on a go forward basis and it is expected to reach 6.5 million homes passed by the end of 2030. To support this business plan T-Mobile does not expect to make any additional capital contributions to the JV. “This is a unique opportunity and a smart, capital-efficient deal that enables T-Mobile to profitably build on our success in broadband and provide fast, affordable and reliable connectivity options to millions more customers nationwide as a complement to our wireless growth strategy,” said Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “Metronet is the perfect partner for T-Mobile as a leader in fiber solutions with an incredibly fast build pace, and a top-notch management team. Together with KKR’s strong heritage of corporate partnership and global fiber franchise, we will further expand the Un-carrier’s fiber footprint and deliver real value and choice to customers while addressing a growing demand for fast and reliable broadband.”

• Publicis Groupe Acquires Influential

Publicis Groupe entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Influential, an influencer marketing company and platform, connecting brands to audiences by developing, deploying, and optimizing creator-driven digital campaigns. The largest influencer marketing company in the world by revenue, Influential’s proprietary AI-powered technology platform with over 100 billion data points, coupled with its network of over 3.5M creators, including access to and data on 90% of global influencers with 1M+ followers, currently serves more than 300 brands around the world. Influential’s differentiated offering enables brands to source high-quality digital creators, curate impactful creative strategy, and activate, amplify and optimize digital media to drive real-world outcomes, including a brand-safe, premium creator network, influencer planning, and tools to maximize cross-channel outcomes.
Arthur Sadoun, Publicis Groupe CEO, said: “It is a great pleasure to be welcoming Influential to the Publicis family. Beyond its proprietary AI-powered platform, 100 billion data points, unrivalled network of over 3 million creators and access and data on 90% of influencers with 1M+ followers, Influential is above all an outstanding team of talent at the very cutting edge of their sector. With the new creator economy set to exceed linear tv on adspend in the next year, thanks to Influential we are able to fully embrace its outsized influence and put it at the service of all of our clients. Not only does this acquisition mean we will take the leadership of Influencer marketing. It also uniquely positions us at the center of the new media ecosystem. By combining our Epsilon data, which allow us to see 2.3 billion people around the world, with Connected TV, Commerce, and now Creators, we can enable our clients to truly know and understand their customers and prospects, and engage with them on a one-to-one basis, wherever they are, both online and offline. It’s how we are putting power back into the hands of brands in a fragmented media landscape, and driving marketing transformation that delivers real business outcomes.”

“By combining our Epsilon data, which allow us to see 2.3 billion people around the world, with Connected TV, Commerce, and now Creators, we can enable our clients to truly know and understand their customers and prospects, and engage with them on a one-to-one basis, wherever they are, both online and offline.”

The transaction is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals and is expected to close in late August 2024.

• Grupo Ferrero’s Kinder and Tic Tac

Ferrero has appointed McCann Worldgroup to manage the creative account for its Kinder and Tic Tac brands in the Middle East, as well as in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Campaign UK has reported. McCann Worldgroup secured this role after a competitive pitch process, gaining global brand strategy responsibilities for both brands. Additionally, the agency will now handle all Ferrero brands in Mexico. This pitch was part of Ferrero’s effort to consolidate its creative accounts worldwide to “streamline its global agency portfolio.” Last year, Ferrero awarded its global media account, valued at US $967.8 million to Dentsu, Publicis Groupe, and WPP.

“I said, ‘We want to announce the fact that AC Milan is coming to the US in a really impactful way, not necessarily with a traditional video or a graphic,” AC Milan chief marketing officer Tania Moreno told Sports Business Journal, “This idea of Milanello having his King Kong moment, where we can leverage [The Famous Group’s] ‘social reality’ technology – we felt it would be a really nice way to say we’re coming to the US.” The video features human actors sourced from AC Milan’s NYC fan club. According to Moreno and Famous Group creative director Hemu Karadkar, it is the first time the likeness of Milanello has been animated digitally.