Hottest Summer Brands Increasing Spending

Despite the record-breaking heat wave (towns in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas all saw record highs over the weekend) and hundreds of canceled flights, Americans are still embracing the summer travel season with open arms. Even when we’re not breaking decades-long temperature records, summer always brings seasons spending shifts.

1)  Simply promotes new spiked lemonade with national campaign

Simply Beverages recently released a new alcoholic drink called Simply Spiked Lemonade. The beverage contains 5% alcohol by volume and flavors like lemonade, blueberry lemonade, strawberry lemonade, and watermelon lemonade. It’s promoting Simply Spiked Lemonade with a national campaign called “It’s getting juicy,” which was created by AOR Mischief. The push features six 15-second spots that will be supported through national TV, radio, streaming, online video, podcasts, and paid social ads. Simply’s parent company, Coca-Cola, worked with Molson Coors to produce Simply Spiked Lemonade.

According to Pathmatics, Simply earned 291.9m impressions YTD through Instagram ads (57%) and Facebook ads (43%). It placed 100% of these ads directly onto instagram.com and facebook.com. It spent around $2.2m on digital display ads YTD, a 15% decrease from $2.6m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2021. Full-year spend jumped from $1.2m in 2020 to $6.8m in 2021.

• Sellers: Simply targets Gen-Zers (21+) and millennials. It reaches these demographics through digital display and national TV ads. Simply has been decreasing national TV spend while increasing digital spend, which should help it reach Gen-Zers and millennials more effectively. Get in touch to offer last-minute campaign ad space to score some of these extra campaign ad dollars.
• Agency and martech readers: In addition to Mischief, Simply works with Universal McCann on media buying and planning. Reach out to offer complementary services such as digital or social media. Focus your pitches on helping build brand awareness for Simply Spiked Lemonade.

2)  Gen-Z Opps: Travel Oregon launches new campaign

Travel Oregon showcases the state’s natural beauty in its latest campaign, “Extraordinary Is Ordinary.” Made by creative AOR Wieden + Kennedy, the work was designed to assist a statewide economic recovery. It corresponds with Travel Oregon’s first national TV buy and is in anticipation of the 2022 World Athletic Championships. The organization encourages Championships visitors to stay long enough to explore the state. Thus, it’ll likely utilize experiential marketing at the event, too.

According to Pathmatics, Travel Oregon has spent approximately $352k on digital ads YTD, only about half of the approximately $645.1k spent within the same 2021 timeframe. The organization’s estimated full-year 2021 spend of $1.4m skyrocketed from that of $366.6k in 2020. So far this year, TO has earned around 46.2m digital impressions via Facebook (78%), Instagram (18%), desktop video (2%), desktop display (1%) and mobile display (1%) ads.

• Sellers: Spend will pick back up now that the organization’s advertising efforts are ramping up, so sellers should contact soon to secure last-minute ad dollars. Travel Oregon typically targets Gen-Z, so it may utilize additional digital channels such as Twitter, the metaverse, TikTok, Twitch, OTT and/or podcast. The organization also utilizes OOH.
• Agency and martech readers: Travel Oregon may need a media agency partner. Along with W+K, the organization works with digital and PR AOR Lane PR; it receives additional social assistance from Sparkloft Media.

3)  Good Dye Young launches exclusive dyes in Target stores, taps top marketer

Hayley Williams‘ hair dye company, Good Dye Young, recently expanded into selected Target stores, which now offer exclusive shades. Advertising efforts for the launch will kick off soon, so sellers should get in touch soon to secure last-minute ad dollars.

This growth comes shortly after Good Dye Young made a notable leadership change. In April, the company named Dee Heffernan as global marketing VP, its top marketing role. Heffernan was most recently the head of marketing at Royal Labs Contract Manufacturing. Her hire will impact Good Dye Young’s strategy in ways that will likely lead to shifts in its spending and/or agency roster.

Since the beginning of 2022, Pathmatics reports the company has spent roughly $118.6k on digital ads, around 3x the roughly $35.4k spent within the same 2021 timeframe. Good Dye Young ended up spending roughly $159.7k on this channel last year, more than 5x the roughly $27.8k spent in 2020. The company has earned around 14.9m digital impressions YTD, 61% via Instagram ads and 39% via Facebook ads.

• Sellers: Good Dye Young primarily targets Gen-Z and millennials, so it may make future forays into additional digital channels such as Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, the metaverse, OTT and/or podcast.
• Agency and martech readers: The company’s recent global marketing VP appointment could lead to agency reviews. Get in touch sooner rather than later to be top-of-mind.

4)  Klondike launches experiential OOH initiative for 100th anniversary

Klondike brought back its classic tagline for a 100th anniversary initiative. The brand worked with VIA, Colossal Media, and Overall Murals to launch hand-painted interactive murals in NY, Chicago, and LA. Each mural asks “What would you do for a Klondike?” and encourages passersby to take and share pictures to win actual Klondike bars. The goal of the experiential campaign was to garner brand awareness among “a younger, more urban audience,” per VIA executive creative director Amos Goss.

So far this year, iSpot reports Klondike has spent approximately $4.7m on national TV commercials, around 3x the approximately $1.6m spent by this point last year. The ice cream brand ended up spending approximately $8.6m on this channel last year and did not utilize this channel in 2020. Klondike’s 2022 commercials have aired during shows such as Today, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Today 3rd Hour, NHL Hockey and The First 48.

According to Pathmatics, the brand has allocated roughly $655.7k toward digital ads YTD, less than half of the roughly $1.5m allocated within the same 2021 timeframe. Klondike’s estimated full-year 2021 spend more than tripled to $2.4m from that of $685k in 2020. Since the beginning of 2022, the brand has earned around 97.5m digital impressions via Twitter (67%), desktop video (14%), Instagram (12%), mobile display (4%) and desktop display (3%) ads.

• Sellers: TV spend is increasing significantly while digital spend does the opposite. The experiential efforts will especially appeal to nostalgic millennials who grew up on the ice cream brand’s classic tagline. Kantar data shows that Unilever Ice Cream also utilizes OOH and local broadcast. Since the new OOH installment occurred in NY, Chicago and LA, Unilever may invest in similar localized ad space around those areas.
• Agency and martech readers: Unilever appointed Firework as a platform partner for some of its brands earlier in 2022, so you still have a shot at potential PR, creative and/or social media management work. DDB NY is the company’s creative AOR, and Mindshare is its media AOR.

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3. List of Agencies in the Omnicom Network