Millennial Media Opps: SmileDirectClub hires CMO (Score 50)

Sales lead: Keep an eye on this company because CMO hires commonly lead to spend & agency roster shifts. 

• SmileDirectClub hired Kevin Wertz as CMO, effective April 2023. 
• Wertz brings agency experience since he most recently served as CEO of Campbell Ewald.
• He now leads all of SmileDirectClub's marketing operations.

Target demographic: Millennials

The company will likely:

• Continue shifting ad dollars from TV to digital channels
• Experiment with new ad channels
• Review the current agency roster/seek additional assistance

Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: SmileDirectClub spent close to $6.3m on national TV ads YTD, about half (54%) of the $11.6m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022. 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend fell 42% from $33.7m in 2021 to $19.5m in 2022. 
• Ad programming: It placed ads during programming such as NFL Football, The First 48, Family Guy, College Basketball, and NBA Basketball. 

Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)

• YTD spend: SmileDirectClub spent nearly $11.7m on digital display ads YTD, a significant increase from $5.1m spent in this channel during the same time period of 2022. 
• YTD data: 1.6b impressions via Instagram (67%), Facebook (30%), and YouTube (2%). 
• 2021-2022 spend: Full-year spend fell by 37% from $28.1m in 2021 to $17.8m in 2022. 
• Ad location: It placed 99% of these ads directly onto sites such as instagram.com, facebook.com, youtube.com, today.com, and thinkadvisor.com. It placed 1% of these ads indirectly through Google AdX+AdSense onto sites such as answers.com, nhl.com, tutsplus.com, eventhubs.com, and apnews.com. 

Additional channel insights  

• Vivvix: SmileDirectClub also utilizes OOH, radio, and local broadcast. 
• Top podcasts sponsored: Business Wars, The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories, and Real Crime Profile. 

Agency analysis:

• Opportunity: This hire will likely lead to agency changes, so reach out now to be top-of-mind. 
• Current roster:
  • Horizon Media.: media planning & buying
  • In-house: creative