From Morning Filter (Oct. 8, 2013), Marketing‘s daily morning newsletter
Athletes criticized for promoting junk food
Pro athletes may not be the best brand fit for fast food companies. This week several sports stars are getting flack for endorsing food that is “dense in calories and poor in nutrients,” including LeBron James (McDonald’s, Sprite), Peyton Manning (Gatorade, Pepsi) and Serena Williams (Gatorade, Oreo). All three were called out in a recent study in the journal Pediatrics that suggests pro athletes are missing an opportunity to promote public health over a quick grab at fast food’s marketing cash.
[Read more via CBC]
AndroidTO to give out $1 million in prizes
Toronto’s AndroidTO, the mobile development conference started by the ad agency BNotions, has landed several big name sponsors, including Google, which will hand out $1 million in Google Cloud Platform credits at this year’s conference. Rogers, Samsung and Sony will also give away prizes at the event, which features speakers from 500px, Tumblr, Shopify and Square.
[Read more via AndroidTO]
A government shutdown promotion for sex toys
Vibrators.com has a suggestion for how government employees should spend their newfound free time: shopping for sex toys. In a bizarre twist of real-time marketing, the web retailer is giving away 200 free vibrators a day until the government shutdown ends. Way to take advantage of a trending topic, guys.
[Read more via the Daily Dot]
Lady Gaga partners with Clear Channel on interactive OOH campaign
The big reveal for Lady Gaga’s new album cover happened simultaneously on digital billboards in more than 19 countries. The pop star asked her fans to tweet #iHeartARTPOP to unveil the cover in sections projected on the billboards, including one in Dundas Square in Toronto. Knitting together digital and traditional media, Gaga also streamed a feed of a billboard in New York’s Times Square on her website.
[Read more via the National Post]
Hermès booming in Canada
Canada is Hermès’ fastest growing market, according to its CEO Patrick Thomas. The luxury goods retailer, which has been the subject of books, song lyrics and even an episode of Sex and the City, is growing at a rate of 20% a year. Hermès currently only has five locations in Canada, three of which are stand-alone stores.
[Read more via Retail Insider]
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