Melanie Travis

One day you're a manager at Target. Five years later, you're designing and releasing your own line of fashion apparel with Target. That's the incredible journey of Jenee Naylor, a fashion influencer I've been following for years. In the $250B influencer industry, mere follower count won't cut it anymore. It's about building brands and businesses that resonate deeply. Jenee's partnership with Target isn't just about fashion; it's about harnessing influence to redefine commerce. Today, VCs and corporations are pouring millions into influencer-driven ventures, recognizing the powerhouses they've become. YouTube group, Dude Perfect, for example, received a $100M investment from Highmount Capital to support their ventures. Walmart was a launch partner for Mr. Beast's Feastables line of chocolates, which saw the product on shelves in hundreds of stores. Behind every successful partnership lies strategic alignment: data-driven insights, diverse audience engagement, genuine brand connection, and a solid track record of turning influence into revenue (which, in Jenee's case, is evident from the significant traffic she drives to various stores when she shares links to products she wears on her social pages — I'm one of the many who clicks those links to make purchases based on her recos). The creator economy is soaring, but it's essential that its rise is inclusive. We need more trailblazers like Jenee, breaking barriers and shaping a future where diversity drives a surge in entrepreneurship and business empires led by strategic-minded talent. #CreatorEconomy #InfluencerMarketing #DiversityAndInclusion #FromManagertoMogul

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Really interesting stat on why micro-influencers trump celebrities every time, from this byline from Emma Ferrara of Viral Nation: "For brands embracing [a 'rawthentic'] approach, the results are 6X engagement rates that dwarf overly produced celebrity endorsements at a fraction of the cost." #creatoreconomy #influencermarketing #microinfluencers

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Brand Breakdown: La La Land Kind Cafe 😊 I live in Los Angeles... the pinnacle of trends, brands, and culture. And there are SO many brands here that deserve recognition for how above & beyond they go. This week, I'm walking you through La La Land Kind Cafe, my favorite coffee spot to work from in LA. Here's why they crush: 🙂 Brand Identity The brand is "in the business of kindness." They literally call themselves the 'Kind Cafe' because they envision a world where EVERYONE is kind to each other. Kindness is at the root of everything they do. 🙂 Visual Identity La La Land leans into yellows, creams, and browns to cue happiness. They took the original smiley face and made it THAT much better. 🙂 Merch Strategy I might be bias but... La La Land crushes merch. Every time I bring a new friend in, they go "ugh I need one of these hats." They merch you would actually want to wear. ... it also helps that they keep the merch on a rack next to where you line up to order. Smart. 😂 🙂 Social Strategy La La Land isn't a regular coffee shop on social. Yes, they promote their new drinks. But they also sprinkle in positive affirmations. AND they have a series called "Drive By Kindness" where they shout compliments out of their car to strangers. 🙂 Mission The Kind Cafe puts their money where their mouth is. They hire & mentor foster youth as one of the ways they give back to the community. And their brand strategy is clearly working... La La Land Kind Cafe just opened their 12th location in Plano, TX in March! I expect them to be all over the map pretty soon. --- Follow Ali Kaltman more brand breakdowns, and DM if there are any LA brands you think I should cover! (And yes... I know La La Land started in TX, but it's only in TX and CA, so wanted to share!) #brandbreakdown #LAlocal #brandmarketing

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https://lnkd.in/eRsW6V_9 Must-have bundle indeed, and further reinforces the value of BrightLine's inter-operable CTV ad formats that work across both streamers - the only advanced ad experiences that advertisers can build and execute across both. #ctv #ctvadvertising #thestandard

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A reminder that we’re one week away from our early deadline for entries in this year’s Clio Music Awards program. Realize savings on entry fees by submitting your work before next Friday, 6/21, at 11:59 pm ET. In addition to the numerous music marketing and music in advertising mediums and categories from past programs, we've added six new mediums this year: 1) LIVE MUSIC - Entries in this medium include creative work that promotes live musical performances at music venues, festivals, concert series, events, stunts, or activations (IRL or virtual) and/or work promoting a live music organization or venue in a new, unique, or especially creative manner. (Venues, Festivals, Concerts, Brand or Company). 2) MERCHANDISE & PREMIUMS - Entries in this medium are for licensed or in-house-produced physical products or apparel that promote an artist, music product, or music service. (Apparel, Footwear, & Household Goods, Beauty, Fitness & Health, Collectibles, Food & Beverage, Technology). 3) USE OF MUSIC IN ADVERTISING CRAFT - Entries in this medium include songwriting technique and the craft/skills used in the execution of audio content in advertising or a trailer/teaser (Arrangement, Casting/Performance, Collaboration, Editing, Lyrics, Music Supervision, Score, Songwriting). 4) DESIGN CRAFT - Entries in this medium include technique and craft/skills used in the execution of design (Copywriting, Graphic Design, Typography, Illustration, Use of Photography). 5) DIGITAL & SOCIAL MEDIA CRAFT - Entries in this medium include technique and craft/skills used in the execution of digital, social, and or mobile content (Copywriting, Direction, Editing, Graphic Design, Motion Graphics, Sound Design). 6) USE OF MUSIC IN ADVERTISING INNOVATION - Entries in this medium include brand work that utilizes music in advertising in a new, unique, or especially creative manner. Get started at https://lnkd.in/g24-yKNC

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Strong writing can entice people to shrug at low production value.

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There are more men named "Dick” on public company boards in the U.S. than women or diverse groups. 😱 "So Many Dicks,” the wryly named campaign from E.L.F. BEAUTY and OBERLAND uncovers this unsettling truth to underscore the need for more diversity in seats of power. 💵 The beauty brand’s out-of-home ads will appear throughout New York’s Financial District, home to major financial institutions and numerous other companies grappling with this very issue. 💅 Oberland and e.l.f. conducted research on the race and gender makeup of corporate boards in the U.S., across 36,957 existing board members and 4,429 publicly traded companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq. https://lnkd.in/eajr-8BQ

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Yes, I've started adding the "award-winning" descriptor to every relevant mention of this amazing marketing team and yours truly. You know that feeling when you've just survived production hell, you step back and take in the totality of what you all have conceived and managed to bring to life. You think, "It's done. And it's good!" Then you see the results and think "It worked!" Your colleagues agree, and usually, that's enough to carry the momentum into the next thing. And the next thing. And so on. Therein lies the challenge for high-performance teams. We yearn for the recognition, but the production cycle keeps turning. So I'm incredibly grateful to Evi Loveres--truly one of the most talented creative professionals in the industry--for breaking the cycle and championing this opportunity. In case you don't feel like clicking the link, Fictiv's annual State of Manufacturing report is my favorite campaign (and a beast of a project.) "State of Manufacturing is an in-depth annual report published by Fictiv to demonstrate its leadership and expertise in the manufacturing industry. Last year's report was generated by surveying over 240 leaders in engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and product development to identify developing trends and gather key insights. These insights were packaged as a landing page, ebook/printed piece and was supported with an integrated campaign consisting of email, webinar, live panel discussion at a trade show, PR, and various social media promotions." Go ahead and click that link for a selection of creative assets developed for this comprehensive campaign. Results (June 2023 - April 2024) - Potential reach: 209.4M - 688 backlinks from 46 referring domains - 7K website users (4.7K new) - 600+ e-book downloads - 375 webinar registrants This campaign would not have been possible without my award-winning 😉 colleagues: Christine Evans, Michael Gorman, Evi Loveres, Varun Mehta, John Honey, Jenn Miller, Kaitlyn Silva 🏆

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Marketers are (again) turning to Hollywood-style entertainment content to stand out in an increasingly crowded media landscape. Starbucks is the latest entrant into the fray: On Monday, the company announced the launch of Starbucks Studios, which will “produce original entertainment and tell stories that deepen connections and spark conversations" in collaboration with Michael Sugar's Sugar23. Luxury conglomerate LVMH is doing something similar via 22 Montaigne, a new division it launched in February that was created by Superconnector Studios. Superconnector, founded by CAA marketing exec Jae Goodman and John Kaplan will create an individualized approach for LVMH’s brands and figure out what kind of projects make sense for each brand to produce. BUT: with most things in marketing, this is a trend we’ve seen before. Starbucks for example, produced documentaries back in 2019 and 2016. “Hingawaka,” created to mark the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, focused on two women who love coffee; while an original series called “Upstanders” was released in 2016.  So what makes this time different? More on Toolkits. https://lnkd.in/e57qZ9fM

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Three reasons for you to check out this article: 1. It's two days after Mother's Day 2. It's an important piece about the hypocrisy in how women's bodies are allowed to be represented in public spaces, and... 3. Today the ADWEEK paywall is down!

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There are oceans of ink spilled on covering shopping deals. Every week seems to be some holiday, or a retailer's made up holiday like Prime Day, or Gaming week. I am thinking of starting up Feral Cat Week. Still, based on conversations with tech companies, I'm amazed at how many aren't focused getting their products into the affiliate listicles that are so often run around dates with deals. Why? It is that rare type of earned media that can drive direct sales, along with building brand equity. The main key for this kind of coverage? Getting a full product review done at a target outlet BEFORE you need the deal coverage. We just scored the coverage below, during Gaming Week, for our client Marseille, who make the mClassic - a graphics upscaler that has been well received. The article is an almost perfect representation of this story type in media and is in massive global outlet, TechRadar. Why did this happen? The same author had the chance to test it for a full review about 6-8 weeks before the listicle on the Gaming Week deal ran. That's almost always how it goes. Product reviews are the best way to affiliate listicle coverage. Your PR function needs to understand the symbiosis between these story types and plan accordingly.

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I imagine we'll see avatar hairstyles encouraging more exploration in real life amongst younger people. Currently ice white and blue is popular in Roblox marketplace, and last year 84% of Gen Z surveyed by Roblox agreed that their real life style had been inspired by the way they styled their avatar. Furthermore: 💇🏻‍♀️ 32% of users were influenced to change their hairstyle. 👩🏻‍🎤 29% colored their hair. 💁🏻‍♀️ In 2023, Roblox users bought 139 million hairstyles, up 20% over the year before, including 7.3 million people who bought five or more hairstyles. Perhaps a future superstar hairstylist is already designing on Roblox... Source: 2023 Digital Expression, Fashion & Beauty Trends Report

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Launching Bentley’s first brand campaign developed by IPG-X ‘How do you Bentley?’ enables us to lead the conversation about what a luxury lifestyle looks like through the creation of four curated, crafted and distinctly Bentley 'worlds'. Bringing together generations of Bentley customers, these unexpected, ultra-luxurious worlds help us modernise the brand and put Bentley at the forefront of driving beyond purely automotive towards a luxury lifestyle proposition. So, how do you Bentley?

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We're watching the #GennyLec on social so closely in the lead up to polling day.   The team are poised and ready to give you the latest.   See what I predict we're going to see in the next month 👇 https://lnkd.in/eTfz52-C   #SocialMediaStrategy #PoliticalSocial

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Moving Retail Media from Science to Art.... Here's a few musings from the latest Unfold about how we've seen the advancement of RMNs into the upper funnel resulting in the conversation shifting from a place dominated by data and ad tech in to more of a discussion on messaging and creative. Or put more simply, how Retail Media is moving from a pure performance channel to a traditional marketing vehicle. ... and as a true P&G marketeer at heart, how excited that makes me! I'll drop the link to the full episode in the comments too 😀 Let me know your thoughts!

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Going to focus on the potential blocking of TikTok in the US for my editorial today, and I'm doing a shout out to see if any beauty brand owners, marketing execs in the industry or indeed beauty influencers wanted to weigh in with their thoughts! What would this mean for you and your brand? How seriously are you taking the threat of a ban? Or do you think this is a good thing for users' data protection? Feel free to have your say, openly or anonymously, by messaging me! #tiktok #beautytok #tiktokban #ustiktokban

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People aren't talking about the #apple ad enough even though there are so many more things I'd love to see crushed in the press that the #Tiktok channel isn't #brave enough to do. Like: - Ur mom (duh) - Some ancient bones. Could be mummy, but any dusty old bones will do.  - The new Royal portrait of King Charles III. (Will it bleed? My money’s on yes.) - The animated intestine from Xifaxan’s 2016 Super Bowl commercial. - Microsoft Teams - The business jargon phrases “connective tissue” and “table steaks” (I know that’s not how it’s spelled but it squishes better this way). - The whole Mucinex booger monster family - Another hydraulic press. - The wormhole created by crushing another hydraulic press with a hydraulic press.  - 2-factor authentication - Mambo no. 5 - Nicole Kidman’s iconic “Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this,” dead-eyed stare. - The gum disease GINGIVITIS - This random guy I met in LA who introduced himself as the “king of crypto” and then argued with me for 20 minutes claiming Houston not Atlanta is the world’s busiest airport even though I’m from Atlanta and they say it over the intercom on the plane train every time I’m there.  - B2B sales - Pizza Rat (jk I would never do that to pizza rat...plus that would probably unleash a curse of a thousand Harambes) Come on Apple, give the people what they want and put all this stuff in the press. ”When life hands you lemons, crush them in a hydraulic press to make the world’s thinnest iPad” can be the tagline. 

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Towards all effected today for the big news that dropped about Pixar Animation Studios is laying off 14% (or around 175 employees) will be let go, as before hand in terms of the reductions, approximately 1,300 people worked at the animation studio. As Disney CEO, Bob Iger has been banging his drum for quite sometime now emphasizing on “quality vs. quantity” for content that is either of, theatrical & streaming wise from past earnings calls since 2023 and this year. For anyone effected as please do reach out towards anyone you know for warm & cold contacting for any potential opportunities or getting those interviews/paid interns, within your network as this news totally blows hard today: 👎🏻👎🏻🚫🚫 https://lnkd.in/gQ_uHYYK #animationnews #animationindustry #entertainmentnews #entertainmentindustry #joblayoffs #layoffs #disney #pixar #california #jobmarket #jobworld #businessnews #businessindustry

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