Matthew Schwartz

The growing investments in dedicated brand content studios suggest that CMOs believe their futures lie in entertainment rather than killer ad creative. As the trend accelerates, the challenge for marketers will be to produce the kind of organic, emotionally driven content that will resonate with audiences.

The notion of “brand purpose” was creeping toward the top of the marketing agenda well before the pandemic upended the business world. But amid multiple crises wrought by the deadly virus, brand purpose has taken on a sense of urgency, with few CMOs immune from tackling the issue — and helping to define it.

Not long after “content marketing” became widely adopted among brands in the mid-2000s, the channel was referred to in somewhat regal terms. But while the discipline commands a growing amount of marketing budgets, brands continue having a tough time measuring the channel, not to mention crafting a dedicated strategy.

Jonathan Copulsky, senior lecturer of marketing at Northwestern University and co-author of an upcoming book on business transformation, says moving to a digital-first strategy requires B2B marketers to employ perpetual change — and realize that success has no finish line.

The workwear company, founded in 1889, is helping trade professionals brace for the future while at the same time helping people with assistance they need right now amid the pandemic.

To describe 2020 as annus horribilis would be charitable. The year is mercifully over, but 2021 is off to a harrowing start after rioters breached Capitol Hill January 6 as both the House of Representatives and Senate met to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College win.

Mailchimp's latest ad campaign draws on classic animation to help its small business customers build big ideas. Michael Mitchell, director of brand marketing at Mailchimp, calls the campaign a "love letter" to entrepreneurs making their way through the pandemic.

Judy Hoffstein, CMO of Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, talks about the nonprofit’s first PSA in several years, the importance of partnerships, and how to discuss an extremely delicate matter.

In gender-related marketing, ads no longer adhere to pink-and-blue protocols. An increasing number of companies realize that moving beyond the binary is not only good business, it cultivates brand affinity among communities that might not otherwise pay attention to their products and services. Here’s how P&G, Mastercard, and Mattel, among others, are evolving their marketing to avoid gender stereotypes and be more inclusive of trans and nonbinary people.

When the coronavirus began to spread in late March, most brand advertising took on a somber tone. At the time, the messages seemed to resonate with consumers. But as the crisis unfolded, people’s appetite for ads that emphasized the impact of the virus started to wane.

When the coronavirus began to spread in late March, most brand advertising took on a somber tone. At the time, the messages seemed to resonate with consumers. But as the crisis unfolded, people’s appetite for ads that emphasized the impact of the virus started to wane.