Greetings!

Welcome to the March issue of Key Notes - Marketing Keys' monthly newsletter! At press time, the war between Russia and Ukraine is ongoing. We are down on both knees praying for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Key Notes is an informative, quick-read newsletter to get you caught up on all things media and marketing. Our goal is for you to be informed and entertained with the latest media and marketing happenings quickly and efficiently. 
How are companies and brands being sensitive to the war in Ukraine?
As anti-Russia sentiment continues to build, here is how many brands/companies are managing their campaigns and business practices.

Here are some of the latest moves being made.

CCM Hockey
March 1, 2022 at 6:11 PM ET

Hockey equipment maker CCM will stop using Russian NHL players, including future Hall of Famer Alex Ovechkin, in global marketing initiatives.

Ford Motor Company
March 1, 2022 at 4:24 PM ET

Ford is suspending operations with joint venture partners in Russia. Ford doesn’t have significant operations in Ukraine, but has a strong contingent of Ukrainian nationals working at Ford around the world and will continue to support them through this time. Ford Fund will make a $100,000 donation to the Global Giving Ukraine Relief Fund.

DirecTV
March 1, 2022 at 3:46 PM ET

DirecTV, one of the largest U.S. pay-TV providers, is pulling the Russian-government-controlled RT network from its service. 

Publicis
March 1, 2022 at 3:05 PM ET

Publicis CEO and Chairman Arthur Sadoun sent an internal memo to the holding company’s 350 Ukraine employees today, ensuring all Ukraine employees will have a guaranteed salary for the rest of 2022. All salaries will be paid in full every two weeks for the entire year, along with an advance payment of their March salary. The salary move was made on top of security, health, housing, and relocation measures that Publicis has already in place according to the memo.

Disney, Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures
March 1, 2022 at 9:40 AM ET

Disney, Warner Bros.and Sony Pictures have paused film releases in Russia. 

D&AD
March 1, 2022 at 7:15 AM ET

D&AD will refund all money received by Ukrainian companies for entries into D&AD Awards 2022 to the entrants. 

WPP
Feb. 28, 2022 at 8:20 PM ET

WPP CEO Mark Read sent a memo to the holding company’s staff, referencing its 200 employees in Ukraine. WPP paid an “additional amount” to its Ukraine employees last week to help meet their immediate needs and has given them access to medical advice and other practical resources.
 
National Hockey League
Feb. 28, 2022 at 5:35 PM ET

The NHL is pausing Russian language social and digital media sites and suspending relationships with Russian business partners. The league is also discontinuing any consideration of Russia as a location for any future competitions involving the NHL.  

Airbnb
Feb. 28, 2022 at 2:40 PM ET

Airbnb is offering free short-term housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees who are fleeing the Russian invasion of their country and will work with neighboring European states to provide long-term stays. The housing will be funded by the company, donors and hosts on the platform. 

Compare the Market
Feb. 28, 2022 at 12:05 PM ET

U.K.financial comparison website Compare the Market is pulling its long-running ad campaign, which features Russian-accented meerkats, from news bulletins.

Various States in the U.S.
Feb. 28, 2022 at 11:15 AM ET

Several states have begun pulling Russia-made vodka from shelves.
Is there an invasion at Applebee's?
Ad placements during a global crisis can be difficult. Last week, Applebee’s experienced an unfortunate ad placement during CNN’s coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The network went from broadcasting air raid sirens in Ukraine to showing an upbeat picture-in-picture ad for the casual restaurant chain. At one point, the words “RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE” from CNN’s coverage appeared next to a man in the ad dancing. Since then, Applebee’s has paused advertising on CNN and the network has removed picture-in-picture advertisements from its coverage of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Baseball's 'pitch' to a younger audience
For years, Major League Baseball has been working to attract younger fans. Today, MLB fans have an average age of 57 years old, according to a 2017 survey by Sports Business Journal. While Major League Baseball has taken steps to attract younger audiences, they need to do more. Recently, MLB has started up YouTube series and streaming Opening Day-related content on Twitch. Their latest move is partnering up with Influential, an influencer marketing agency. Having players be able to make brand deals on their own not only could attract younger fans but also help boost viewership. The partnership will give players insights into their social media data across all platforms, including TikTok, Instagram and Twitter. Knowing their reach, engagement, and other data points could help players pitch themselves for brand deals.

The deal comes at a difficult time for players. Players are currently locked out of the league by the owners. The labor lockout, which began in December following the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, has already delayed spring training games and now has led to a later start to the season.

On March 1st with still no agreement, Commissioner Rob Manfred has cancelled the first 2 Baseball series of the 2022 season. That would mean the loss of 91 total games. 
Play to your customers' emotions!
Want to connect with your audience? For decades now, agencies have been preaching that advertising works by making emotional connections, not rational appeals. According to Brand Keys, which has been surveying people about brand preference, emotional factors bypassed rational ones in a big way over time.

In 1997, the ratio between rational and emotional considerations in driving brand preference was about 60%-40% in favor of the rational, according to Brand Keys. Now, the mean across all categories surveyed is closer to 80%-20% in favor of emotional over rational appeals.

This doesn’t mean that appealing to any emotion will get you a sale. First, people must be able to link the ad to the brand. Second, all kinds of factors lead to forming emotional attachments, including a broad range of experience and associations with the brand. So, when developing your ad think about your target audience and make an appeal to their emotions.
NBCUniversal is 'Game'!
In recent years, TV has not only had to compete with streaming platforms. They also competed with video games and virtual platforms as well. NBCUniversal’s new deal with Anzu, a video game ad tech startup, will allow the network to connect brands with video game ad inventory.

NBCUniversal will become Anzu’s global sales partner and exclusive third-party seller in the U.S. and U.K. Anzu runs advertisements in video games through placements such as on billboards in the background or banners on a sideline, with titles spanning mobile-, PC- and console-based games.

For NBCU, the partnership provides an entry point into gaming, which has become an attractive place for brands trying to reach audiences, especially younger ones. NBCU’s clients will have access to Anzu’s inventory of gaming partners, which includes Microsoft Xbox and Ubisoft, as well as the platform's ad tech offerings including insights into ad viewability, audience verification and fraud detection.

For Anzu, the deal represents an opportunity to tap into NBCU's large client base. 
BLOG OF THE MONTH
Here is a recent highlight from Marketing Keys' blog page. Please start following our blogs and let us know what you think.


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Get help from 'The Mouse'!
In my previous life, I worked for many media companies including the one headed by the Mouse. During my 20 year executive run with media companies, I had noticed that if an advertiser wasn't properly represented with a media expert helping them with their media planning and buying, then that company was at a disadvantage. Thus, I created a company to provide a solution to that problem.

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Thank you for your loyalty in reading our newsletters. If you know someone where this information is helpful, we appreciate you sharing it. In the meantime, we will continue to keep you at the forefront of the latest marketing strategies and news.


Until next month,


ROGER KEYS
MARKETING KEYS
5 years of wingin' it!
5 years ago, Hoots - an offspring of Hooters - opened its 1st worldwide location in Cicero, IL. The idea was developed when Hooters management noticed a huge uptick of their business being delivered by delivery services like Grub Hub. The idea? Let's create a takeout wings, seafood and more concept with a line (ala Chipotle) and make it family friendly. Hoots has some tables to eat at the locations but the majority get their food to go. Today, you can find Hoots Wings all around Chicagoland, Georgia and Florida with plans to have rapid growth in states like Texas and across the US in the coming years.

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