2020 has turned the world upside down and the brands that are winning are focusing on innovation, leadership and purpose. This week Brand Innovators, in conjunction with ViacomCBS, is taking a look at the State of the Industry in three days of content featuring marketing leaders from across different sectors of the economy.

In an effort to appeal to consumers looking for healthier alternatives, Danone launched its “Two Good” yogurt back in 2019, sporting less sugar than many other options. At the same time, leadership at Danone wanted to build a brand with purpose in its DNA, and took on the challenges of eliminating food waste and hunger addressing these problems head on through partnerships with City Harvest and We Don’t Waste.

Digital marketing veteran Erin Levzow has joined Del Taco as its new Vice President of Marketing Technology, a newly created role to help the brand boost its digital offerings. Brand Innovators caught up with Levzow to talk about her new role and how the QSR is adapting to digital this year.

In the first installment of our new 2021 Outlook Series, Brand Innovators talk to Automotive CMOs and marketing leaders for insights into what to expect next year, and how the industry’s digital acceleration will continue as more car buying goes online.

When Burger King launched one of its highest-profile (and some would say off-putting) campaigns in recent years for Moldy Whopper in February, it seemed like a simpler time, when people would be more likely to laugh at the company’s light-hearted and fun tone.

First, there were the cord cutters who decided to do away with their traditional TV packages. Then there were the “cord nevers,” the younger generation who prefer accessing content digitally almost from birth. Now, the potential audience for connected television (CTV) is becoming far more diverse, increasing the potential opportunity for brands who invest in it wisely. 

The music industry has been through its share of disruptions during the past decade, but none as unnerving as the pandemic when live shows and touring –a key source of revenue for artists and musicians, crews and venues– came to a complete halt with no end in sight.

When Pia Barlow joined HBO Max as SVP of HBO Max Originals Marketing in January, she, like many others who had just started new jobs, couldn’t have predicted just how much her initial plans were about to be upended.

Fast casual healthy food chain Just Salad has had a busy year. They began by setting out ambitious sustainability goals, including reusable bowls, metal utensils for dine-in customers, helping people go vegan and a Bring Your Own Cup program.

Pernod Ricard USA has a message for the citizens of the United States: Go vote. As election night comes closer, the company’s vodka brand, Absolut, joins a growing list of companies that has kicked off a new campaign that promotes responsibility around voting, adopting the tagline: “Vote First, Drink Second.”

Most CMOs had to pivot their messaging and media spend once it became clear the pandemic was about to halt nearly all functions of daily life and business. But for Matt Staneff, executive VP and CMO at T-Mobile, his COVID-19 workload was even larger than most.

Snickers has kicked off its second consecutive year running the “Hungriest Players” campaign with the NFL, in a move to bring entertainment and connections to consumers during the most unusual season ever. For the campaign, the Mars Wrigley brand once again created a branded, blinged-out necklace that will be passed around weekly to the player that showed the most hunger for the game that week throughout the NFL season.

Gen Z is one of the most diverse and digitally connected generations ever, and they make account for 40% of global consumers today, and account for $150 billion in spending power in the US alone. At a recent Brand Innovators' livecast called “Marketing to Gen Z," marketing leaders from YouTube, TikTok, LEGO, BABE Wine, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bulletproof, Fenty Beauty, and other leading brands, shared their experiences and perspectives on how to engage and market to this unique generation.

Video streaming demand has grown in 2020 while millions of Americans have been sheltering-in-place due to COVID-19. And they’re buying more streaming services. “I can’t dream up another scenario that would benefit streaming services more than people being in their houses without much to do other than watch TV,” says Valerie Zapata, Hulu’s director of subscriber growth and partnerships.

As the star of the “Ghostbusters” and “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids!” franchises, Rick Moranis was one of the most ubiquitous actors of the ‘80s. But after 1997’s straight-to-video threequel “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves!”, Moranis all but vanished from public life and consciousness, reappearing here and there with the occasional voice-acting gig.

Sunglasses and apparel company Oakley is marking its second year as an official on-field partner of the NFL with new team partnerships and a new campaign that speaks to the times. The “We Shape The Future” effort stars Team Oakley’s football athletes Patrick Mahomes II and Lamar Jackson, and features JuJu Smith-Schuster, Derwin James Jr., Aaron Jones and Trevon Diggs.