Helping SMBs, the Evolution of Inclusive Marketing, and More
December 7, 2020
Each month, ANA magazine's editor rounds up can’t-miss content from its four departments: B2C, B2B, Partner Content, and Social Impact. Hee-yup!
It's no secret the pandemic has taken a huge toll on small businesses. One out of every four small business owners have stopped paying themselves a salary to remain open, Walter Frye, VP of global brand and design at America Express, tells ANA magazine. Sixty-two percent need to see spending return to normal by the end of the year in order to remain open, he says.
Navigating COVID-19’s economic fallout and the increased competition from e-commerce giants and big-box stores has many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for help.
Thankfully, a number of B2B partners are offering specialized tools, services, and grants. To see what The UPS Store, Vistaprint, American Express, and others are doing to help SMBs, read "A Big Help to Small Business” in ANA magazine.
More November highlights from ANA Magazine:
- Beyond the Binary. “Part of understanding your consumer base is understanding gender,” Lisa Kenney, CEO of Reimagine Gender, which works with several major brands on how gender is evolving, tells ANA magazine. Read how P&G, Mastercard, Mattel, and others are evolving their marketing to acknowledge the nonbinary nature of gender and be more inclusive.
- Marketers Raise Podcast Volume to Eleven. The New York Times Co. podcast The Daily reaches more people than Good Morning America or The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, ANA magazine reports. While there’s been a recent decline in podcast advertising this year, it’s likely a pandemic-induced hiccup in an otherwise notable trend. The longer-term outlook remains quite attractive, according to our reporting, with spending projected to reach more than $1 billion in 2021.
- Some B2B Brands Are Going All-in On Digital Advertising. “Without in-person events, B2B marketers have had to figure out how to reallocate budgets, and the obvious answer is digital,” Jillian Ryan, principal analyst at eMarketer, tells ANA magazine. Buyer behavior is different now during the pandemic, she notes, and B2B marketing approaches are shifting to digital in response.
- How Experiential Marketing Is Evolving. As the pandemic forces limits on in-person events, many brands, like Bud Light and MTV, are venturing into the virtual. Another unexpected twist to 2020? Groups like the American Cancer Society and Cartoon Network are giving the virtual world Second Life a second look.
Also, be sure to catch up on the latest contributions by ANA partners in ANA magazine:
- From CivicScience: What new research conducted during the pandemic can tell retailers about consumers’ shifting taste in style
- From Flashtalking: The turbulent future of TV advertising and how marketers can prepare
- From Blue Chip: How the pandemic is changing the commerce experience — possibly forever
- From Innovid: In preparing for the end of third-party cookies, marketers must adopt an identifier that works across media
- From BrandMuscle: When it comes to the question of in-house vs. outsource marketing, the answer might be: both
- From Extreme Reach: The back office plays a key role in producing branded content
- From USPS: How influencer and direct mail marketing come together to create campaigns that convert
See highlights from October or explore the very latest industry coverage on ANA Magazine.
Share your thoughts. Leave comments on articles or write me directly at aeitelbach@ana.net.