I can’t even remember all the other things I wanted to write about this week.
All I can think about Krispy Kreme.
You might have heard the news:
Show a COVID vaccination card, get a doughnut. Every day this year.
This. Is. Nuts.
I’m trying to think of a marketing stunt that isn’t just this polarizing — it’s one that polarized me.
Could the brand do it?
Apparently so.
Should the brand do it?
Maybe not.
Are there risks to the brand?
Absolutely.
Are there risks to the brands’ consumers?
They’re arguably not more than the usual risks of eating a doughnut, but adding another 250 to 400 sugar and fat calories to one’s daily diet could be harmful, especially if those are in addition to one’s normal intake.
During the weekly Salon this week featuring Prophet’s Mat Zucker, author of Bronze Seeks Silver, I couldn’t wait to get the take from him and other attendees about it. The reactions spanned the gamut, giving teeth to the old saying, “If you get 10 marketers in a room, you get 11 opinions.”
I actually don’t know if anyone ever did say that about marketers. We can run with it.
One attendee said the stunt was irresponsible due to obesity being a leading complicating factor for COVID. They shared a tweet from this Tufts Dean of Nutrition Sciences saying this indicates “the ridiculous state of affairs of our food system.”
Another member struck a libertarian tone. People eat doughnuts. People could use a treat, especially these days. It’s no big deal and a smart hook.
Another person forgot that Krispy Kreme was still around and predicted that this would drive people to the stores.
I didn’t forget Krispy Kreme was around. Last summer, Krispy Kreme opened a new flagship store in Times Square.
I had dinner with a friend in Hell’s Kitchen a few weeks ago. After the Indian food, I was craving something sweet (I should have gotten the gulab jamun). Walking back home, I was passing by the new Krispy Kreme and walked in.
I pointed to a doughnut smeared with shiny, red glaze and shaped like an apple, and he said, “You know that’s an $11 doughnut?” Loving that New York City humor, I said, “Damn, I was hoping for a $15 doughnut.”
I didn’t realize he was serious until I looked it up when I got home. It tasted like $0.79.
Even knowing this, you will still go in there and ask them for the $11 doughnut.
The $11 is not part of the promo; the free doughnuts are the original glazed. Those taste much better anyway.
The cashier also asked if I was local and what my sign was. New Yorkers sure are getting friendly these days. The last time a guy hit on me was at a certain agency’s holiday party. More friendliness is good in my book, but I can’t always tell what’s going on.
I’m not good at making sense of this vaccine promo either.
Would you greenlight this stunt?
I’d like to think that if I was in a position to bless or kill this promo, I’d kill it but offer a caveat.
The press release noted that beyond offering a free doughnut anytime or even every day through 2021, Krispy Kreme will “support health care workers and volunteers who are helping administer vaccines, delivering free doughnuts to select vaccination centers throughout the country in the coming weeks.” Krispy Kreme employees will also get four hours of paid time off for their vaccinations.
What I’d have done with this plan is scrap the consumer angle of offering doughnuts to people showing vaccine cards. It’s the wrong brand for it. Even Dunkin’ Donuts — I mean Dunkin’ — could offer free coffee and get away with it. Krispy Kreme is a brand with a two-word name where each word describes a different form of fat. This is the wrong poster-child for vaccination when having a high body mass index (BMI) is a qualifying condition for many people to get the vaccine sooner.
Krispy Kreme can emphasize spreading joy though. People are routinely delivering doughnuts and other treats to vaccine center staff. To that end, Krispy Kreme could make a more tangible claim – “We’ll deliver 500,000 doughnuts over the next 100 days” or “We will deliver doughnuts every day in April to workers at each of 1,000 vaccine centers.”
The retailer could also set a better standard for its employees.
I got the first dose of the vaccine this past Saturday — Pfizer, if you’re curious (everyone is curious). I was fine. When a friend asked how I felt, I told her, “I feel like I could lift a car.” Adrenaline was surging that day. My arm was slightly sore Sunday for a couple hours. I got lucky.
A family member also got their dose Saturday and was run down for a couple hours. They went to the gym the next morning and then got hit even harder the next day. They’re fine too now. Acknowledging that everyone reacts differently to the vaccines but that the main priority is getting everyone the vaccine and achieving herd immunity, Krispy Kreme could offer two days’ worth of PTO for their shift workers.
All of that would still achieve a ton of press and generate goodwill. Other companies would likely follow suit, and Krispy Kreme would get the follow-up press as the brand that started the trend. Some brands might even try to outdo each other in how much they’d support health care staff and their own employees.
As for whether Krispy Kreme’s stunt is effective, it probably will be. For all the press they got and for the margins on a bit of flour, sugar, and oil (sweetened fat fried in fat, drizzled with fattened sweetness), I’d bet they come out well ahead on this deal.
If you worked on this campaign, it’s still a brilliant idea. If you did the PR, you’re masterful. If you’re on the brand side, I get it.
When this winds up on both the “best of 2021” and “worst of 2021” award lists this December, they’ll get some added boost as people rush in to claim their doughnuts.
I’ll even go in soon to flash my card and claim mine.
I just won’t buy a second for $11.
Well, not unless the guy working behind the counter charms me into buying another.
What’s your take on this one? Would you greenlight it? And will you be claiming your free doughnut?
If you’re in Manhattan, I’ll even claim one with you, especially in a month after my second dose kicks in.
Then we get go to Sweetgreen, flash our vax cards, and see if we can get an extra hit of kale.
David
PS: Join Madeline Schwarz, communication coach for her Networking for Introverts event on 4/7 at 12:30pm EST. She’ll share ideas for how to network efficiently as an introvert and have fun doing it. Serial Marketers is co-hosting this Trusted Referral Network event.——————————————————-
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For All Serial Marketers, ZoomCompanyEvents is offering a 20% discount off all Zoom Product Launches until the end of March.
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For those who are interested in learning more, we have made a custom checklist for all Serial Marketers.
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Jeremy Woolf is the first to get 25 $CMO coins for referring five members to the newsletter. This will be an ongoing reward. Thank you for your advocacy! Thanks to Jason Gardner, B.L. Ochman, Ken Simon, Boris Pfieffer, Ben Zeidler, Wendy Weatherford Marks, Orlando Tirado, Rachael Todd, Sharon Feder, Claudia Strauss, and Chris Gorges for spreading the word about the newsletter recently. Here’s your own personalized link, with more referral rewards for sharing the newsletter. Visit https://referralhub.page/serialmarketer to see how you’re doing.https://www.serialmarketer.net/subscribe/?rh_ref=823bcd55 Share via: Email | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn————————————————–
STORIES OF THE WEEK
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Recent pieces published or shared by Serial Marketers and friends: ————————————————–
EVENTS
————————————————– Please submit any events you’re hosting to our calendar at https://serialmarketers.net/events/. All events below are virtual, and all times are EST. SERIAL MARKETERS SALONS
Tuesdays, 3pm - 3/30: Marie Roker-Jones, Co-CEO, Essteem on Inclusive Marketing
- 4/6: Brandon Rhoten, former global CMO, Potbelly Sandwich Works
- 4/13: Rishad Tobaccowala, author, Restoring the Soul of Business: Staying Human in the Age of Data
- 4/20: Nishant Mani, Chief Business Officer, Terra.do on how marketers can address climate change (+special Earth Day Upstream and Clubhouse series that week)
- 4/27: Meagen Eisenberg, CMO, TripActions on how to market back-to-business travel (+Clubhouse after-session at 4pm)
- 5/4: Shannon Truax, social media director, M&T Bank
- 5/11: Leo Morejon, social media marketing lead, Applegate, and host of Prove It Matters
RSVP on our private Meetup (request access if you’re not there) SERIAL MARKETERS SPEEDUPS
Alternating Thursdays, 12pm
Join the virtual 1:1 rapid-fire speed-meeting event to connect with fellow Serial Marketers, hosted on the Upstream app. - 4/1
- 4/15
- 4/22: Earth Day bonus on how marketers can address climate change
- 4/29
TIKTOK READY SET GROW SUMMIT
March 24, 11am
Via B.L. Ochman in the community:
“Ready Set Grow is TikTok’s first ever Small and Medium Business event—designed to help everyone grow their familiarity and understanding of the platform, and learn how to set their business up for success on TikTok. An engaging day of unlocking TikTok’s magic with creators, experts and business owners.”
https://readysetgrowsummit.splashthat.com/ WOMEN IN ECOMMERCE
March 25, 4pm
Via William Álvarez in the community:
“Registration for the second installment of our Women in eCommerce event is now open! We’re bringing together a great line-up of senior eCommerce executives, including the Chief Digital Officers of E.L.F. Beauty and WD-40, for another inspiring evening of conversations & connections.”
https://events.bizzabo.com/294862 AD AGE TOWN HALL: INVESTING IN MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES
April 5, 11am
“A paltry 5% of marketing industry spending is invested in minority-owned businesses. Despite plenty of evidence that investing in these businesses is integral to reaching key consumers, minority-owned agencies, suppliers and media companies are rarely given a seat at the table. Ad Age will bring together leaders in the industry to discuss how the ad world can better support these companies.”
https://adagetownhall-0405.splashthat.com/ NETWORKING FOR INTROVERTS
April 7, 12:30pm
Have you ever wondered how to network in a room of loud talkers?
Communication Coach Madeline Schwarz will share tips and strategies to build your confidence, sharpen your skills, and make better connections. You’ll leave with tangible tools to improve your pitch and have more fun, whether you’re introducing yourself at a networking event or pitching ideas at work.
https://events.eventzilla.net/e/networking-for-introverts-2138814346 “SMARKETING – SELL SMARTER, NOT HARDER” BOOK LAUNCH
April 7, 4pm
Via Christine Crandell in the community:
“I’m speaking at this book launch on sales/marketing alignment and every participant gets a book.” During this launch, Peter will share highlights of his book and key tenets of his proven methodology to align revenue teams for breakout success and sustainable sales performance.
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwkceCurjMqHdfkS3lRZPq4DEuiFjNrb6nr FIRST WEDNESDAY
April 7, 6pm
First Wednesday keeps going strong. We have dozens of people RSVPing for this fun NYC tradition led by Zack Rosenberg.
https://www.meetup.com/Serial-Marketers/events/kszqsryccgbkb/ WHY YOU NEED A PERSONALITY BRAND
April 8, 12:30pm
Via Nancy Ruzow in the community:
“Why do so many of us feel reluctant to let our personality shine in business? Maybe it’s because we don’t know how. Danielle Hughes, founder of More Than Words Marketing, will help individuals learn how to develop their Personality Brand to stand out in a sea of sameness and a world of duplicates.”
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/why-you-need-a-genuine-personality-brand-tickets-129066458251 5 ADTECH FUNDAMENTALS YOU SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT
April 14, 5pm
“The dizzying array of adtech and martech trends and tools leads marketers scrambling to adopt the latest shiny object without fully understanding the technology and what’s required to maximize it. During this interactive DMCNY Midweek Recharge, Steven Golus, expert in digital advertising training and enablement, will debrief attendees on the most important adtech strategies and tools they need to understand right now.”
https://directmarketingclubofnewyork.wildapricot.org/event-4149509 TECHSEO MINI BOOST
April 22, 8:15am
Via William Álvarez in the community:
“Through a condensed agenda, Catalyst’s TechSEO “Mini” Boost offers a half-day virtual experience that includes cutting-edge content from top technical SEOs around the world. Join us in our new streamlined virtual format as we explore topics like server-side tagging, Python, SEO testing, and evangelizing technical SEO.”
https://register.techseoboost.com/ ————————————————–
JOBS
————————————————– Keep checking out the #jobs channel in Serial Marketers for more. Here are some great opportunities shared there or sent to me directly. U.S. RENAL CARE
Head of Business Development
Dallas, TX or remote
The future Vice President, Business Development has:
* 10+ years experience in healthcare sales, corporate/business development, consulting, and/or physician consulting required
* 5+ years experience selling solutions to and closing value based, risk based or capitation contracts with health plans; selling to private payers / commercial health plans
* Prior success meeting and exceeding sales benchmarks, goals and quotas
* Experience structuring and negotiating complex financial value based contracts.
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/1879?share_token=PcodCfyyr1Yz93evqQdoZGYw SPRYKER
(Senior) Product Marketing Manager
Remote US
Via Alex Buckalew in the community:
“Not only can you understand complex and technical content quickly, but you can also package relevant materials in Marketing & Sales language? We have BIG plans to take the US market (besides other identified major growth markets) by storm, and we need the best people on the ground to make this happen fast and impressively.”
https://spryker.jobs.personio.de/job/338377?language=en HI RIGHT NOW
Head of Marketing/Growth
Remote
Early-stage startup hiring a Head of Marketing/Growth, encompassing responsibility over revenue, performance marketing, partnerships, movement marketing, content, PR, and channel experimentation. We help creators, communities, and remote teams to powerfully bring their people together via speed 1:1 video chats.
https://www.notion.so/Head-of-Marketing-Growth-Remote-3e69682f450e44fe8daaba2156b11514 PARENTO
Marketing and Brand Director
Remote US
“We’re on the lookout for a Director of Marketing and Brand to develop and execute marketing strategies to increase awareness and adoption of Parento. Our ideal candidate is a passionate and experienced marketer, preferably with experience in consumer products, HR, or startups with proven success in working with emerging products and driving GTM strategies.”
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/2468853199/ LMX LABS
Head of Marketing & Communications
New York
A true evangelist for finance and/or marketing high-tech disruptors, the future Head of Marketing and Communications has:
* 8+ years of experience with a proven track record of developing, producing, and deploying impactful product marketing and communications strategies
* B2B Financial services experience; high-tech B2B also considered
* Designed and implemented omnichannel marketing strategies (print, broadcast, online), establishing and cultivating strong relationships with media partners.
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/1961?share_token=PcodCfyyr1Yz93evqQdoZGYw AZUL SYSTEMS
VP Marketing
Sunnyvale, CA or remote
Having proven success in building a lead generation “machine,” the future Vice President of Growth has:
*7+ years’ experience in B2B marketing, preferably with a high-growth SaaS company
*4+ years’ experience leading marketing (digital, demand generation, content) teams for SaaS companies
*Experience building and leading a high-performing and geographically-dispersed team
*Comfort building and owning the strategy, but also tactical execution
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/1907?share_token=PcodCfyyr1Yz93evqQdoZGYw RAISE RIGHT
VP Marketing
Remote
A critical thinker who likes to optimize and story tell, the future VP of Marketing has:
*10+ years of lead generation marketing, has experience targeting B2B<->B2C and working with SMB’s. Also has experience in lifecycle marketing and customer onboarding
*Built out go-to-market strategies, is highly analytical, makes data-driven decisions and can correlate activities to direct ROI/revenue attribution
*Expertise in both inbound and outbound channels, including SEO, paid advertising, email marketing and earned media
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/1924?share_token=PcodCfyyr1Yz93evqQdoZGYw More via Hunt Club
* AppsFlyer: Director of Growth Marketing (SF, remote)
* Nutrafol: VP of Brand Marketing (NY, remote)
* Tagger Media: Digital Marketing Manager (LA)
* Pernod Ricard: Senior Manager, Creative & Content
* ATW: Senior Director of E-Commerce (remote) CHERRY BLOSSOM INTIMATES
Director of Marketing
Washington, DC
Via Stephanie Rich in the community:
“An amazing startup looking for a Director of Marketing to help them reimagine the post-mastectomy shopping experience.”
Responsibilities include developing, creating, and curating content that goes out on our social channels and email campaigns, and launching monthly marketing campaigns across digital platforms and the brick and mortar boutique.
https://www.notion.so/Careers-Cherry-Blossom-Intimates-7a39f664062340cfbbb1970929c112b6?p=1bd4fb39693b44f3b2c9cf118ed0ff97 FIRST BOULEVARD
Social Media Manager
Via Lia Zneimer in the community:
First Boulevard is a Digitally native, unapologetically Black, neobank built to eradicate the wealth gap in America. Black America has been underbanked, unbanked and underserved for centuries. First Boulevard empowers Black America to take control of their $1.4T in annual economic impact while also being fully inclusive and welcoming of all other communities.
https://blvd.breezy.hr/p/5081b9f5aa29-social-media-associate CONEXIOM
Director of Product Marketing
Chicago
Reporting to the Chief Marketing Officer, you will help to continue to define and evangelize the Conexiom story. You will partner closely with teams across the organization, specifically Marketing, Sales, Product and Services to set positioning and messaging, build product launch strategies, run and analyze product releases, develop sales enablement content, and drive engagement through ongoing marketing programs.
https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/1935?share_token=PcodCfyyr1Yz93evqQdoZGYw CONSENSYS
Via Thomas Rush in the community:
“We’re hiring three marketing professionals for ConsenSys Mesh, a global blockchain investment and incubation firm with over 100 portfolio companies.”
NY, remote
Director of Brand
Editor, Insights & Thought Leadership
Senior Marketing Associate WHEREBY (formerly Appear.in)
* Director of Growth Marketing (remote US)
Revenue-driven growth marketer with proven success driving traffic and new user acquisition, the future Director of Growth has 5+ years of growth marketing experience from a B2B SaaS company, deep experience in owning full demand generation strategy to deliver on revenue goals, and strategic vision with a focus on tactical execution. https://app.huntclub.com/jobs/1923?share_token=PcodCfyyr1Yz93evqQdoZGYw DORILTON CAPITAL
VP Digital Growth
Via Dan LaFontaine in the community:The VP of Digital Growth will help Dorilton’s portfolio companies systematize and scale revenue generation through digital channels. This “player-coach” will provide strategic advice to management teams and take ownership of executing transformational projects through hands-on support and oversight of Dorilton team members and third-party service providers.
https://www.doriltoncapital.com/careers?gh_jid=4967550002
Other job resources: - Advisable: Get instant access to top marketing freelancers
- AMA Job Board: Listings from the American Marketing Association (maybe you can also ask them anything)
- Beeler.Tech: Job listings for ad operations, programmatic account management, sales operations, and more.
- Built in NYC: Jobs at a range of levels and functions, as long as you’re okay working in this quaint, backwater hamlet.
- CareerList: Here’s a form for companies hiring and a form for job seekers; here’s the public list with tabs for both
- Content Writing Jobs: Content marketers, enjoy
- Creative Women of Color: List yourself in the database and find talent, via Women Who Create
- Demand Curve: Growth and marketing jobs
- ExecThread: Senior roles spanning a range of verticals and cities; membership is free but fully vetted (this uses my referral ID to get you in faster)
- Gently Ventures: Helps scale businesses by finding the right talent
- GLG: Get paid to share your topical expertise; it can lead to some interesting conversations at a potentially decent hourly rate
- Growth Collective: Apply to join this network of notable freelance marketers
- Grace Blue Transitions: A portal for hirers and seekers with resources from this exec recruiting firm
- The Hired Guns: An array of jobs in marketing and related fields at brands, agencies, and media companies
- Hue: Amplifying voices of people in color working in marketing
- Hunterz: A way for connectors to get paid to introduce startups to large enterprises
- Lead5: A paid service for executive roles, plus intel on changes with companies and PE investments; you can try a risk-free weeklong trial to see if it’s any good for your needs
- Lunch Club: Match 1:1 around predetermined goals with accomplished professionals (free)
- NYC Ad Jobs & Networking: A popular Facebook group
- One Club for Creativity: COVID-19 jobs Board
- #OpenToWork: There’s a channel in Serial Marketers where you can share what you’re looking for
- Pangea: Where you can hire college freelancers (and college students can get gigs)
- Pocit: A platform connecting people of color with jobs in the tech industry
- Remotists: Remote startup jobs, chronicled weekly
- Sales Hustle Stack: Find platform-based gigs and other creative ways to earn some extra cash
- Startup.Jobs: There’s a section for marketing jobs
- Teal Job Tracker: A free Chrome extension to manage and enhance your job search
- TechNY Daily: While more technical, there are also some sales and marketing jobs at NY startups.
- VC Job Boards: Aleph, Eniac Ventures, Pear, Sequoia, Union Square Ventures
- VentureLoop: Free startup job listings; their paid option is $15/month and might surface more leads (but it might not).
- Venwise: Submit your job interests here and get in front of their roster of hiring leads; select “Serial Marketers” under “How did you find us”
- Wanted: Wanted helps top talent in tech and marketing find a job at your desired pay.
Do you run or enjoy other job listing sites? Let me know, and I’ll share them. ————————————————-
OFFERS (NEW SECTION)
————————————————- Below are offers extended to the Serial Marketers community. To share your own or access the Premium member discounts, review membership options here. ReverseAds
Get 10% discounts on campaigns. ReverseAds reverses the search ad process, outperforming Google at a fraction of the cost. To redeem, contact Thom Feltz by email. Northarc Media
Marc Lefton is offering brands a free one-hour consultation on your media mix to show how you can integrate programmatic. For agencies, you can get a free one-hour consultation on how to add programmatic to your service offerings. To redeem, contact Marc by email. Secret
Sign up and use the promo code SERIALMARKETERS to get 20% off on any membership plan. Membership enables you to access all deals with unlimited usage. One deal should more than pay for itself. Marpipe
Create an account and start a 7-day free trial for $125 in ad spend credit toward your first experiment with this multivariate testing platform. Redeem here. (Premium members get $175 in credit with a custom code) Copysmith
Following a 7-day trial of this AI-powered marketing tool to generate ads, product descriptions, and more, use code SERIALMARKETERS for 35% off any plan for 3 months (premium subscribers get 50% off for 4 months). Dokkio
Get lifetime access to this file management tech with three seats, all free. (Premium members get five seats; see the Slack channel for details and a custom link.) |
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