The Best Marketing Stories of the Week, Jan. 27-31

This week, we touch on brands’ responses in the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death, the newest updates on location and privacy, and Popeyes’ new fashion line

Won’t You Be My #Content?

As nano-influencers grow in numbers and ordinary people are broadcasting their daily lives online, expectations of friends’ and families’ privacy grow hazier. As The New York Times put it, “If their friends are sharing every single day of their lives, can they reasonably expect to be asked for consent every single day?” There are business complications to this gray area as well: Does using a service (say, employing a makeup artist for a wedding) equal consent to be used for marketing? Did agreeing to the photo being taken mean it could be used in any way the person posting wished?

Promotion of Mr. Peanut Funeral Paused After Kobe Bryant Tragedy

Planters has apologized for distributing prayer candles for the death of Mr. Peanut, but hasn’t yet canceled its planned funeral for the mascot during the Super Bowl. “We are saddened by this weekend’s news and Planters has paused all campaign activities, including paid media, and will evaluate next steps through a lens of sensitivity to those impacted by this tragedy,” a spokesman said.

Brands Exhibit Restraint in Wake of Kobe Bryant’s Death

Celebrity deaths have often inspired hastily produced “tributes” on social media by big brands. At best, these are viewed as crass cash-grabs at insensitive times; at worst, they can be deemed downright disrespectful. In the wake of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death in a helicopter crash, major brands have shown some tact.

How to Collect Location, Location, Location

illustration of man standing beside location pin on map

Mobile users are required to opt-in if they are willing to share their location with a particular app—ideally, they would choose to always share, not just when the app itself is open. A new survey conducted by Herow found that the majority of those questioned felt ambivalent about companies having access to their location information. What tilts the scales in favor of sharing is to educate consumers about how their location data will specifically be used, as they are more likely to provide that data when they can clearly see from point A to point B.

Delay the CCPA

California’s new California Consumer Protection Act (CCPA), a set of regulations that places consumer data back in the hands of consumers themselves, went into effect on January 1 with the mandate that companies must comply by July 1. But a group of five advertising trade bodies are arguing that this six-month window doesn’t allow sufficient time to adapt to the new rules. They also argue that some of the specifics, including increased notifications to consumers, will ultimately burden and annoy people, leading to general ambivalence about the data usage the CCPA is meant to protect. These companies have written a letter to the attorney general of California asking for concessions to be made.

Popeye-vy Park?

OMG! Beyonce designed her Ivy Park x Adidas collection in the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich color way. I stan a marketing Queen! 😂 #IvyParkXAdidas pic.twitter.com/BcTjjq5STS

— Angela Mack (@AngelaDMack) January 18, 2020

Popeyes is rolling out its own limited edition fashion line. But does the brand actually expect people to buy products from its collection? Not necessarily. It’s more of a nod at social media noticing a similarity between the fast food chain’s brand colors and those used in the collaboration between Adidas and Ivy Park, Beyoncé’s athletic brand. Popeyes even styled and photographed its special collection similar to Beyoncé’s, with its own employees modeling the wares. The chain said it plans to donate proceeds from the clothing sales to its charitable foundation.