FMCG news

• USA Today Network launches VR news show and ad unit

  21-10-2016 23:46
  
  USA Today Network has released its first ad unit in VR, or what it calls the cubemercial, in a new weekly VR show, VRtually There, in partnership with Toyota.
  According to a press release, the VR ad unit uses 2D assets in a VR environment and places the viewer in a cube surrounded with a brand’s creative assets for a maximum of 15 seconds, creating “an immersive experience between the consumer and the brand unlike any other.”
  The so-called cubemercial, which features Toyota&rsq
  
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• Five show-stopping music festival brand activations from 2016

  21-10-2016 22:53
  
  There’s no questioning that music festivals have become a staple in pop culture. What were formerly relegated to the fringes of music and counterculture have now secured themselves squarely in the mainstream—much to the chagrin of festival purists who claim that these experiences have “jumped the shark.”
  As with any cultural movement, brands have been eager to find ways to get involved. It’s a smart strategy for marketers who are vying for millennial dollars in part
  
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• Wieden+Kennedy serves up Trump BS (sandwiches) in Portland

  21-10-2016 22:26
  
  In yet another Donald Trump-inspired “thing,” Portland indie Wieden+Kennedy is rolling out the Trump BS in the form of something that Portlanders have a deep love of: food carts. Yes, the self-proclaimed food cart capital of the world (or at least the US — where is a fact-checker when you need them), which leans awfully far to the left, will be home to the Trump stunt — serving up baloney sandwiches during lunch at Portland's Pioneer Courthouse Square, one of the main gat
  
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• Georgia-Pacific’s CMO explains how his ‘not big’ and ‘definitely not cool’ company has driven growth through storytelling

  21-10-2016 21:13
  
  During a talk at the ANA Masters of Marketing Conference in Orlando, Georgia-Pacific’s chief marketing officer Douwe Bergsma explained how the company’s focus on storytelling has helped its portfolio of brands, which include Brawny, Angel Soft and Dixie, experience strong growth over the past two years.
  About two years ago, the paper products company began to get serious about its storytelling capabilities when it hired Droga5, Cutwater, Deutsch and The Martin Agency to work on
  
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• DDOS attack on Dyn server kills access to Amazon, Twitter, Spotify and more

  21-10-2016 18:48
  
  A denial of service attack (DDOS) on server company Dyn, has restricted access to the likes of Twitter, Reddit, Spotify, Github, Airbnb, SoundCloud, PayPal and Netflix on the East Coast of the United States.
  The company acknowledged the attack: “We have begun monitoring and mitigating a DDoS attack against our Dyn Managed DNS infrastructure. Our engineers are continuing to work on mitigating this issue.”
  It occurred 7am ET and lasted for two hours followed by intermittent o
  
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• New Product Awards and the art of inventive thinking

  21-10-2016 18:40
  
  Why is NPA so important? We asked guests at this year’s lavish ceremony for their thoughts …
  
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• Snapchat swipes back at Amnesty in data row - 'we care deeply about privacy'

  21-10-2016 18:01
  
  Snapchat has reportedly hit back at Amnesty International after the human rights group alleged that major messaging apps were failing to take basic measures to ensure privacy. 
  A letter penned by Snapchat's general counsel, Chris Handman, addressed to Amnesty's head of technology and human rights Sherif Elsayed-Ali said the upstart cared "deeply about privacy," and that it has taken "great strides to preserve those freedoms."
  Published in i newspaper today
  
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• How IBM will help police forces to find missing people faster at The Drum’s Do It Day

  21-10-2016 17:40
  
  Thousands of people go missing every year in the UK, the majority of them 18 to 25-year-olds. And the first 24 hours in any missing person case are critical, the chances of a positive outcome after this time diminishing significantly.
  It is with this in mind that IBM has created an app using cognitive technology to help UK police forces gain access to and analyse all relevant data – including historical cases, transport routes and even weather – with which to plan effective search ca
  
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• Unlicensed to Kill: Pierce Brosnan sorry for ad promoting carcinogenic Indian chew tobacco product

  21-10-2016 17:35
  
  Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has apologised for his controversial appearance in an Indian advertisement promoting a brand largely known for producing chewing tobacco.
  Brosnan told People magazine the ad made “unauthorised and deceptive use” of his image, with him claiming he was told the product was a “breath freshener/tooth whitener [and] all-natural, containing neither tobacco, supari, nor any other harmful ingredient”.
  The product, pan masala and gutka are re
  
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• First Facebook Live campaign aims to inspire experimentation

  21-10-2016 17:29 via campaignlive.com
  
  Streaming video, TV spots and outdoor ads running in the US and UK will focus on tips for curious users
  
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• Branded video review with Redpill: Mads Mikkelsen, Krokodil, and SickKids

  21-10-2016 16:58
  
  Every fortnight, REDPILL reviews three new or relevant branded videos and assesses the reasons behind their social performance. REDPILL’s rating system scores videos across five categories (awarding a maximum of 20% for each category): originality; on brand; creativity; craft; and shareability. The sum of all five scores produces a rating out of 100%.
  Le Fantôme: a Jake Scott film starring Mads Mikkelsen and the new Ford Edge.Rating: 56%
  Remember when BMW was making branded content b
  
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• How Funworks injects improv, sketch comedy and legit fun into creativity

  21-10-2016 16:46
  
  Steve Martin famously said that “comedy is not pretty.” When humor produces winning campaigns, however, it can be highly effective. Geico. Bud Light’s “Real Men of Genius”. Apple’s “I’m a Mac”. Classics from back in the day like Wendy’s “Where’ the Beef” and FedEx’s fast-talking John Moschitta, Jr.
  And the list goes on and on.
  San Francisco indie Funworks adds plenty of comedy to the creative process, which is hi
  
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• People on the move: hires and departures including Starbucks, Think Jam, MainAd and more

  21-10-2016 16:32
  
  This week has seen another wave of appointments and departures at brands, media owners and agencies. The Drum has rounded up the key moves from the EMEA, APAC and North America regions below.
   
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  Hearst
  Hearst UK chief executive Anna Jones is stepping down from the role in 2017 to co-found AllBright, a funding platform for female-led businesses in the UK.
  Jones completes her tenure as chief executive of Hearst in February 2017 after five years with the company. She is going on
  
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• Interpublic upgrades 2016 growth forecast after 'solid' third quarter

  21-10-2016 16:27 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Interpublic Group has posted "solid" revenue and profit increases for the third quarter of the year and has upgraded its full year organic growth forecast to be between 4% and 5%.
  
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• The invisible evolution of blackness: A new cultural moment

  21-10-2016 16:16
  
  Increasingly, blacks are challenging predetermined life paths and taking it upon themselves to go their own way, rejecting stereotypes and expectations of who they are, or who they could be, based on their ethnicity.
  This behavioral shift has led to a black renaissance where African-Americans are increasingly leading the charge to carve out space and a moment in culture to demonstrate the breadth of their diversity.
  This new black cultural moment couldn’t exist without broader societal shi
  
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• Financial Times readers more likely to turn off adblockers if content access is completely restricted

  21-10-2016 16:00
  
  The Financial Times’ anti-ad blocking trial, whereby readers were given varying content restrictions to see what proved most effective in convincing blockers to whitelist, has reportedly proven that completely restricting content grants the highest conversion rate with two thirds of readers whitelisting the site.
  The FT took a sample of 15,000 registered users, split them into three groups, and gave each group them varying degrees of access to content unless whitelisted.
  The results found
  
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• Excedrin offers a cure for #DebateHeadache – and maybe Twitter’s, too?

  21-10-2016 15:38
  
  Headache medicine Excedrin turned our collective lemons into lemonade Wednesday night during the third and final presidential debate.
  That’s because social media analytics firm Talkwalker, which says it uses 1500 servers to process posts from 150 million websites every 15 minutes to measure public sentiment on social, found Excedrin’s sponsored hashtag, #DebateHeadache, trended with approximately 46,000 mentions during the debate. (By way of comparison, #DebateNight was used mor
  
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• FT finds four in ten users will turn off ad-blockers just by being asked

  21-10-2016 15:23 via campaignlive.co.uk
  
  Almost four in ten people using ad-blockers are "whitelisting" the Financial Times' website and agreeing to view ads after being asked to do so, a survey by the newspaper reports.
  
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• FMCG and Consumer Durables Newsletter - October 17 to 21, 2016 - Indiainfoline

  21-10-2016 15:09
  
  FMCG and Consumer Durables Newsletter - October 17 to 21, 2016
  Indiainfoline
  This week saw Future Group launch the Oats Brand, 'Kosh'. IIFL presents a weekly snapshot of all the major happenings in the FMCG and Consumer Goods industry, nationally and internationally. Article saved successfully to my page. You must be Logged in ...
  
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• Notes on Blindness , a virtual reality journey into the world of blindness

  21-10-2016 15:03
  
  To promote the feature film "Notes on Blindness", Franco-German TV network ARTE released an impressive virtual reality (VR) experience called 'Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness'. The VR experience, available in French, German and English, is based on the cognitive and emotional experience of John Hull, who suffered through decades of gradual deterioration until he went completely blind at the age of 48.
  Quand on vit la cécité, tous nos sens sont décuplés.Viv
  
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• JCDecaux announces launch of 4K screens, yet stands by its billboard inventory as rivals ditch theirs

  21-10-2016 13:56
  
  Out of home agency JCDecaux is showing no signs of retiring its traditional billboard offering, bucking the trend set by the likes of Clear Channel of aspiring toward a digital-only inventory.
  The group announced it will be bringing 4K screens to the UK in 2017 at Wednesday’s (18 October) IAB Digital Upfronts, promising high definition OOH advertising initially on its six-sheets and within the mall environment. The company also announced further investment into its digital offering through
  
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• Why your agency should behave like a dotcom

  21-10-2016 13:54
  
  I’ve long observed, and having worked in a dotcom and now agency-side, that dotcoms tend to act differently in comparison to multi-channel businesses – especially those business that have ‘added digital on’ to more traditional ‘offline’ routes to market in recent years.
  In large, I put this down to the fact that years ago dotcoms recognised that their consumer world actually changed faster than they could react to it. This drove them to internally realign thei
  
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• Scottish courts back minimum alcohol pricing despite challenge by Scotch whisky industry

  21-10-2016 13:36
  
  Scottish courts have backed plans to set a minimum price for alcohol in Scotland, ruling against a challenge by the Scotch whisky industry, which claimed the plans were a breach of European Law.
  The court of session in Edinburgh rejected the challenge by the alcohol industry, and under the plans a price of 50p per unit of alcohol would be set, which means a bottle of spirits will cost at least £14.
  Scottish government’s public health minister, Aileen Campbell, said: “
  
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• MySupermarket's Kim Ludlow to lead innovations at Brandbank

  21-10-2016 13:30
  
  Ludlow joined Brandbank earlier this month after eight years with the grocery comparison site
  
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• Dairy UK calls for GCA to cover wholesalers and small retailers

  21-10-2016 13:30
  
  But control over the dairy industry code of practice should remain with the dairy sector, says Dairy UK CEO Judith Bryans
  
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• Cadbury unveils £10m Easter choc campaign

  21-10-2016 13:30
  
  Mondelez is gearing up for another heavyweight push for Cadbury Creme Egg.
  
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• Always Soft & Fit gets Sensitive revamp to highlight comfort

  21-10-2016 13:30
  
  Refreshed look is aimed at “a new generation of girls”
  
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• Iceland customers most likely to have backed Brexit, Ocado a remain stronghold

  21-10-2016 13:25
  
  YouGov data has granted insight into the voting patterns of supermarket shoppers, painting the differing demographics granting footfall to each store.
  A study of more than 100,000 consumers from YouGov, showed that Iceland customers were most likely to have voted Leave in the EU referendum – around 65% of consumers. It was followed by Morrisons (56%), Asda (54%), Aldi (52%), Lidl (52%) and Tesco (50%).
  At the other end of the spectrum, Ocado proved to be the most remain store, boasting a c
  
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• Nintendo's Console Advertising through the years

  21-10-2016 13:12
  
  On Thursday, Nintendo pulled back the veil on Project NX, and announced the launch of its hybrid games console, the Nintendo Switch.
  As the company's first new console launch since the unveil of the underperforming Wii U in 2012, Nintendo's marketing drive for Switch will be vital in getting back to former glories.
  In keeping with the release of the Switch, The Drum looks back at the evolution of Nintendo's console ads.
  Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
  
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• A history of Nintendo ads as it kicks of the marketing for the Switch

  21-10-2016 13:12
  
  On Thursday, Nintendo pulled back the veil on Project NX, and announced the launch of its hybrid games console, the Nintendo Switch.
  As the company's first new console launch since the unveil of the underperforming Wii U in 2012, Nintendo's marketing drive for Switch will be vital in getting back to former glories.
  In keeping with the release of the Switch, The Drum looks back at the evolution of Nintendo's console ads.
  Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
  
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• Tesco regains share as Aldi and Lidl growth slows

  21-10-2016 13:11
  
  Tesco is beginning to claw back ground from the discounters as its recovery coincides with some of the worst growth figures of the price war era for Aldi and Lidl.
  
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• Economist Group acquires Signal Noise to disrupt visual data storytelling for its clients

  21-10-2016 13:00
  
  The Economist Group has acquired London-based data design studio Signal Noise  for an undisclosed sum as it expands its fast-growing content solutions business.
  Signal Noise was founded in 2010 by Matthew Falla, Christian Thümer and Hem Patel and the company creates data visualisations, tools and dashboards for clients which include Accenture, EE and Unilever.
  Marketing and tech growth consultancy Waypoint Partners advised Signal Noise on the deal and Waypoint co-founder Mile
  
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• Facebook names ReFuel4 as Innovator of the Year for tackling the issue of ad fatigue

  21-10-2016 12:30
  
  Facebook has named data-driven creative platform ReFuel4 as ‘Innovator of the Year 2016’ at its Global Partner Summit. ReFuel4 was selected for solving the problem of ad fatigue, a problem plaguing the $190B digital media market.
  Ad fatigue is caused when a target audience of consumers is repeatedly shown the same ad. Audiences very quickly learn to ignore the ads, which wastes media budget. This is easily addressed by simply having more ad versions per campaign. Advertiser
  
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• Blockchain: Facebook's biggest threat

  21-10-2016 12:28
  
  Remember when you first opened a Facebook account? It was interesting, new and importantly, completely free of charge. Or so we thought. Fast-forward to the present day and our relationship with the social network has soured. It’s the same with Google, Twitter and Instagram too. Somewhere along the line the internet giants started getting more out of us than we do from them.
  It all comes down to our personal data. We surrendered it thoughtlessly and have been rewarded for our mistake with
  
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• The Design Museum promotes its relocation with video celebrating iconic designs

  21-10-2016 12:18
  
  The Design Museum has embraced some of the most iconic retro designs for a new video promoting its relaunch, focused on 'opening and closing'.
  Created by Gravity Road and directed by Daniel de Viciola , the video will air in cinemas and be bolstered by a social media and out-of-home campaign. 
  The drive promotes the fact the Design Museum is moving to its new home in West London in November 2016.
  Leading with the proposition, that it is the museum “that never closes”, the creati
  
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• Facebook integrates with Delivery.com and Slice as it hones in on food

  21-10-2016 12:11
  
  Facebook is always expanding its offering, be it with the rollout of Marketplace, bots, 360 video, Workplace and more, but now it also appears interested in becoming a food delivery hub to strengthen its value to both brands and consumers.
  A recent blog has announced that restaurants and takeaways available on Delivery.com or Slice can now link their menus to the social network.
  The news may sound warning alarms for industry leaders JustEat and HungryHouse although the site looks to be expanding
  
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• Nestlé Mulling Price Rises In The UK

  21-10-2016 12:03
  After yesterday warning of lower sales growth in months ahead, Nestlé revealed that it was is considering price hikes in the UK to counter the drop in the value of sterling. According to The Telegraph, the food giant’s Chief Executive (more…)
  
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• Kodak reveals retro rebrand as its Ektra smartphone for photography enthusiasts is teased

  21-10-2016 12:03
  
  Kodak is returning to its roots with a rebrand, playing off its classic yellow and red K logo.
  Design Week reports that the identity was created by New York-based studio Work-Order, and was announced in parallel with its new photography-focused smartphone. 
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  The Ektra, built by Bullitt Group, will look to leverage the long-standing Kodak brand to secure a foothold in the mobile hardware market.
  The reveal comes weeks after Google entered the mobile market in earnest with
  
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• Costcutter Launches Major Rebranding Programme To Help Boost Sales

  21-10-2016 12:01
  Costcutter has launched its new Shopper First Programme aimed at boosting sales growth for its retailers. The initiative includes a new Costcutter brand and in-store design for its 2,600 stores, along with an offer aimed at helping retailers “deliver their (more…)
  
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• Stan Collymore: ‘The super broadcaster that can show Premier League games anywhere, anytime is coming’

  21-10-2016 11:59
  
  Footballer turned pundit Stan Collymore is braced for a future where people are more likely to watch their favourite sports on a social network than they are a TV network.
  That shift will arrive sooner than many think, he believes, as the likes of Twitter start to fill the cracks that have emerged in the sports broadcast model. And while they won’t shatter it anytime soon, the model is under such commercial pressure to offset the costs of ballooning rights that Collymore thinks online medi
  
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• BAT Offers $47bn To Buy Remaining Stake In Reynolds

  21-10-2016 11:58
  British American Tobacco (BAT) has offered $47bn to buy the 57.8% of its US partner Reynolds that it does not already own. If agreed, the deal would cement the two cigarette giants’ longstanding relationship and create the world’s largest listed (more…)
  
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• Thousands Of Pharmacies At Risk Of Closure Due To Planned Funding Cuts

  21-10-2016 11:56
  Thousands of pharmacies in the UK face an uncertain future after government ministers announced that they planned overhaul the sectors funding system and cut subsidies over the next two years. The Department of Health wants to reduce the £2.8bn a (more…)
  
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• Müller makes cost savings a major focus as losses reach £106m

  21-10-2016 11:54
  
  Revenues fell 4.2% to £1.34bn in the year to 31 December 2015
  
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• Cott and Refresco's UK sales drop as soft drinks face squeeze

  21-10-2016 11:54
  
  Cott’s UK sales fell 7.8% to £266m in the year to 2 January 2015
  
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• Three Tesco Executives Charged Over Accounting Scandal To Stand Trial Next Year

  21-10-2016 11:54
  The three former executives charged over their alleged role in the Tesco accounting scandal will stand trial in Crown Court next September. Following a lengthy investigation, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) last month said that it was charging Carl Rogberg, (more…)
  
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• Sodastream Appoints New UK Sales Director

  21-10-2016 11:50
  Robert Harley has been appointed as Sales Director of SodaStream UK, having joined the business in December 2014 as a National Account Manager. As Sales Director, he will take responsibility for developing the company’s UK sales strategy. The group said (more…)
  
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• Dealz Continues Expansion In Ireland

  21-10-2016 11:48
  Poundland’s Dealz format officially opens its 53rd store in Ireland tomorrow. The 7,000 sq. ft. store is located in Liffey Street, Dublin, making it the 14th store in County Dublin. Dealz Country Manager, Darren Jones commented: “We are delighted to (more…)
  
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• British Brands Group Trains 1,000th Delegate On GSCOP And GCA

  21-10-2016 11:47
  The British Brands Group has trained its 1,000th delegate on GSCOP, the Groceries Code Adjudicator and how to use them in dealings with grocery retailers. At its GSCOP / GCA training course in Stoneleigh yesterday, being run in partnership with (more…)
  
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• Bakkavor’s James Burgess is GroceryAid Cook of the Year

  21-10-2016 11:45
  Mark Richmond (Asda), James Burgess (Greencore) and Glyn Yarnall (Bakkavor) recently travelled to L’Institut Paul Bocuse in France, to take part in the GroceryAid Cook the Year final judged by Michel Roux OBE. After a great demonstration of skill and (more…)
  
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• Pinterest launches service to connect brands with influencers

  21-10-2016 11:44
  
  Pinterest is continuing its charm offensive on advertisers with the launch of a service that matches brands and marketers with content creators.
  Dubbed the Pin Collective, the visual search engine has handpicked a group of online influencers, publishers and production companies to help brands of all sizes create “inspiring, actionable Pins”.
  “Our goal is to make sure brands have what they need to produce content that’s optimized for Pinterest’s visual format and Pin
  
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