'Mamba Week' Salutes Kobe Bryant

Nike kicked off a week-long homage to NBA champion and cultural icon Kobe Bryant on Sunday, which would have been Bryant’s 42nd birthday. The week began with the release of a powerful 90-second film narrated by Kendrick Lamar and created by Wieden + Kennedy paying tribute to Bryant and the “Mamba Mentality.”

Up next: “Mamba Week” will include programming, donations and product offerings celebrating Bryant’s legacy.

After two years at Facebook, CMO Antonio Lucio is on his way out, and says he intends to move exclusively into promoting diversity and inclusion in the marketing industry, continuing work he’s done for decades. In a Facebook post about the decision, Lucio amicably thanked many of those he worked with at the company, including CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

What’s next for Facebook? The company is facing several challenges as Lucio leaves, including government scrutiny over hate speech on its platform and anti-competitive behavior.

After hinting at its intention to sue the Trump administration over the president’s executive order prohibiting American citizens and companies from “transacting” with the app, TikTok confirmed that it will indeed file suit in the coming week. The company said the order “sets a dangerous precedent for the concept of free expression and open markets.” This development comes as Trump and Microsoft have been discussing the possibility of the tech company acquiring TikTok’s U.S. operations, which could benefit both companies.

Inside the battle: Catch up on what led to the suit and the factors at play in the conflict between Trump and the app.

The alcohol industry’s hardest hit players have been craft breweries and distilleries, but startup Ghost Tequila flipped the script with a swift expansion of its ecommerce and retail businesses as bar and restaurant sales dried up. Targeting the home cocktail trend and leveraging both discounts and billboard advertising, the brand has achieved record sales. The brand also launched a nationwide competition, paying bartenders to submit cocktail recipes, and it donated $1 to the Restaurant Workers’ Covid-19 Relief Fund for every vote cast.

Explore the campaign: Focusing on the product, the brand’s campaign plays up the spiciness of the liquor and the spirit of 2020.

More of Today’s Top News & Highlights

Marc Pritchard predicts that the "virtual world is going to create some real transformation in every aspect of brand building, media and advertising." He should know: as chief brand officer of Procter & Gamble, he’s at the helm of marketing efforts for many of the world’s most powerful CPG brands including Tide, Bounty and Dawn, which are booming as consumers prioritize cleanliness and hygiene amid the pandemic.

Pritchard will be joining us at Brandweek this year, so we caught up with him ahead of the event to get an idea of how P&G is facing the state and future of the industry.

Brandweek Masters Live (Sept. 14-17)—a fully reimagined virtual experience for 2020—will assemble the foremost brand marketers, the masters across industries, to share insights and discuss the future of marketing. Among the industry-leading event’s unique offerings for 2020 is “Taste of Brandweek” – a series of experiential sessions designed to give Brandweek attendees an exclusive experience with new and exciting products and the marketing strategies driving their successes.
Brandweek is currently accepting additional “Taste of” speakers. Speakers will be founders, CEOs, CMOs, and senior-level marketing executives who will have the opportunity to showcase their product(s) in an exclusive, “closed-door” virtual setting. The Brandweek team will work with speakers to provide the product to all attendees by mail prior to the event, and speakers and attendees will have the opportunity to try, test and learn more about these products and the marketing strategies behind them during the session.
If you are interested in presenting a “Taste of Brandweek” session, send an email to [email protected] along with information on the product(s) you’d share with attendees. Speakers who are selected to participate in “Taste of Brandweek” will receive two complimentary passes to attend the full Brandweek program.

We’ve all heard it from companies and bosses: “We want to have a more diverse workforce, but we don’t know where to find diverse candidates.” Well, now they do. Adweek has compiled—and will continue to update—a list of more than 20 curated talent directories and diversity-focused staffing agencies.

Meet your future staffers: Check out the list and learn how to recommend more additions.

Join Adweek for a live discussion on August 27th with Hispanic and Latin American leaders in marketing and advertising who will dive deep into the community's biggest challenges and opportunities in today's environment. RSVP for free and learn actionable takeaways and industry insights.

Marketers from AB InBev, Adobe, Experian, Gorilla Glue and Target share how they’re shaping their internal offerings.

2020 asks leaders to be soft and strong.

The national campaign is from the Ad Council, CDC and 3AM.

In Taiwan, the retailer impressively aligned in-game items with its detail-rich photos.

Sales Navigator's quarterly update includes more detail about online communications.

The service was born out of GDPR compliance tech.