On this week’s very emotional episode of Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad, Adweek managing editor of creativity, creator economy and DEI Shannon Miller is joined by managing editor for marketing and agencies, Jameson Fleming, and special guest Jess Zafarris on her last day as Adweek’s director of audience engagement.

Over the last three years, Jess “JZ” Zafarris has transformed our social presence, served as editor of our Adweek Daily newsletter and led the weekly Adweek Chat on Twitter, all while being the newsroom’s educational guide into building personal brands across social media.

During the episode, they discuss what led her to Adweek, the many hats she has worn over the years, and JZ’s tips on how publishers and brands can establish their brand voice and presence online.

Stream the new episode below, listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or find it on Spotify.

Santa Monica, Calif. is a predominantly white city, but it was once home to the thriving Black community of Belmar, which was established during the Great Migration but destroyed in the 1950s to build the Santa Monica Freeway and Santa Monica Civic Center.

Indie agency RPA, which has been based in Santa Monica for more than 30 years, is marking Black History Month by creating a walking tour of the city called Black. Not Sorry, focused on its lost landmarks and the Black joy they represented.

The agency’s Black employee resource group What’s Good? placed QR codes at eight spots throughout the city that link to videos explaining the sites’ significance. Hosted by RPA digital producer A.C. Sanford and associate community manager of digital strategy and products Camille Wright, the videos were also shared across LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram so that people who are not in the city can still watch. Each video, including the campaign intro, is less than 1 minute long.

Visitors to the Santa Monica Civic Center can learn how in 1914 it was home to La Bonita Bathhouse and Cafe, a vacation destination that attracted Black tourists from around the country. The neighborhood also hosted Caldwell’s Dance Hall, a popular place for people to socialize and show off their style.

The tour highlights the community’s resilience, noting that Black businesses like the Ebony Beach Club were created due to discrimination at other nearby establishments. Some videos also emphasize the locations’ role in the Civil Right Movement, with a code at the location of the former Sears Roebuck store at 302 Colorado Ave. that saw protests because it would only hire Black janitors, but not sales staff.

“We demonstrated our joy by looking back at the accomplishments of the Black people who came before us in Santa Monica through a walking tour on our socials,” RPA talent specialist Jazmen Edwards told Adweek. “Though much of the history in Santa Monica was lost, we celebrated the lives and accomplishments while spreading the word through QR codes across Santa Monica.”

What’s Good? members will also release testimonials on the “Black. Not Sorry” theme and share the joy they experience working in advertising. Internally, the group has put together a reading list featuring a book by a Black author for every day of Black History Month and supporting the local Black woman-owned bookstore Reparations Club. The agency is also hosting a raffle benefiting Black Women for Wellness, a nonprofit focused on expanding healthcare access.

A man who was lost at sea for 24 days—surviving on only ketchup, spices and rainwater—has proven to be elusive now that he’s back on dry land.

And Kraft-Heinz is asking for help in locating Elvis Francois, who made international news last month when he was rescued 120 nautical miles off Colombia.

The legacy brand, fresh off a clever Super Bowl stunt, wants to give him a new state-of-the-art boat so he never has to go through a harrowing ordeal like that again. But attempts to get in touch have failed.

“We even reached out to the Colombia Navy, who found him at sea, and Dominica Immigration services, but no luck,” the brand said in a statement. “Now, we’re taking our search to the masses.”

Heinz has launched “#FindTheKetchupBoatGuy” “hoping to spread the word far and wide” and posted a virtual message in a bottle on Instagram. Heinz markets around the world are expected to be involved in the program.

Looking for any credible leads to the 47-year-old man’s whereabouts, Heinz wants to “reward him with a new boat equipped with full navigational technology to avoid another disaster in the future.”

Casting a wide net

According to news reports, Francois had been repairing his sailboat near St. Maarten in the Antilles islands in December when currents swept him out to sea. From there, he faced one disaster after another: He tried to get back to port, but by the time he fixed and mounted his sail, he was lost and disoriented, he told his rescuers.

Francois’ ship-to-shore service failed him, so he couldn’t contact anyone, and his boat was leaking so he had to bail water constantly. He tried to light a fire and send a distress signal, without success. Unprepared for a journey, he had no food on board.

“It was just a bottle of ketchup that was on the boat, garlic powder and Maggi (stock cubes) so I mixed it up with some water,” Francois said in a video provided by the Colombian army.

He spelled out HELP on the hull of the boat and signaled a passing plane with a mirror. He was eventually saved by a container ship that took him to Cartagena, per news reports. Healthy but exhausted, he was scheduled to return to his home in Dominica.

Since then, he’s been scarce, per Heinz, which is hoping someone will come forward with information via DM.

Heinz is “setting this message adrift into the sea of the internet, because if anyone can help us find him, it’s you,” per the brand’s open letter, crafted by in-house division The Kitchen.

By the way, there’s no word on the brand of ketchup that Francois sustained himself with, but Heinz is not splitting hairs on that detail.

Couples have flocked to the Park of Love in Lima, Peru since it opened on Valentine’s Day in 1993. The theme is represented by mosaics with quotes about love and a central elevated sculpture called The Kiss, depicting a man and a woman embracing and kissing.

For the park’s 30th anniversary, digital wallet Yape and agency 121 Latam sought to produce a more inclusive depiction of love by building a replica of the sculpture’s platform, allowing visitors to create their own versions of The Kiss.

“At Yape, we wanted to convey the freshness and values of the brand through an action with a powerful message, allowing us to escape the typical greetings of these dates,” Yape chapter leader of marketing and communications Alessandra Pinto said in a statement. “That’s why, for Valentine’s Day, we invited all Peruvians to express the way they experience love.”

A 90-second campaign video showcases the results of “The Kiss of Everyone,” which took place the weekend before Valentine’s Day. It shows the platform being used by couples of all ages and genders, as well as love embodied by a woman kissing her dog and parents with their children.

Audiences gathered to applaud the kisses and snap pictures while visiting the park, which is a popular spot to place love locks and leave flowers. The campaign’s message is “Yape is for everyone, and so is love.”

“Yape is a brand committed to inclusion and is an active part of the daily lives of Peruvians,” 121 Latam executive creative director Lucas Bargen said in a statement. “On this special day, we had the opportunity to give a message that transcends a greeting or a promotion. That’s why, taking advantage of the fact that more than 30 years have passed since the sculpture was created, we sought to evolve its message, make it more current and represent love for everyone.”

Photos and other content from the event were shared throughout the week of Valentine’s Day across Yape’s social media channels.

Signal. Telegram. Mastodon. Discord. Geneva. We’ve recently seen a sudden surge in the social media sector, possibly due to the tenets of Web3, as people ditch larger platforms and flock to ones that provide better security, tighter data privacy and less algorithmic manipulation. The niche subcultures these newer platforms cultivate, focused around specific topics and industries, serve as a throwback to the early internet, rife with forums like Yahoo! Groups and Reddit.

But for Black users, creators and developers, the exodus to smaller, closed social networks isn’t just motivated by a need for security. It’s driven by a quest for ownership. By launching proprietary apps and communities, Black creatives are able to reclaim culture, gatekeeping it from brands looking to appropriate norms and rehash them without providing credit. This is important to consider in a world where the pay gap between Black and white influencers is 22%, and where Black users are 35% more likely to trust any Black media over any general media.

Black-owned social networks offer increasingly equitable methods of monetizing content, more moderation and less censorship, offering digital safe spaces for Black users to present their most authentic selves. This means gaining and maintaining audience trust and credibility. An example of this is Spill, a forthcoming Black-owned social app that aims to prioritize culture, inclusivity and pay equity. Founded by ex-Twitter employees Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DeVaris Brown, Spill has integrated blockchain in order to credit creators for their ideas as well to compensate them for content that goes viral on the platform. Set to launch this quarter, it already has over 50,000 users on its waitlist. There’s also Valence, a social platform for Black professionals frequently compared to LinkedIn, which has raised $7 million from investors.

Pretty much any tech platform can attract a Black audience—Clubhouse proved that—but the difference with these Black-owned apps is that they are built from the start with Black inclusivity in mind, making them more likely to stand the test of time.

But what does all of this mean for marketers? Should CMOs drop “Big Social” from their multicultural marketing mixes for good? Are the days of social executives using Twitter lookalike audiences to target “followers of Fenty Beauty” gone? Not necessarily—but it does mean that marketing leaders must begin to integrate Black-owned communities and apps into marketing plans in a way that is authentic and sustained.

Research and segmentation 

The best place to start is researching the Black audience segments you’d like to target based on the level of alignment with your brand. Just like the users in any other audience, recognize that Black users are not a monolith—we are gamers, comic book nerds, musicians, consultants, scientists, historians and more. We all have different purchasing habits, attitudes toward brands and intersections with other identities. Once you have created personas that include these variables and have identified segments that align with your goals, find out where your target users live online. This might be on Black-owned apps, but it could also be in newsletter mailing lists, on blogs or on websites directly. Many of these channels address specific segments of the Black community—for example, Black Girl Gamers, a multiplatform community of over 8,000 Black women that share a passion for gaming.

Once you have figured out the networks you’d like to tap into, the next step is to learn the rules for brands engaging within these spaces. Each Black online community has its own unique set of rules, guidelines and ways of speaking. For example, Black Twitter, the community of Twitter users that discusses Black culture, has made mainstream a variety of terms including “tea” and “on fleek.” The growth in Black-owned communities will result in even more unique dialects online, perhaps driven by companies like Spill, which is “leaning into meme culture” throughout its user experience. Brand leaders should learn these vernaculars, not as a means to co-opt or appropriate them, but to better understand themes and trends that make their audiences tick. This, before enlisting Black employees or agencies to create content that resonates.

Quality beats quantity 

Whether or not smaller, community-focused platforms are the future of social media is generally a point of contention for marketing leaders. Some state that the small scale of these platforms mean they can never beat Twitter when it comes to audience reach. But when it comes to multicultural marketing, quality definitely beats quantity. For minoritized audiences, scale isn’t achieved by putting out a message to as many as possible, but by reaching the people who are most likely to engage with or act upon a message. This might mean developing a presence within multiple smaller, targeted networks rather than just one or two larger ones. Digital strategist Sara Wilson coined these smaller networks “digital campfires”—according to Wilson, “If social media can feel like a crowded airport terminal where everyone is allowed, but no one feels particularly excited to be there, digital campfires offer a more intimate oasis where smaller groups of people are excited to gather around shared interests.”

A key benefit for companies that involve digital campfires in their marketing is the ability to reach people in a highly engaged state rather than when they’re mindlessly scrolling. Black users choose to be a part of a community—they don’t choose to be a part of an audience.

Leverage influencer communities 

It isn’t just Black tech leaders who are building their own communities to have more autonomy over their content and its monetization. Black influencers are, too. As more and more Black influencers consider their futures on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, creator-owned apps and newsletters should not be ignored.

Boasting an Instagram following of over a million users, Black lifestyle influencer and tech entrepreneur Hannah Bronfman has launched beauty and wellness community app HBFIT to have more freedom over what she shares online. On a recent podcast, Bronfman enthused, “I don’t know where Instagram is going to be in five years. Long-form content and storytelling is what I truly love to do, and there’s not really a platform anywhere for that, so I thought I’d make it myself. This isn’t like a Patreon. This is my own app that I own, and I think that is starting to look like what, maybe, the future of influencing is.”

Overall, the benefits of companies that adopt a community-led multicultural marketing approach, in contrast to one led by Big Social, shouldn’t be taken lightly. You’ll be able to convert Black users into long-standing brand advocates by reaching them in more inclusive environments where they are fairly compensated for their ideas.

Early this football season, the National Football League began shifting tactics to engage younger fans on social media as people reallocate their attention from TV to digital content that is fun, snackable and highly visual.

With Super Bowl 57 quickly approaching, Big Game advertisers—who spent up to a record-breaking $7 million for 30-second spots this year—want to maximize their investment in line with this trend, with their in-house social teams and marketing agency partners doubling down on digital content. 

Another sign of the times: Many brands with an in-game Super Bowl spot will not buy Twitter ads like in past years due to new brand safety concerns on the platform. This means brands will be counting on their organic social media more to drive millions of additional impressions, supplementing the approximately 110 million viewers expected to tune in to the Big Game on Feb. 12. 

This year, three advertisers in particular are doing stellar work to power their visual campaigns with creative digital content. Let’s take a closer look.

M&M’s sketches a winning play 

Marketers for the Mars-owned candy brand seemingly benefitted from unusual publicity in the days leading up to its 30-second Big Game spot: In mid-January, M&M’s drew the ire of well-known media members yet again and responded by putting its squad of spokescandies—animated versions of M&M’s—on “indefinite pause.” This comes after a January 2022 redesign meant to be more inclusive across gender identities. 

That’s not to say it wasn’t all part of M&M’s Super Bowl stunt. Shortly after the media chatter heated up, M&M’s revealed former Saturday Night Live cast member and actor Maya Rudolph as its new spokesperson, at least temporarily. The brand then activated its digital content to support the effort, even renaming the candies “Ma&Ya’s” after Rudolph and starting a new Twitter handle, which gained close to a quarter million followers in its first two weeks. It also launched videos on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. 

On the design front, M&M’s created a logo featuring a sketch of Rudolph from the shoulders up, satirically suggesting the Ma&Ya’s brand is here to stay. The logo is also imprinted on the pieces of candy in limited-edition packages that can be purchased leading up to the Super Bowl.

What M&M’s does right: The candy brand stayed above the media fray with engaging digital content that serves as breadcrumbs leading up to its Big Game ad. 

In the online videos, Rudolph’s M&M’s character shows the audacity to believe the popular candy needs her face on it, deftly meshing with the mindset of the billionaire divorcee she plays on the Apple TV show Loot. It’s great casting by the candy’s ad agency, BBDO New York, which uses simple visuals that combine core colors and brand cues.

Its digital content series entertains viewers as they wait until Feb. 12 to discover how the brand will connect the dots between Rudolph’s role with the M&M’s’ spokescandies.

This visually smart campaign has been perhaps the buzziest among Super Bowl advertisers: M&M’s four tweets since the Rudolph reveal have collectively garnered more than 53 million views on Twitter alone. The same four posts generated millions more impressions across social and inspired 69,000 Instagram likes, representing 331% more engagement than M&M’s previous four posts on the social platform.

Michelob Ultra zeroes in on golfers 

This low-calorie beer brand has themed its entire episodic Super Bowl campaign around a sport other than football. To bolster the effort with star power, Michelob enlisted an impressive cast: tennis legend Serena Williams, popular Mexican boxer Canelo Álvarez, former NFL quarterback and CBS football announcer Tony Romo, soccer star Alex Morgan and Scottish actor Brian Cox. 

So far, the sports and entertainment notables have appeared in a trio of social ads for Michelob Ultra’s fun motif that embraces the iconic 1980 comedy film Caddyshack. Leaning into Instagram and Twitter, the brand’s campaign is dubbed #UltraClub and takes those celebrities to Bushwood Country Club, Caddyshack’s fictional golf course. The characters dress the part, including purple plaid pants, pink polo shirts and retro golf hats that befit the leisure fashion of 40-plus years ago. 

What Michelob Ultra does right: The brand’s videos open with a refreshing wide shot of sprinklers on a sunny, serene golf course. It’s a perfect visual for establishing the continuity of an episodic ad series, encouraging viewers to think of the casual habit beer commercials intend to inspire.

It’s also interesting that Michelob is using its Big Game ad to bolster its broader commitment to golf, finding a way to make that core marketing strategy fit on the NFL’s stage.

While more Michelob Ultra videos could emerge heading into the Super Bowl, the scene has been set for the final episode on Game Day to bring the campaign’s story to a close. Michelob Ultra has already accrued millions of video views via social channels (5.9 million on YouTube alone), but given Caddyshack’s generation-defying appeal, its marketers should see the biggest buzz during the game when the 30-second ad airs. 

Downy Unstopables uses memorable ‘masking’

While candy and beer are natural for a party-driven event such as the Super Bowl, Downy Unstopables proves that fabric softeners can have fun, too, having started its Big Game content initiative two months in advance on Dec. 12.

Across social media, the brand rolled out a series of sneak peek videos for its “Believe” campaign, which revolves around a masked celebrity in his laundry room who doubts Downy Unstopables’ scent-changing abilities and whose identity will be disclosed during the brand’s Super Bowl commercial. 

In Downy’s social posts, the celebrity’s face and shoulders are covered by a blue hooded sweatshirt, providing viewers with a visual reference for the series’ other pieces of content. The pitch: Downy Unstopables’ scent-booster beads can hold up against odor for several weeks. 

What Downy does right: The blue hooded sweatshirt is seen in every video episode, serving as a strange-but-effective visual focal point for Downy’s storyline and driving curiosity around his identity. The brand on Twitter even had fun with media speculation that its actor could be Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Interestingly, Downy Unstopables did not have an Instagram account before this campaign and is devoting the channel to the Super Bowl. The Meta-owned platform is a powerful platform for visual branding. And while Downy has attracted thousands of followers six weeks, its audiences on Facebook (1.5 million fans) and Twitter (99,000 followers) were already established and have garnered millions of likes, shares and comments.

Stay tuned for the final episode 

Overall, M&M’s, Michelob Ultra and Downy show that digital content needs to be strategically employed to work with Super Bowl ads. And as marketers today have visual communications tools at their fingertips like never before, it’s a reminder of what’s possible in cross-channel campaigns.

With Rudolph and the spokescandies, the Caddyshack motif and the mystery celebrity tending to his laundry, the conclusions to these episodic campaigns could indeed be epic. Stay tuned and enjoy the commercials—as well as the game!