9 fascinating titbits taken from issue 64 of Contagious Magazine /

Issue 64 of Contagious Magazine is out now. Like every other issue, this one is packed with best-in-class campaigns from around the world, in-depth strategy interviews, and commentary and analysis so sharp they won’t let you take it on planes.

To pique your interest, we’ve put together a collection of fascinating titbits and facts that we learned while researching and writing this quarter’s mag. Enjoy.

1/ If you laid end to end every Dove bar sold by Unilever in a year, they would span the circumference of the Earth four and a half times.

2/ The founders of Ben & Jerry’s went into the ice cream business because the equipment for making bagels was too expensive. Today it is the only property in Unilever’s portfolio with a standalone CEO and a board of directors tasked with protecting the brand’s integrity.

3/ ‘The brands that people talk about most on social media are the ones they’re least likely to buy.’ Adam&eveDDB’s group head of effectiveness Les Binet investigated whether share of buzz (how much people talked about a brand on social media) was a reliable proxy for share of market. It was not. (Read the article for free)

4/ Futuremood is selling ‘mood-altering’ sunglasses with halochrome lenses. They cost $175 a pair and come in calming green, focusing yellow, energetic red and refreshing blue. We think a ‘numbing grey’ pair would probably sell well right now.

5/ The Dove marketing team convinced Unilever’s board to approve the Campaign For Real Beauty strategy by going behind their backs to record their daughters and granddaughters talking about their body insecurities and then showing them the film at a meeting.

6/ China leads in combining entertainment and ecommerce. Around 7.5% ($3bn) of Alibaba’s Singles Day sales in 2019 came from live-streamed shows and promotions.

7/ We analysed the best pandemic marketing and identified three of the most effective roles that brands can adopt: Working to protect adjacent businesses during the economic downturn; helping consumers to progress physically and emotionally to a new normal; using delightful executions and tempting discounts to promote products and services.

8/ The value of the world’s discarded technology and gadgetry is approximately $62.5bn.

9/ Social media micro-influencers don’t tend to have more engaged fans or more credibility than those with larger followings, according to a study published in the Journal of Interactive Advertising. (Read more here)