Hilton liked McLaren before it was cool.

The international hotel brand has been a sponsor of the Formula 1 team for two decades, sticking with them through thick and thin: Last year, McLaren won the Constructors’ Championship, the top honor for an F1 team, for the first time since 1998, and since Hilton has been a sponsor.

Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein wasn’t particularly bothered by the losing streak ahead of last year’s championship win. Being part of a championship team certainly doesn’t hurt, he told us, but a sponsorship can’t be based on a team’s record alone.

“While you wouldn’t back a consistent loser, and while it’s nice to have our brand on a winning team, you have to believe in all the other aspects of the culture and the people, and the other parts of the partnership,” Weinstein told Marketing Brew at the Cannes Lions festival. “It’s a lot more fun to go to a race when they’re winning, but we saw fans that wanted to be there when they weren’t winning because they love McLaren.”

Continue reading here.—AM

Poppi wants to be “culture’s favorite soda.” To do that, the 7-year-old prebiotic soda brand has pushed itself hard on college campuses and social media, further aided by hefty DTC partnerships with platforms like Amazon, and of course, Super Bowl commercials.

And while it may take some time to accomplish, PepsiCo clearly also sees its potential.

In March, the OG soda brand for the new generation just bought Poppi for an eye-popping $1.95 billion off the backs of the gut-healthy drink’s marketing-led sales strategy, as outlined by its chief growth and marketing officers, Jeff Rubenstein and Andy Judd, who have identified and executed on these opportunities. Quickly.

“The ability to have a sales and marketing team that can move with that speed has opened up so many opportunities at every customer,” Judd said when explaining how the company can work with large companies like Walmart, while still breaking through with new customers.

With annual sales north of $500 million, up 38x from 2020, Poppi’s 34% market share in the booming functional sodas category is a sign its tactics are working.

Continue reading on Revenue Brew.—BS

This week, we’re running our favorite summery stories from our archives. This story from Alyssa Meyers, first published in July 2023, digs into the marketing strategy of sunscreen brand Sun Bum and how, even though its peak season is in the summer, it looks to remain relevant to consumers year-round.

The chill vibe of the summer is around all year for Sun Bum, the sun-care brand recognizable for its yellow and wood-grain color palette and signature scent that the company keeps top secret (although it may or may not bring on a craving for banana Laffy Taffy).

Though Sun Bum’s peak season is May through July, according to VP of Marketing Russell Radebaugh, the brand keeps up its marketing year-round. Radebaugh declined to share specific spend figures, but said Sun Bum tries to be “consistent” with its marketing, even during the dreary winter months.

“We think of Sun Bum as a lifestyle, and our social and our storytelling is an extension of us,” he told Marketing Brew. “You can’t just go dark for six months of the year and come back up and expect people to be engaged.”

If Sun Bum is a lifestyle, then it’s a laid-back one, with the top of its “About” page declaring “work less live more.” That energy seems to translate into the brand’s approach to marketing, which includes a mix of campaigns and channels, and a lot of trust when it comes to measurement, Radebaugh said.

Continue reading here.—AM