There are pets. There are influencers. And then there are petfluencers — those internet-famous fur balls who capture our hearts, our attention, and possibly our brand allegiance.   They may be cute, but don’t assume they work for peanuts. As ANA magazine reports, petfluencers can really claw at the bottom line: “Producing a video is pricier than a photo, of course, while posting on Instagram Stories carries a higher fee than a single Instagram post. Total costs for such campaigns range anywhere from $5,000 to $500,000.”   If you need more tails in your tales, take a gander at “A Different Breed of Marketing.”   More ANA Newsstand highlights from May:  

• Louder Together. Brands are waging an information war against the coronavirus, and the Ad Council is helping to lead the charge. As of early May, Ad Council President and CEO Lisa Sherman tells ANA magazine, “we've worked with more than 70 brand and creative partners, and over 200 influencers have activated on behalf of our crisis efforts.” See which brands have activated as part of the effort, and how yours can join the fray.
• Brands Doing Good Series: TerraCycle. “Our purpose is to eliminate the idea of waste," Michael Waas, global VP of brand partnerships at TerraCycle, tells Greater Good magazine. The company, which turns post-consumer, difficult-to-recycle waste into new and repurposed products, works with brands such as Colgate, Capri Sun, and Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders. Read how the company, which to date has helped raise $44 million for charity and worked with more than 202 million recyclers around the globe, all began with worm poop. Really.
• Are Shoppable Posts Clicking with Consumers? Kate Spade says they’re an important accessory for your social media marketing: shoppable posts. Explore the trend in social media marketing that’s providing a shortcut along the buyer’s journey, from post to purchase.
• Why Martech Investments Fall Short. What’s the secret to building an effective marketing technology stack? According to the latest from B2B Marketer it’s actually using the technology you pay for, which, it turns out, not all marketing organizations do. “Marketers use just 58 percent of their marketing technology stack's potential, despite pouring 26 percent of their marketing budgets into martech,” the story reports, citing the Gartner Marketing Technology Survey. “As a result, many marketers are apparently falling short in fully justifying those expenses.” Read what experts say are the major pitfalls to avoid and how to get the most from your marketing organization’s tech stack.
• How to Go Big. With smaller budgets than established competitors, up-and-comers like Grain & Barrel Spirits’ Dixie vodka use savvy marketing and feisty tactics to win an out-sized portion of marketshare, and as ANA magazine reports, there are definite lessons larger brands can learn — especially when facing an economic downturn.

  Also, be sure to catch up on the latest industry trends contributed by ANA partners in Forward magazine. May’s contributions include:  

• How the industry can upskill the next generation of marketers, from The Ad Learning Exchange
• When it comes to digital ads during COVID-19, are consumers getting the right message? From CivicScience
• Redefining relevance in a new era of personalization, from Innovid
• How to organize teams for scoping season success, from Decideware

  See highlights from April or find even more great coverage of the industry on ANA Newsstand.   Let us know your thoughts. Leave comments on articles or write me directly at aeitelbach@ana.net.