NBA Mexico, Airbnb’s Marketing Pivot and an International Pricing Conundrum

Each week, we sift through a ton of content and then debate it ad nauseam at FEVO HQ. And since good content, like the mind, is a terrible thing to waste, we are also sharing it here with you, our fans, in the form of this weekly blog post on e-commerce, media and life on the internet.

Quartz: The strong dollar is completely disrupting luxury good pricing in Europe and China

This piece breaks down why many brands — especially in the luxury world — are struggling to price their products given huge fluctuations in currency value between the Euro, Dollar and Yuan. It has always been a tricky calculation, but the difference in price is larger now than ever thanks to a strong dollar. For example, “Shoppers who buy a mid-length Kensington trench from Burberry in the UK will pay 1,790 GBP or $2,052. The same coat in the US, however, is selling for $2,490. And in China, getting that signature gabardine look will cost you 20,500 yuan or $2,827—around 32% more than buying it where the luxury label was founded." This is a trend to look out for as long as conversion rates continue to surge into unknown territory, and it will be interesting to see what creative solutions brands come up with to navigate it. [Read More]

Wall Street Journal: Airbnb says its focus on brand marketing instead of search is working

After reporting record profits, the travel giant said it is curtailing its reliance on search-driven marketing and doubling down on brand marketing. This is in line with current trends, with brands looking to break from Google and Meta and instead convince consumers to come directly to their sites. Of course, performance marketing still has a place in the marketing funnel; as Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky sums it up, “We think of performance marketing as more of a way to laser in to balance supply and demand rather than a way to just purchase a large amount of customers.” But the importance of strong brand equity is more important than ever, and companies are starting to invest heavily in that philosophy. [Read More]

Andscape: The G League’s Mexico City Capitanes are the NBA’s roadmap to expansion

As American sports leagues continue to expand their influence abroad, one starts to wonder when we will see our first team in North American sports that is not from the United States or Canada. Mexico City, which currently plays home to the Capitanes of the NBA’s G League, may soon find itself vying for its very own NBA franchise should the league choose to expand to 32 teams. As the world grows smaller, leagues will continue to look beyond their current borders, whether that’s with a physical presence (the NFL’s first ever regular season game in Germany was played yesterday) or via marketing and advertising initiatives. [Read More]

And some assorted other nuggets of internet wisdom ...

Looking for a new CMO? Look no further than your social media manager. (Adweek)

Texas furniture store owner "Mattress Mack" won what is believed to be the largest payout in sports betting history — approximately $75 million (ESPN)

The "Lawyers of Kleenex" are taking a soft approach to the hard realities of genericide (Quartz)

How to attract new customers and drive more sales with TikTok marketing (CXL)

A decade into disruption and data-driven decision making ... now what? (Amanda Greeley)

Define your brand voice through celebrities and brand archetypes (Marketing Brew)

How paid Twitter verifications are screwing up the platform’s value for breaking sports news (Joon Lee)

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