Consider this stat: According to a Chief Marketer survey fielded in February and then again in late April and May, the number of marketers who said budgets were increasing in 2020 dropped by 30 percent.

It’s just one of the sobering statistics from our new COVID-19 Marketing Outlook. The research also pointed to a greater emphasis on social media marketing during the pandemic, a reliance on influencer marketing to increase ROI, the rise of virtual events in the absence of face-to-face engagement—and much more. Read the full report here.

The NBA came back this week, but without fans or celebrities sitting courtside. But that didn’t stop Michelob ULTRA, the league’s new official beer, from creating a unique virtual activation for fans in partnership with Microsoft Teams: the Michelob ULTRA Courtside experience. We spoke with Ricardo Marques, the brand’s VP of Marketing, about engaging fans virtually, marketing during the pandemic and trends he believes are critical.

Big news in the promotional marketing world: Chief Marketer announced the 2020 PRO Awards finalists this week. Judged by leading brand-side marketers from PepsiCo, HP, Microsoft, Pernod Ricard, AT&T and others, these are the best promotional marketing campaigns of the year. We’ll be revealing the winners at a virtual celebration Sept. 2.

In the era of socially-distanced sales and marketing, smart document organization and automation can drive productivity, compliance and collaboration. Read our conversation with Templafy Head of Demand Gen Chris Lewandowski, where we look at how brands can create consistent experiences during turbulent times.

Lastly, we recently examined how Cisco successfully pivoted a massive B2B event. This week, we outline tips and lessons learned throughout the process according to Kathy Doyle, Global Director of Cisco Live conferences.

Until next week,

Kaylee Hultgren
Group Content Manager
Chief Marketer

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