TL;DR -- We're Keeping It Chill

LET'S MAKE A BET

Five bucks says you learn something new in this email. Maybe it’s a best practice for an up-and-coming digital channel. Maybe it’s a new recipe with your favorite Irish cream. Or maybe it’s the name of our new photographer. Only one way to find out.

But first, a quick reminder that UPBrand is celebrating Pride all month — and every month. Read our team’s collective statement and check out our special-edition Pride newsletter for an in-depth look at how brands can be meaningful allies to the LGBTQ+ community.

INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

ELI5: REDDIT ADVERTISING

Reddit is a popular news aggregation site that allows people to create communities of interest around everything from global news to vintage motorcycles. Founded in 2005, Reddit has steadily grown to over 55 million daily active users and has become a more attractive platform for advertisers, especially in the wake of declining ad sales on sites like Twitter.

However, Reddit’s not like other social platforms. For starters, it’s not inherently social. Your “feed” is an aggregation of posts from communities you follow — there are no friends list or follows. And where platforms like Facebook have been heavily monetized for years, Reddit has been relatively ad-free for much of its existence. So as advertisers, we should take care to understand the nuances — and opportunities — of the platform. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind.

Know the Lingo: Reddit has its own language that relies heavily on acronyms like ELI5 (explain like I’m five) and TL;DR (too long; didn’t read).

Target Wisely: Reddit is best used to target specific communities. Without a shared, global feed, you won’t get the mass reach of a Facebook or Instagram campaign.

Be Authentic: Reddit is a community valuing content over commerce. Look for ways your creative breaks the traditional structure of an ad and feels organic and relevant to users.

CREATIVE SHOWCASE

DESIGNER ICE

One of the hottest trends in cocktails? It’s actually quite cool. More mixologists are experimenting with designer ice cubes made from special ingredients to add an evolving flavor to their drinks as they warm. And with summer right around the corner, it was the perfect time to get Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream® into the mix.

Saint Brendan’s is made from the finest dairy and just a touch of warm Irish whiskey. It’s great for an Irish coffee or boozy milkshake, but we wanted to show off a wider variety of cocktails to get our audiences inspired about what they can create with it. We produced a photo and video shoot highlighting four recipes with designer ice cubes and provided creative direction to make sure every detail felt as sweet as the brand itself. Featuring bubbly music, bright interiors and swirling Saint Brendan’s, these are versatile assets that we can use across organic and paid media to inspire a bit of Irish indulgence all summer long.

AGENCY NEWS

HORSE HOOKY

Once a year, right before the St. Louis summer sets in, we like to cut out early and go play the ponies. That’s right, it’s Horse Hooky. Our team went over to Fairmount Race Track for an afternoon of beers and bets. We may not have won enough to quit our day jobs, but we hit the trifecta of great weather, great company and great times.

WELCOMING ALONA

And if you liked those Horse Hooky pictures, there’s someone you should thank — our new photographer, Alona Jenkins! We’re excited to add Alona to the creative team and give our in-house studio even more firepower. As both a photographer and a collaborator, Alona’s here to help our team produce outstanding content on the fly. Join us in welcoming her to UPBrand!

WORD ON THE STREET

“An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it.”

– Bill Bernbach