What does an integrated multi-channel campaign actually look like? HOKA’s “Run Your City” is a good answer. It brought together a brand partnership, gamification, customer data and creators in one campaign, with each part supporting the others.

Throughout September, HOKA used its existing partnership with Strava to pit New York’s five boroughs against each other to log the most miles. Runners’ stats then became the creative, shown as weekly updates on digital screens across the city. In this Did You Miss It?, David breaks down why it works and what you can borrow for your next launch.

In this episode:

• Why a running shoe brand and a running app are the perfect partnership
• Gamifying the campaign itself: borough vs borough
• Customer data used as creative, not just for segmentation
• Creators, paid social, a publisher partner and a block party, all in one plan
• How it compares with Spotify Wrapped, and why most Wrapped copycats fall flat

Source: Marketing Dive, “Hoka builds Strava running stats into digital OOH campaign” https://www.marketingdive.com/news/hoka-builds-strava-running-stats-into-digital-ooh-campaign/829480/

🎙️ The Marketing Update Podcast is your weekly catch-up on the marketing news, strategy and trends that matter, hosted by Emma and David. Follow for new episodes every week.

🤝 Planning your next launch and want the channels working together, not just sitting next to each other? Get in touch: hello@themarketingupdate.com

Connect with us:

If you'd like to book The Marketing Update Podcast hosts for consultancy work, email hello@themarketingupdate.co.uk

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How do you keep a marketing strategy on track once the year actually starts? It’s 2027 planning season, and most marketers have been there: the strategy is signed off in Q1, and by Q2 the deck is already a relic. In this episode, we focus on what happens AFTER the strategy is written: how to keep it on track, and how to know when it’s time to pivot.

We cover:

• Building your strategy on data, so marketing targets link directly to business goals

• Getting buy-in from stakeholders above and below you, and communicating the plan company-wide

• Turning your strategy into a living project with a work-back plan, owners and regular reporting

• When to pivot (around six months in) and how the right pivot depends on whether you’re behind or ahead of target

• Realigning with business goals, and why a pivot is the perfect moment to talk to your customers again

Plus practical ideas for building a team culture where it’s OK to say “this isn’t working”, including a quarterly “pitch for the pivot” exercise.

🎙️ The Marketing Update is your weekly catch-up on the marketing news, strategy and trends that matter, hosted by Emma and David. Follow for new episodes every week.

🤝 Need help building or getting your marketing strategy back on track? Get in touch: hello@themarketingupdate.com

Connect with us:

If you'd like to book The Marketing Update Podcast hosts for consultancy work, email hello@themarketingupdate.co.uk

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-marketing-update-podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amazon is piloting ChatGPT ads, letting advertisers buy conversational ad space in ChatGPT through Amazon DSP. In this Did you miss it? episode, David unpacks what that means for brands.

We cover how the partnership works (Amazon runs it as a managed service while OpenAI controls ad delivery), the CPC and CPM pricing options, and how the ads appear: as sponsored text and image units beneath ChatGPT answers. The pilot is US-only for now, but ChatGPT ads are already available in Europe, India and MENA.

With ChatGPT ads reaching a $1 billion annualised run rate since launching in February 2026, and Amazon now backing the format, we ask what this means for DTC and B2B brands, and why it’s worth testing conversational ads now, even while early performance data is mixed.

Read the article: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/amazon-pilots-ad-services-in-chatgpt-what-marketers-need-to-know/829945/

🎙️ The Marketing Update Podcast is your weekly catch-up on the marketing news, strategy and trends that matter, hosted by Emma and David. Follow for new episodes every week.

🤝 Want help putting any of this into practice? Emma and David work with marketing teams on strategy and GTM: hello@themarketingupdate.co.uk

Connect with us:

If you'd like to book The Marketing Update Podcast hosts for consultancy work, email hello@themarketingupdate.co.uk

Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-marketing-update-podcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.