Looking into upping streaming spend this year? So is basically everyone else.

As media companies continue to invest in building out ad capabilities across both free and subscription streaming services, marketing investment in the channel continues to climb. In June, ad spend across CTV platforms and streamers like Disney+ and Roku reached a landmark $1 billion, according to the ad intelligence tracking company Vivvix, and more than half of advertisers said they plan to spend more on connected TV in 2023, according to research conducted earlier this summer by Advertiser Perceptions.

“This year, we’ve had a lot more clients interested in testing it,” Adrienne Rice, media director at performance agency M&C Saatchi Performance, told Marketing Brew. “It’s definitely growing in popularity and interest.”

While interest seems high, the landscape is always changing—so what’s the DL with connected TV and streaming in 2023? Marketing Brew chatted with a few media buyers about what to know about the channel in 2023 and how to best take advantage of it. Here’s what you should know.—KS

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This week, the Biden administration reiterated its support for organized labor.

Ahead of Labor Day, the Treasury Department released a report highlighting the impact of unions on the US economy. According to the report, unions help members by raising their wages 10%–15%. It also said unions contribute to a “fairer economy” by encouraging pay equity, in turn reducing wage gaps related to race and gender.

Employees at companies ranging from Amazon to Starbucks have unionized over the past few years, and they seem to have the public’s support: Last year, a survey conducted by Marketing Brew and Harris Poll among nearly 2,000 US adults found that 71% think that more service-industry companies should have employee unions. According to the survey, 42% of Americans said they’re less likely to shop with a company that is trying to stop its employees from unionizing.

Snap poll: Do consumers take labor-related issues, like when a company’s workers are on strike, into account when making purchasing decisions?

🟢 Yes
🟡 Not sure
No

Each week, Marketing Brew recaps what people are talking about on social media, the trends that took over our feeds, and how marketers are responding.

Collaboration nation: A slew of influencer and celeb collabs had people talking this week, particularly:

• Brian Cox embracing his inner hypebeast as the face of Kith’s fall collection.
• Adam Jockle finally getting that American Eagle partnership.
• Gwyneth Paltrow’s low-energy TikTok for Seed probiotics.

Graphic design is my passion: A new trend could be emerging in ad design, which is…abandoning design altogether. Crocs and The Cold Plunge are among the brands that seem to be embracing Microsoft WordArt to the nth degree, taking absurdist advertising to new heights. Now, who’s gonna bring back Kid Pix?

Speaking of strange design choices: A trend on TikTok right now involves people sharing the worst graphic design and copy mistakes they’ve seen, probably to the chagrin of brands that would like to forget these ever happened, thanks!

Get that bread: What better place to market My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 than on pita bread?—KH

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Debate: When it comes to social media managers, this guide could help you determine whether hiring someone in-house or agency-side is best for your team.

Paired up: How AI and neuromarketing are coming together to bolster campaigns.

Like a bottle of wine: TikTok released its first “Songs of the Summer” list in the US.

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Stories we’re jealous of.

• Business of Fashion pulled the curtain back on the PR teams that help propel today’s It Girls.
• Vox examined the impact of the “conservative boycott playbook” on brands like Bud Light and Target.
• The New York Times looked back on a time “when advertisements were art.”