If a product is good enough for the athletes who compete in Ironman races—grueling, 140.6-mile triathlons that take place around the world—then it’s probably good enough for just about anyone.

That’s the message that the marketing team at Athletic Brewing, the non-alcoholic beer company that has been an official Ironman sponsor going on five years, is hoping to convey through its sponsorship efforts of the races.

“The Ironmen and women are our torture test,” Athletic Brewing CMO Andrew Katz told Marketing Brew. “These are hardcore athletes. They obviously take their training really seriously, they obviously are competitors, and if they embrace the brand, then that’s a really good sign.”

Non-alcoholic beer sales are surging, with the category on track to surpass ale as the second-largest beer category this year, and as Gen Z is drinking less than other age groups, the market for NA booze brands is increasingly competitive. Athletic Brewing, which was valued at $800 million last year, is looking to endurance sports to help the brand gain distance on its competition.

Continue reading here.—AM

As AI continues to make its way into the media buying ecosystem, ad-tech players are aiming to be ready.

Last month, several industry players, including PubMatic and Scope3, banded together to create the Ad Context Protocol (AdCP), “an open standard that enables AI agents to communicate with advertising platforms,” according to a press release. AdCP is somewhat similar to the open standard OpenRTB, which provides the foundation for real-time bidding in programmatic advertising, according to the release.

To put it in plain English, AdCP creates a foundation for buy-side and sell-side agents to communicate and transact without needing real-time ad auctions at the impression level. AdCP is also aimed at providing an infrastructure for agents to interact with existing DSPs, SSPs, and ad servers as a “bridge” between the capabilities of today and those of the future.

“People really tried to figure out what to do with the power of AI and the speed at which we’re evolving,” Anne Coghlan, co-founder, chief operating officer, and board member at Scope3, told Marketing Brew. “It’s really important that we have a shared, common understanding as an industry of the best way of leveraging that so that we don’t end up with a lot of fragmentation.”

Read more here.—JS

In a shaky economy where marketing budgets are often first on the chopping block, outdoor gear and apparel retailer Backcountry has found that survival is rooted in numbers.

The company isn’t chasing splashy ad metrics like total spend or overall sales. Instead, its marketing playbook is focused on media mix modeling—using data to figure out which marketing channels are the ones actually helping with sales—and incrementality testing to show exactly what drives new ad revenue.

“In the current economic environment [we’re] very focused on profitability, obviously,” John St. Juliana, SVP of marketing at Backcountry, said during Retail Brew’s recent virtual event. “The metrics that we tend to look at are what is the incremental ROAS [return on ad spend] of our channels.”

One marketing channel that has proven useful in terms of converting shoppers for the adventure brand is Facebook and Instagram parent Meta. Backcountry—which sells skiing, snowboarding, and hiking equipment—has doubled its Meta ad spend in the last few years, according to St. Juliana.

Continue reading on Retail Brew.—VC

Small, adorable, and irresistible—mini products are taking over shelves and social feeds. From luxury handbags to snacks and beauty, brands are using minis to hook new customers, spark viral moments, and deliver “try-before-you-buy” thrills. Discover why tiny items are making a huge impact on shopping and social media.