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Zola debuts largest single marketing push since start of pandemic

The campaign will air during streams of the Tokyo Olympics.
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Zola

· 3 min read

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The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the bride and groom are asking if you want chicken or fish.

After a year of virtual 🥂 clinks, IRL weddings are back. To mark the occasion, Zola—home of wedding registries, decor, invitations, and more—is debuting its largest single marketing push since the start of the pandemic.

The campaign is centered around a 30-second ad that strikes a celebratory tone, albeit with a few subtle references to the headaches engaged couples have dealt with over the past year. “Here’s to committing to each other, even when it’s complicated,” a voiceover says.

Rewind: When save the dates started dropping like flies last year, Zola cut its marketing spend.

  • In 2020, the brand spent $8.7 million on US advertising, according to figures from Kantar (which doesn’t track social). For comparison, it spent $15 million in 2019.
  • Ari Gayer, Zola’s VP of growth, told Marketing Brew the brand saw that “demand for wedding planning tools began to rebound in a big way starting in March 2021” as vaccinations started to roll out.

The new spot makes its official debut during the Tokyo Olympics. Gayer said the “heightened excitement of the return of the Olympics” pairs well with the excitement that couples who can finally say “I do” are feeling.

But, but, but: It’s not airing on traditional TV. Only people streaming NBC’s broadcasts of the game (hi, Peacock) will see the ad. “We decided to focus solely on streaming for this campaign. Streaming has always been one of our most effective marketing channels, and we wanted to focus our efforts fully where we've seen the most success historically,” Gayer told us, adding that the campaign will also run across channels like YouTube, Hulu, and paid social.

  • According to Gayer, Zola “can more directly measure performance” on streaming services (as opposed to linear TV), but noted that its latest campaign is “less about the products we offer and more about who we are as a brand.”

Search party: Last year, Zola’s former CMO told Digiday the brand was spending the majority of its ad spend on “hand raiser” channels like search, to reach couples who were actively planning weddings. While search remains a “primary channel” for Zola, Gayer said TV ads help it build a connection with couples earlier in the planning process—before they start fighting over deciding which vacuum should go on the registry.

“TV provides us the opportunity for broad brand awareness—for couples, but also guests and vendors,” Gayer shared.—MS

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Marketing Brew informs marketing pros of the latest on brand strategy, social media, and ad tech via our weekday newsletter, virtual events, marketing conferences, and digital guides.