Lauren Maillian

🗞️ Breaking News: Red Ventures Selling CNET at a huge Loss❗️ Context: Red Ventures, the privately held digital media and marketing juggernaut based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, is selling CNET, one of the largest tech publishers on the web, to Ziff Davis for just $100 million. For context: Red Ventures bought CNET for approximately $500 million. Reason for the Sale: Total traffic to CNET has dropped by a staggering 50% over the last three years. The main driver behind this decline is a 68% drop in organic traffic (loss off Google rankings and traffic). Tables turned: This sale is a stunning turn of events for CNET, which once bought Ziff Davis (then a tech magazine firm) in a deal worth roughly $1.6 billion - more than two decades ago. Catch Up: - Ziff Davis trades publicly with a market value of $1.94 billion. The company lost about half of its marketcap over the course of the last 48 months. Strategic rationale: If Ziff Davis is able to ink a content licencing deal with Google, Bing/Microsoft or ChatGPT (or else e.g. X.AI) - like Reddit did - it might turn out to be a very smart deal …

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Who will be the next supply chain consolidator? From 2011 to 2021, XPO scaled up from $70M to $20B, fueled by a combination of organic growth and 18 acquisitions. The model was extremely successful. But the supply chain ecosystem remains extremely fragmented. There is plenty of room for new consolidators to emerge as winners. In the food supply chain software arena, one emerging acquiror is GrubMarket Inc. They have built a network model to help food suppliers automate their relationships with their customers. GrubMarket has acquired over 100 companies to date. They are expecting to exceed $2B in annualized revenue. And they just announced their latest purchase: Butter 🧈, a SaaS platform to automate food distribution. Kudos to Mike Xu, Winston C., and all involved! #logistics #supplychain #consolidation https://lnkd.in/emY4wpsy

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$56M in funding for female founders, Mormon moms, and the best in beauty – my top consumer stories this week: ♡ Women’s Health & Beauty ♡ - Seen raises $9M Series A - Helaina raises $45M Series B to bring human lactoferrin to market - Allure announces the Best of Beauty 2024 winners - Elle's September beauty launches they’re obsessed with ♡ Media, Entertainment & Creator ♡ - Zuck makes WhatsApp Meta’s crown jewel -LinkedIn ranks #1 as the most important social platform for CEOs - Eva, an entertainment booking platform, raises $2M and expands to more cities ♡ E-Commerce, Retail & Social ♡ - 'Mormon Wives’ Puts Momfluencers’ Selling Power in the Spotlight - BoF introduces the BoF 500 Class of 2024 ♡ Tech, Business, & Investing ♡ - VC has a sexual harassment problem. One woman has a plan to change it - LinkedIn reveals the top startups of 2024 in the US - KPMG shares their Q2 2024 M&A Trends in consumer and retail report - Millionaires can afford their dream homes. They’re renting instead You can read more in this week's issue of ICYMI: https://lnkd.in/gE9aRWwp #consumernews #litrendingtopics

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In 2003, Mike Kirban was skating around NYC selling coconut water. 20 years later, that same product is set to hit $500 million in sales. 🥥 This is the Vita Coco story. The product is simple - some may even call it a commodity. But, branding, story telling and the right marketing allowed this Verlinvest portfolio company to win. This story will show that brands are built with patience, hustle and heart. In 2003, co-founders Michael Kirban and Ira Liran met 2 Brazilian women at a bar. Ira ended up falling in love with one of them and moved to Brazil🇧🇷 Later, during one of Mike’s visits, Ira convinced him to partner up to start selling coconut water in the US. Vita Coco was born! They scraped together $75,000 and bought two containers of coconut water; only to realize that they didn’t have FDA clearance to import them. But that didn’t stop them – They re-exported them to the Bahamas and flew there to sell through the product door-to-door. Mike was everywhere—skating through NYC in the morning, doing store demos in the afternoon and then bookkeeping at night. That’s the real founder hustle :) Meanwhile, Zico, a better-funded competitor, was emerging, setting the stage for the "coconut water wars." It’s around this time that Verlinvest realized we wanted to have a share of the coco-war, and ended up investing $2M. At the time, Vita Coco had not even hit $1M in sales yet. The momentum continued. In 2010, the brand raised a $5M celebrity from celebs like Madonna and Matthew McConaughey. Today, this is common - but at that time it was path breaking. Suddenly, they had the megaphone they needed to build massive brand awareness 🫡 Through the years, their distinct branding and marketing strategy allowed them to stand out on shelves across the world. In 2021, Vita Coco went public, raising $172M. Now, they’re on their way to clock $500M in sales :) From no business plan to building one of the biggest global beverage companies, the story of Michael and Ira building brand in a category like coconut water is one that’s always amazed me. In a lot of cases in consumer products, the product isn’t necessarily the moat. Success comes from brand and a relentless hustle - the willingness to roll with the punches. I’ve always said - the best way to start is to start. You will end up figuring out a lot on the way. I love the product. Have you tried Vita Coco? Do you think there is a case to build such a large coconut water brand in India? PS: Thinking of sharing more stories of our global Verlinvest portfolio like this. Thoughts? #business #entrepreneurship #founder

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Great article on the founder-investor relationship—one that’s so critical to the success of any venture. Tough times are inevitable, and the true strength of a founder-investor partnership isn’t measured during the good times, but in how both sides show up when things go wrong. These moments test trust, alignment, and shared resilience. As founders, we’re expected to lead our teams through crises, rally, adapt, and navigate the storm. The best investors also show the same level of leadership and step up during challenging moments, offering guidance, empathy, and actionable solutions. It’s a collaborative effort, and I’ve been fortunate to witness how impactful it can be when investors show true leadership. One way to ensure this is to work with investors who’ve been in your shoes before—there’s nothing quite like operator investors to bring valuable perspective and support when it matters most.

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Lotan Levkowitz of Grove Ventures is a rising star in the VC landscape! He is super intelligent, kind, and very articulate with his words. I really enjoyed talking to him about Deep tech investing, Grove Ventures, and the US elections, among other shenanigans and rhymes. Check out the interview and subscribe to the channel! It is a command, I mean, a request, I mean, do what you bloody want. https://lnkd.in/d6gjSvdQ

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Blackweek was dope! I was struck by the insights and the palpable energy at this groundbreaking event. Leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across industries came together to discuss the future of marketing, media, and business through the lens of diversity and cultural influence. Here are some key takeaways: 1. Making it Happen for Ourselves Shannon Sharpe said, "If you won't let me drive in your path, I'll create my own path," highlighting the innovative spirit driving Black professionals and entrepreneurs to carve out new spaces and redefine existing ones. Keith Weaver: "Your passion and commitment shows up in your success, and not" speaking about his Uncle Nearest, Inc. path. 2. The New Majority is Not Niche Diverse audiences are driving growth and shaping culture. One speaker said, "Replace 'multicultural.' Be specific and intentional about the people and community you're targeting." Dabo Ché suggested focusing on "high-impact" audiences to emphasize marketplace influence over demographics. 3. Show Me the Money From diverse-owned media to inclusive marketing strategies, speakers emphasized the untapped potential and economic power of diverse audiences. However, investment in media has yet to catch up. Kirk McDonald shared that "less than $1B is being spent with diverse media in a $70B market." Damian Benders added, "Diverse is becoming the majority. The investment should match the market impact." And by the way, as a panelist noted, "Black-owned media doesn't mean you're only speaking to Black audiences." 4. Cultural Marketing Must be Authentic Kinney Edwards stressed that "Cultural is a 365-day commitment," urging brands to speak intentionally to subcultures and their intersectionalities. LaToya Evans Christian, M.S., shared findings from GroupM's new research project, "New Majority Now," noting that "There is real value in cultural marketing, and it's paying off for marketers. Intersectionalities of people reflected in brand storytelling are necessary. Consumers don't believe the [DEI commitment] job is done yet." 5. Difference is a Superpower at Work Gabrielle Shirdan's call to "Bring your best self to work" underscored the importance of environments where diverse perspectives are celebrated. Whitney Michel asked, "How do we create spaces where everybody is different? I don't want to fit in. I want us to be an agency of others. No apologies." Differences are valued as essential to organizational success. A panelist also encouraged the audience to consider, "There is so much Black talent here that should be launching and managing successful businesses owned by us, instead of competing for roles in the general market." 6. Collaborating on the Path Forward Perhaps the most inspiring takeaway was the call for collaboration and concrete action. As one panelist remarked, “Let’s collaborate as an industry and feed the entire culture together." #Blackweek #DEI #InclusiveMedia #Cultureconnects

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Amazing news for all startup founders out there! If you're struggling to validate your idea, build your MVP, or get traction early on, this opportunity is for you. Pre-seed accelerators can provide the capital and support needed to get your product to market, and Tré Baker has shared an amazing opportunity to access these resources. As a fellow early-stage founder, I know how difficult it can be to secure funding, which is the stage where many startups unfortunately fail. By providing underrepresented founders with the resources they need, these accelerators can help ensure higher returns for everyone involved. Don't miss out on this chance to take your startup to the next level! #startupfounders #preseedaccelerators #earlystagefounders #funding #resources

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This article really resonated with me, especially the section below about founders knowing their numbers. What skill set should a founder starting a brand today have?  Drew F.: "Now, more than ever, you have to know your numbers. You have to be able to describe your unit economics, not only certainly to any prospective investor, but also to yourself because the odds that you’re going to get any capital are near zero. If you don’t know your unit economics and cash flow, you won’t have a business. The founder that knows their numbers and how to scale the business in a healthy and efficient way is the founder that will prevail." Scaling a beauty brand has never been easy, but it has gotten increasingly more difficult over the past few years. Capital efficiency and a focus on margins and profitability have also become more important for investors seeking to deploy in the category. True Beauty Ventures Cristina Nuñez Rachel Brown Beauty Independent #beautyinvesting https://lnkd.in/egBiFhPC

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The influencer economy has evolved into a $250 billion powerhouse over the last decade, shifting from traditional ad revenue to diverse, value-driven income streams. Authenticity and engagement now reign supreme, with creators launching their own companies to better align with their values and resonate deeply with their audiences. Empowering influencers to create products that reflect their unique visions is transforming the industry, fostering genuine connections and driving meaningful change. By assembling like-minded teams, the focus shifts from promoting others’ brands to nurturing your own, enabling growth and lasting impact. This is the future of influence—leading, innovating, and inspiring in an ever-evolving landscape. Own your future. Own your path forward.

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It’s that time of year again! Ryan Walker, our VP of Media Services, teamed up with Mary O'Brien from PMG (Nike, Sephora, Ralph Lauren’s digital AOR) to teach a room full of HBS and MIT Sloan students about the future of retail media. We had a bold vision for the students this year: 1. All media will become retail media 2. Most media will become programmatic media 3. AI will accelerate both of these trends as they collide with one another As the lines blur between traditional media and retail media, programmatic trading will drive smarter decisions and more efficient resource allocation. With PMG’s expertise in full-funnel media planning (investing $5B+ annually on behalf of incredible brands) & Momentum Commerce's deep Amazon know-how (driving $5B+ in Amazon sales to incredible brands) and our joint work together on a few awesome brands -- we’re seeing firsthand how this convergence is reshaping strategy for leading brands. Highlights for me: 1. Professor Ryan Walker dropping serious knowledge on a room full absolute smarty pantses. 2. 100s of MBAs digging into our homegrown Amazon Market Intelligence technology - Velocity - to plan future entrepreneurial ventures! 3. An amazing opportunity to collaborate with the agency I respect and admire the most - PMG. All in all, an incredible experience with incredible minds.

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Unlocking the Power of Authentic Brand Messaging with Laurel Carpenter on SMarketPlace™ Live! -  $ales, Marketing 🎯and Rock and Roll 🎸 Join Tom Dempsey and Sarah Noonan and me to explore how Laurel, the co-founder of Pearl Consulting NYC, is transforming how clients communicate their brands with their expertise in authentic messaging, strategic branding and expert copywriting. Laurel's journey spans from initially providing traditional blogging to a focus on brand strategy and messaging, driven by client’s need for authentic, customer-centric communications in a post-pandemic evolving market. "Listening to your customers is not a one-time activity; it’s an ongoing process," Laurel emphasizes, highlighting the importance of continuous engagement and adaptability in branding. We learn how Laurel and cofounder Charles Herold, along with design partner, Charlie Birch helped a psychotherapy practice transition from a clinical description of services to a brand identity built on the tagline, “Real Therapy For Real People.” Discover her insights on brand archetypes and why integrating client feedback into messaging is so critical to a digital presence that resonates deeply and authentically. And as always, we dive into Laurel’s passion for rock 'n roll. From her first concert experience with Bryan Adams to her diverse musical tastes including the Grateful Dead and Alabama Shakes, Laurel draws fascinating parallels between music and branding. "Music is always evolving, and artists who stay relevant are those who innovate and adapt," she shares, emphasizing the need for innovation and adaptability in our branding, too. Don’t miss out on a fun and insightful discussion about brand strategy, customer-centric messaging, and the interplay of business and rock and roll with Laurel Carpenter on SMarketPlace™ Live! 👉 The full episode and additional highlights are posted on Publio’s website. Watch below! #BrandStrategy #CustomerCentric #Marketing #BrandMessaging #EmpathyInBusiness #RockAndRoll #Innovation #BusinessGrowth #PurposeDrivenEntrepreneurs

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1% and 2% of VC funding go to Black and Women founders. Since money is hard to come by, we try to make it last by doing things ourselves. A word of advice: spend the money. We tried to do everything ourselves in the early days of working on Chezie. - I learned Webflow and Bubble to build our landing page and product and avoid hiring developers. - We spent hours onboarding every customer instead of buying a product to automate the process. - We constantly updated our email subscriber count so we didn’t have to upgrade to the next plan for an extra $30/month. I thought I was being scrappy, but I was actually holding the company back because it distracted me from higher-priority tasks. If you’re struggling to think about what to do yourself and what to spend money on, here’s a simple framework to help you decide: Put a price tag on your time. Early on, set your time at $50 or $100 an hour. If the time a tool or service saves you is more than that hourly rate, spend the money. As your company grows and your responsibilities pile up, the value of your time will rise, too. It might be $250/hour when you have ten employees and $1M in revenue, then $1000/hour at 25 employees and $3-5M in revenue. This isn’t about being reckless with your spending. It’s about freeing yourself to focus on the things that only you, as the founder, can do. Don’t let a $20 decision hold you back when it could be the key to moving faster and growing smarter. If it saves you time and mental energy, spend the money.

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Have a story to tell... Use Narratize AI Co-Authoring platform to tell your stories in an impactful manner. Katie Trauth Taylor, PhD and the entire team is committed to helping you in becoming amazing storytellers. Check out their impressive work at https://lnkd.in/gnNYHSSX Start telling your stories with Narratize AI as your co-author. #generativeai #storytelling #innovation #aicoauthoring #innovators #researchers #impactstories #startups #problemsolvers #AI #AIStartup

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Pitching to Win vs. Solving the Problem... What a privilege I had moderating this Advertising Week panel with Suzanne Barbosa of Atlantic New York, AAR Partners' Lisa Colantuono, Ben Grossman of Doner & Grubhub's Marnie Kain. Key Take-Aways: 🤏 Start Small: Brands don't always have massive, world-changing, Cannes-winning needs. Small challenges give the right agency a chance to demonstrate value/fit, and open the door to solving bigger challenges. 💡 Beyond the brief: While it's incumbent upon a client to be specific in a brief, agencies have the objectivity to uncover problems beneath the client-perceived issues. Dig. ⚡Flash doesn't replace expertise. Stunts may work in some scenarios, but rarely do they start a win-win relationship (or even win the pitch at all). 🙏 Sincerest thanks to these pros for a truly engaging, practical session. #AWNewYork24 #advertisingweek #advertising

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👀 “#GenAlpha already has brand influence beyond its years, with habits set to soon change, well, everything.” Earlier this year, I caught up with Maura Brannigan, an incredible writer and brand consultant who has always recognized #consumertrends ahead of the game. One of the topics we discussed was the differences in consumer spending across generations. 🤑 Gen-Z does and will continue to prioritize brands that invest in the causes they care about, with inclusivity at the top of the list. She shared an article she penned about how conscious shopping is an even bigger priority for #GenAlpha (people born between 2010 and 2025), who are expected to have the largest spending power in history. ‼️ Another fun fact about them: "They are the most diverse and inclusive generation to ever exist." I’ve been emphasizing this fact to Backstory Consulting's clients ever since. Consumers do and will continue to care about where they spend. Brands that proactively invest in inclusive efforts *will* be the ones they choose to spend with. Read Maura’s article about Gen Alpha’s spending habits here: https://lnkd.in/dFJCQYyN #brandmarketing #inclusivemarketing #consumerspending #retailtrends

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I welcomed my good friend Michael McCann, former Amazon Head of Global Sponsorship and SMA Board Member to lead the July roundtable. Mike shared invaluable insights from his extensive brand marketing career, emphasizing the importance of thorough research, creative customization in proposals, and effective negotiation strategies. He also highlighted the growing prominence of women's sports and their unique opportunities for sponsorship. Missed the session? Here’s a quick summary: * Know your audience & tailor your approach. * Use data and AI for deeper insights. * Present creative ideas aligned with brand values. * Value creation beyond fees. * Measurement is key—consider a research fund. * Women's sports are on the rise—capitalize on this momentum. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gakFU4tj Stay tuned for more insightful sessions like our FREE webinar "A Street Hustle Approach To Sponsorship Marketing" on TODAY at 11 a.m. PST. It's SMA's one free webinar of the year! Register: https://lnkd.in/gBr4FZnu If you haven’t joined SMA yet, now’s the time. See you at the webinar! Join SMA: https://lnkd.in/gQDvfNsR

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Always an honor to share the stage with Gary Vaynerchuk! CMOs and creators need to wake up! Social media and advertising is changing. The most pressing issue we addressed at POSSIBLE? Staying relevant. How do you do that? 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 ❇️ It’s undervalued & underpriced ❇️ The only merit-based thing left. People are telling you what they think. Are you listening? 𝘾𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙨 ❇️ It’s about relevance to each consumer ❇️ That means knowing & segmenting your audience 𝘽𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚/𝘼𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 ❇️ Win the first second (stop the scroll) ❇️ Post-creative strategy: audit your wins and losses every time! “We romanticize the past, are blindly optimistic about the future, but are failing in the present” -Gary Vaynerchuk. If attention is the modern currency, understanding and adapting to these changes are essential. Do you agree? 📧 Connect with me to explore updating your strategies to maintain relevance in your marketing. **Thank you Gary for the shoutout in your book! #marketing #modernmarketing #possible2024 #marketers #marketingevent

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