Before July 27 of this year, the brand name Skindinavia was mostly known by makeup professionals. But after a business partnership breakup and an Instagram post from founder Allen Goldman, the 20-year-old beauty brand was suddenly introduced to makeup lovers everywhere.

Skindinavia is the maker and patent holder of a setting-spray formula that was previously known as Urban Decay’s cult-favorite All Nighter Setting Spray. Goldman created the signature formula in 2007, promising to preserve makeup in heat and humidity using since-patented temperature-control technology. The setting spray was briefly sold under the Skindinavia brand at Ulta and online, but Goldman said he saw little success; two years later, Goldman teamed up with Urban Decay to rebrand and lean on the larger company’s marketing prowess.

For years, it was a successful partnership: the All Nighter has consistently been one of Urban Decay’s best-selling products. Then, earlier this year, it was all over.

Urban Decay and its parent company L’Oréal announced a reformulation of the All Nighter, which also marked the end of its relationship with Skindinavia. The reformulated All Nighter promises longer wear time and a new scent, and is being marketed online as an “upgraded” version, which Goldman took issue with. That’s when Goldman posted to Skindinavia’s Instagram, directing fans to acquire the original formulation through “trusted partners” and unofficially marking the brand’s foray into primarily selling the formula directly to consumers for the first time in nearly two decades.

“They launched this new thing, and essentially, the marketing campaign is the old one sucked,” Goldman said. “Why on earth are you confusing the customer as to what you even have? This is a new product that’s not the product we had [together], calling it the same thing, very similar bottle…And oh, by the way, that’s a product I still make.”

Continue reading here.—JN

A new ad tax is scheduled to go into effect in Washington State on Oct. 1. Some experts are sounding the alarm about the scope of the law, as well as how it will be implemented.

The legislation, which was signed into law in May, will impose a tax on “all digital and nondigital services related to the creation, preparation, production, or dissemination of advertisements,” according to the text of the legislation. That will include everything from graphic design to search engine marketing, online campaign planning, and site traffic analysis. There are some notable exceptions: billboard advertising, as well as newspapers, publishing, and radio and TV broadcasts, won’t be subject to the tax.

The law reclassifies digital ads (which were previously categorized as a digital automated service) as retail transactions, meaning that digital ads will be subject to the state’s retail sales tax.

The state’s Department of Revenue has been working to hammer out the details regarding how the tax will be instituted, but many of those details remain unclear. With just weeks left until the law goes into effect, legal, privacy, and marketing experts are voicing their concerns.

“Whether you’re a mom-and-pop business who has an IT consultant who comes in and helps rewire something, or you’re [the] big Amazons and Microsofts, they’re going to be paying tax on these services,” Elizabeth Gray, state and local tax senior manager at the Washington-based law firm Eide Bailly LLP, told Marketing Brew.

Read more here.—JS

NBCUniversal, which has the rights to next February’s Super Bowl, has entirely sold out ad inventory during the big game, it announced Wednesday, a day before the start of the NFL regular season.

Beyond that, the media company said that 90% of its non-Super Bowl NFL inventory for this season, which includes the 20th consecutive season of Sunday Night Football on NBC, is also accounted for.

In terms of the Super Bowl, CPG, entertainment, finance, and alcohol brands continue to be the top categories, the company noted in a press release, while pharma, entertainment, and QSR brands are all increasing NFL spend. There are more than 150 partners signed onto this season’s SNF, nearly 40 of which are newcomers.

Advertisers are also increasingly eyeing digital Super Bowl opportunities. NBCU, which will stream the Big Game on Peacock, clocked a 20% increase in digital investments compared to the last Super Bowl that it had the rights to in 2022.

All in all, this NFL season is already NBCU’s “highest grossing to date,” according to Peter Lazarus, EVP, NBC Sports and Olympics, advertising and partnerships.

“Coming off of the strongest sports upfront in our company’s history, Super Bowl LX has generated extraordinary interest from brands and allowed us to sell out of our ad inventory earlier than ever,” Lazarus said in the press release. “With a monumental year ahead, we are proud of the incredible momentum thus far and are excited to offer both fans and brands an unrivaled slate of sports programming starting with NFL kickoff.”

Continue reading here.—KS

From banking to dining, leaders are redefining how brands connect today. Hear from Leanne Fremar, chief brand officer at JPMorganChase, and Tracy Kim, CEO of Dig Inn, as they share their unique journeys and lessons in leadership. Two perspectives, two industries, and plenty of insights you won’t want to miss.

Your Thursday routine just got smarter. The Refill brings you the week’s biggest marketing stories, voiced by AI and brewed for busy people who still want to stay sharp.

In the latest episode, discover some of the most noteworthy brand partnerships. Hear why Chips Ahoy and Netflix’s Stranger Things paired up through an AR game in Snapchat, get a rundown on which brands the NFL and NWSL are teaming up with to reach next-gen fans, and find out how Honda became a naming-rights partner of the Olympics.

Catch the latest episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your audio media.

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• Life Sciences Underwriter (Mid-Senior - Senior) at Zurich Insurance Company Ltd. (hybrid)
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Stories we’re jealous of.

• The New York Times wrote about virtual influencers and the very real amounts of money they’re generating through brand deals.
• Business Insider looked into how Google’s search antitrust trial win could affect other online ad sellers.
• Digiday wrote about the growth of creator marketing budgets, which has not necessarily led to an uptick in work for creators.