Wikipedia is, in many ways, the backbone of the internet. The free encyclopedia boasts more than 66 million articles in 342 languages on just about every topic under the sun; the English articles alone would take more than 38 years to get through. On an average day, the site receives more than 508 million pageviews, according to Pew Research.

For Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary, the site doesn’t want you to forget it.

In November, Wikipedia released a brand anthem video that showcases the depth and breadth of its content, its hundreds of thousands of volunteer editors, and the many ways in which that work has shaped the internet today—perhaps not always with due credit.

“AI studies Wikipedia,” a voice-over in the anthem declares. “Search engines copy it. Your smart speaker whispers it back to you.”

The marketing effort, designed with the creative agency Kin, marked a rare moment for the site, which doesn’t typically advertise. It seems to have paid off: the anthem has been viewed more than 24 million times across sites, Wikipedia reported, and has led to an 8% lift in brand awareness and half a million dollars in donations.

“We realized there are some stories we need to tell about ourselves that we have not told,” Zack McCune, director of global brand at the Wikimedia Foundation, told Marketing Brew, adding that “most internet users perceive Wikipedia as a utility…but they don’t know that it’s written by people.”

On the site’s official anniversary date, January 15, Wikipedia released a docuseries across social media that further showcases volunteer editors in the US, UK, Nigeria, Japan, India, France, and Brazil. Beyond that, it released a time capsule, a quiz, and a new mascot, Baby Globe, which was hand-drawn and designed by a volunteer. There are also plans for virtual and in-person events as Wikipedia continues to celebrate those who have made the site possible over the last quarter century.

We spoke with McCune and Sophie Ozoux, co-founder of Kin, about the “Knowledge is Human” campaign and how Wikipedia plans to keep the internet human in the age of AI.

Continue reading here.—KH

Deep Blue Sports + Entertainment, the women’s sports marketing strategy firm born out of the agency Giant Spoon, is bringing back its Business of Women’s Sports Summit for the fourth year in a row.

This year’s event is set for April 14, with Geico as its presenting sponsor, Deep Blue founder and CEO Laura Correnti shared exclusively with Marketing Brew. The event, which sold out for the past two years, has evolved considerably from its first iteration, when Correnti was still figuring out if a firm dedicated specifically to women’s sports marketing deals was viable.

“What you’re going to see from the programming this year is [that] we’re not in the proof mode anymore,” Correnti said. “We’re moving past that.”

While the sponsors, speakers, and agenda are still being finalized, Correnti said the general theme of this year’s summit will be focused on “future-proofing” the business of women’s sports as it matures.

As category exclusivities at the league and team levels are being quickly claimed, demand drives up CPMs, and, naturally, “the rocket-ship trajectory” of spending on women’s sports can’t continue forever, she said. “People have continued to invest, but the clip at which they’re investing, at some point, there will be a leveling off,” Correnti said.

For that reason, Correnti said she wants this year’s summit to be forward-looking, providing the industry with ideas for investment opportunities that might currently be overlooked.

Read more here.—AM

Move over, Gen Z: Gen Alpha is already reshaping household spending in the US and UK.

According to Teneo’s Gen Alpha Consumer Influence Study, which surveyed 1,000 children born between 2010 and 2014, nearly half (48%) of parental spending across the US and UK is now influenced by Gen Alpha. That’s more than $255 billion in spending across food, fashion, and leisure in the US alone.

Which raises the real question: What’s actually influencing Gen Alpha? Despite being the first fully digitally native generation, it’s not influencers calling the shots. Instead, Gen Alpha values what Teneo calls “real-world credibility,” prioritizing the opinions of friends and family. Just 29% say they trust what they see in online ads.

When it comes to buying decisions, style (51%) and visual appeal (47%) topped the list—far outweighing concerns like sustainability, which just 16% cited as a factor.

“Brands expecting Gen Alpha to follow suit from Gen Z on prioritizing ethical choices and being influenced by the online world could be in for a surprise,” Gee Lefevre, Teneo’s global head of consumer and economics, said in a statement. “Our findings show a generation skeptical of media messages and steadfast in their opinions which co-pilot family decision-making to the tune of billions of dollars in discretionary spending.”

Continue reading on Retail Brew.—JS

Real jobs shared through real communities. CollabWORK brings opportunities directly to Marketing Brew readers—no mass postings, no clutter, just roles worth seeing. Click here to view the full job board.

• Sr. Trade Marketing Manager at ITG Brands
• Campaign Marketing Manager (AI Enterprise) at Zapier
• Digital Marketing Manager at Astronics
• Integrated Marketing Manager at Expedia
• Senior Marketing Manager, Stone Glacier at Revelyst

Stories we’re jealous of.

• The New York Times wrote about the sudden surge of nostalgia for the year 2016.
• Bloomberg wrote about how social media is encouraging food brands and restaurants around the world to embrace spice.
• New York Magazine wrote about the rising anxieties, economic and otherwise, among YouTube creators.