Welcome to the Club(house); Big Pharma’s Redemption: Thursday’s First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. ‘Be Human and Be Fallible’: Brands Test the Waters on Clubhouse Clubhouse is the latest social network tailored to those who miss the magic of in-person conference experiences, or want to take their podcasting habit live. Naturally, it was only a matter of time before the brands showed up. Pizza delivery startup Slice, for example, participated in a Valentine’s Day dating game on the platform. But it’s still uncharted territory, and brands are still figuring out the rules. Whose Club Is It Anyway?: Learn how to navigate the app where everything’s made up and the ROI doesn’t matter (yet). How Jennifer Garner Helped Shape the Purpose of Once Upon a Farm Our final day of Challenger Brands programming was, as before, brimming with insights for marketers and team leaders alike, including sports personality and content king Pat McAfee, plus SAP’s Alicia Tillman, NBCUniversal’s Linda Yaccarino, Burger King’s Fernando Machado and Patrón’s Adrian Parker. But perhaps the most prominent appearance of the day was from Jennifer Garner, who discussed her deep connection to her work developing the purpose and direction of kid food brand Once Upon a Farm.. Watch her talk here. Also at Challenger Brands: CMO Barbara Messing discussed how Roblox has become so much more than a game, connecting people starved for community during the pandemic with experiences, scavenger hunts and more, often fueled by brand partnerships.Complex Networks CEO Rich Antoniello gave us an overview of the company’s secrets for building differentiated brands and bolstering them through ecommerce and events. The company “is no singular person's vision—it's an aggregation of all of these cultures. It's always a culmination of ideas,” he said. Why Covid-19 Vaccines Might Be Big Pharma’s Last Big Chance to Repair Its Reputation Big Pharma has long been the object of Americans’ loathing, with 58% saying they viewed the industry negatively in a 2019 poll—and mistrusting it even more than advertising and the federal government. Now, with the likes of Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna producing Covid-19 vaccines in record time, the industry has an opportunity to redeem itself in the eyes of the public. Still, people are unlikely to forget about Big Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis any time soon, or drama around Martin “Pharma Bro” Shkreli and price gouging. We talked with experts about the industry’s journey to self-reinvention. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head Are Going Gender Neutral Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head may be nearly 70 years old, but they’re still going strong—though it’ll soon be under their new identities, Dad and Mom Potato Head, with the overall brand simply becoming “Potato Head.” The new family set will include two large potato bodies and one small one, plus a variety of accessories so that kids can express their ideas about families however they choose. Learn why and how the new, more inclusive brand shifted. Retailers Embrace Black History Month as Consumer Demand for Diversity and Inclusion Increases Demands for DEI have accelerated over the past year, and brands have responded with campaigns elevating Black voices, businesses and creators. Some retailers are going beyond, too, and have made it a point to showcase how they support the Black community on a daily basis instead of during one particular season. See how brands like Old Navy and Target are celebrating and advancing DEI. Briefly: The&Partnership Expands to West Coast With LA OfficeExclusive: This Agency Reframed the Conversation About Defunding the PoliceExclusive: American Cancer Society Names Tombras as Media Agency of RecordAT&T Spins Off Pay TV Business As It Doubles Down on StreamingR/GA Chooses Shannon Washington and Erin Lynch to Lead New York Creative DepartmentOctagon Broadens Focus to Full Service, Names Azher Ahmed Digital HeadPepsi Zero Sugar Declares the End of Compromise in New Campaign Nestlé’s AI-Powered Virtual Human Is Here to Answer Your Cookie-Baking Questions Nestlé spent two years developing the virtual cookie coach. Have a cookie emergency? Ruth, Nestlé’s has deployed a new AI spokesperson, may not be able to physically bake, but she knows all about the process, and she's here to help. Learn how. More of the Latest: PepsiCo Wants to Make Cocktail Mixers Cool AgainHow Covid-19 Changed Season 4 of The Handmaid’s TaleAmazon’s Ukonwa Ojo on Culture, Creators and the Childlike Magic of MarketingStockX Auctions a Pair of Láolú Sneakers to Raise Money for Lena Waithe’s CharityLaverne Cox and Smirnoff Want to Meet You at the Virtual Bar(re) for Women’s History Month

First Things First

Welcome to the Club(house); Big Pharma’s Redemption: Thursday’s First Things First

Plus, Jennifer Garner on the farm

‘Be Human and Be Fallible’: Brands Test the Waters on Clubhouse

Jess Zafarris

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Jess Zafarris