Katie Deighton

New York

I write, I read, I wear gold hoop earrings. Reporting on all things advertising and design for the @WSJ; forever perfecting my blowdry and Desert Island Discs.

Articles

Peloton Slashes Marketing Again in Hard Play for Profitability

5 days ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

In the quarter ended March 31, Peloton’s marketing and advertising spending fell to $61.04 million from $113.04 million a year earlier, while overall sales and marketing spending dropped to just under $107 million from around $170 million, the company said. Peloton reported a net loss of $48 million, an improvement on the $167.3 million net loss reported in the quarter a year prior. Revenue declined 13%, in line with analysts’ consensus, but the company’s shares still tumbled after the results.
The Headline Act at Live Nation’s Las Vegas Pop-Punk Festival? 7-Eleven

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

The brand will set up a “hangout” area at the Las Vegas event, handing out free Slurpee drinks in a space decorated to channel “early 2000s emo energy.” But it will also see its name in lights on the 7-Eleven Stage, as the main stage will be christened, and in marketing materials for this year’s festival, which will be called When We Were Young Presented by 7-Eleven.
Private Equity Sets Up Shop on Madison Avenue

2 weeks ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton |Rod James

In the past year Interpublic Group, one of the world’s largest advertising holding companies, sold two of its buzziest agencies—Huge and R/GA—to private-equity firms. Insignia Capital Group bought audio-focused agencies Oxford Road and Veritone One, and Shamrock Capital Advisors invested in De-yan, an artsy experiential and design firm that has worked with Louis Vuitton and Versace.
Three Factories, $355,000 and the Maddening Quest to Make a Clear Can

3 weeks ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

Little did they know Orka was still struggling to complete the packaging for mass production. A year after the TikTok post, founders Michael Moriarty and Nash Hale had nearly depleted the company’s bank account trying to keep their cans from falling off industrial canning lines or breaking apart. “That was probably the lowest moment,” said Moriarty, now 28 years old.
Twinkies’ New Owner Courts a Novel Group of Snackers: Stoners

1 month ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

“Hostess maybe wasn’t quite as relevant or had gotten a little tired from a brand standpoint,” said Smucker Chief Marketing Officer Gail Hollander, adding that Twinkie the Kid is alive but “taking a siesta.”Part of the strategy includes moving Hostess closer to popular culture, including 4/20 celebrations, Hollander said.
Twinkies’ New Owner Courts a Novel Group of Snackers: Stoners

1 month ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

J.M. Smucker is sending a “Munchie Mobile” on a road trip leading up to the unofficial holiday of cannabis on April 20 to promote Hostess brands like Twinkies, Ding Dongs and Donettes. It is a departure from Hostess marketing in its pre-Smucker era, when its sweet baked goods were advertised largely with families and children in mind, using cartoons and characters like Twinkie the Kid.
Exclusive | Former Vice CEO Nancy Dubuc Is Back, This Time Tackling Women’s Sports

1 month ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

Dubuc’s arrival at the four-year-old company unites her with several other media veterans looking to catch the wave of interest in women’s sports. They include co-founder and Chief Content Officer Jessica Robertson, formerly director of content for MTV and executive editor of Fader, and board member Betsy Morgan, previously chief executive at the Huffington Post. Morgan is co-founder of Togethxr’s first and principal investor, Magnet Companies.
The Hottest Denim Brand of the ’00s Turns to Hip-Hop for Its Resurrection

1 month ago | wsj.com | Katie Deighton

The brand’s jeans still feature the thick stitching and horseshoe logo that made it famous, but cost much less than $400. The illusion of exclusivity no longer figures in its business operations. And the blonde models have been replaced by predominantly Black and Latina hip-hop artists, a group that continued to evangelize True Religion after other celebrities had moved on and the company fell into financial trouble.
She Hit the Button-and All Hell Broke Loose. How the Sports Team Everyone Hated Came Back.

1 month ago | wsj.com | Rachel Bachman |Katie Deighton

With a one-minute introductory video, an upstart outfit in the National Women’s Soccer League was about to unveil the name that would sit alongside the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics as Boston’s newest home team. Around 9 a.m., a social-media manager named Siobhan Richards hit the button. The clip went live. Then all hell broke loose. One of the most disastrous brand launches in modern sports had begun. The video, titled “Too Many Balls,” featured a cameo by NFL great Tom Brady.
She Hit the Button-and All Hell Broke Loose. How the Sports Team Everyone Hated Came Back.

1 month ago | wsj.com | Rachel Bachman |Katie Deighton

When Boston’s new women’s soccer team unveiled its name, it sparked a ferocious backlash. Inside its effort to recover and relaunch. Your browser does not support the audio tag. 00:00 / 01:04This article is in your queue. Boston The morning of Oct. 15 was supposed to be a banner day for Boston sports, the culmination of a year’s work to add a new pro team to the city’s illustrious roster.