Special Rundown of September Marketing News — 8 Bite-Sized Stories Every Marketer Must Know

September showed the fall and rise of the market and its existing brands and businesses. While Google was getting ready to face the heat in its antitrust trial, and META continued its never-ending saga of algorithm tinkering, other major moves were happening. Don’t worry; we’ve sifted through the noise to bring you the juicy bits you might’ve missed in marketing. So, get ready for the September marketing news rundown.  

1. Meta to bring AI chatbots into ads 

Meta is stepping up its AI game once again, and this time, it’s bringing AI chatbots straight into the world of ads. Announced during the Meta Connect Event 2024, the tech giant revealed a big move: expanding its AI chatbots into click-to-message ads across Messenger and WhatsApp. That means brands can leverage AI-driven conversations to engage with customers in real-time, offering a more interactive and personalized ad experience.   

Meta AI will now talk back—literally. Users can use their voice to interact with Meta AI across Facebook, Instagram direct messages, Messenger, and WhatsApp. As a cherry on top, some famous voices are joining the mix: Awkwafina, Kristen Bell, John Cena, Dame Judi Dench, and Keegan-Michael Key. 

2. OpenAI CTO Quits, say goodbye Mira Murti 

Mira Murti, the Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, has stepped down after an impressive six and a half years at the helm of the company’s technological advances. Her resignation marks yet another high-profile departure for the AI startup, which has faced a series of exits in recent months. Co-founder John Schulman left in August to join rival Anthropic following the earlier resignations of co-founder Ilya Sutskever and former safety chief Jan Leike. 

Murti’s leadership extended beyond her role as CTO; she even served as interim CEO during the turbulent period when Sam Altman was briefly ousted last year. This latest exit signals continued changes for OpenAI amidst fierce competition in the AI space. 

3. Coca-Cola discontinues its spiced flavor after seven months 

Coca-Cola has decided to pull the plug on its Spiced flavor just seven months after its launch. The Atlanta-based beverage giant confirmed that the production of Coca-Cola Spiced will be discontinued as they prepare to roll out an “exciting new flavor” in 2025. Coca-Cola has not done this for the first time, but it regularly pushes and pulls its flavors in and out of the market.  

While no specific reason was given for this sudden exit, Coca-Cola hinted at its ongoing commitment to tweaking its product lineup based on consumer preferences. Coca-Cola Spiced, which blended the classic Coke taste with a twist of raspberry and “spiced” notes, was initially introduced in February as the brand’s first new permanent flavor in three years. However, the soda didn’t spice things up enough to stick around. 

4. Publicis acquires Mars United Commerce in a $600mil deal 

Publicis Groupe has officially acquired Mars United Commerce, the world’s largest independent commerce marketing firm, further enhancing its full-funnel marketing capabilities. While the financial details weren’t disclosed in the press release, The Wall Street Journal reported the Deal’s value at around $600 million. 

Mars United Commerce, previously known as The Mars Agency, specializes in retail consulting, commerce media, and shopper intelligence, serving over 100 global brands. With more than 1,000 workers and 52 years of experience, the acquisition is a strategic addition to Publicis’ growing portfolio. This Deal follows Publicis’ July purchase of Influential, the world’s largest influencer marketing company, highlighting their aggressive expansion efforts in the marketing services landscape. 

5. Amazon launches AI-powered video ahead of holiday shopping 

Amazon is stepping up its game for the 2024 holiday shopping season by integrating generative AI into its marketing tools. The tech giant offers an AI-powered video generator to brands in its sponsored ads program, making converting product images into eye-catching video ads more accessible. Gellé Frères, the renowned French skincare brand, is one of the early testers gearing up for the holiday rush, including Black Friday. 

In addition to video generation, Amazon has unveiled a new live image feature. This tool allows brands to animate previously static product photos by adding dynamic effects like steam rising from a coffee cup, making ads more engaging. As large digital platforms race to attract more ad spend, Amazon’s push into generative AI showcases its ambition to dominate the holiday shopping ad landscape. 

6. Pizza Hut launches’ resZAmes’ for NYC job seekers 

Pizza Hut is helping job seekers stand out with a creative twist: printing resumes on pizza boxes and delivering them—along with a medium-sized cheese pizza—to potential employers. The “resZAmes” campaign taps into the insight that 75% of resumes sent to employers go unread (according to CareerMinds.com), but a resume paired with pizza is hard to ignore. 

However, the promo is limited to NYC only, but Pizza Hut is not new to these marketing tactics. Whether it is in goodwill or just another word-of-mouth thing for the pizza brand, the company has done it previously with its goodbye pies, etc.  

7. Mozilla moves beyond Firefox with a bold rebrand 

Mozilla, best known for its Firefox browser, is stepping out of its long-held web browser identity with a major rebrand. The tech company is transforming, aiming to shift perceptions with a fresh, unified brand identity and a new strategic direction. 

One of the most striking updates is the revamped logo. The familiar “Moz://a” sans-serif wordmark has been retired in favor of a newly designed logo that spells out the full Mozilla name. The updated branding features a customized typeface and an M-shaped flag, signaling the company’s new focus on innovation and evolution beyond the browser. 

8. Barbie launches “give limitless possibilities” campaign for parents 

Barbie’s latest campaign, “Give Limitless Possibilities,” is aimed at parents and guardians, celebrating their influential role in shaping a child’s future. Mattel Inc.’s powerful new initiative highlights the emotional journey of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends, encouraging them to inspire children’s curiosity, imagination, confidence, kindness, and belief in their limitless potential. The campaign resonates with the idea that the best gift adults can give children is believing in themselves and their boundless possibilities.