Consumer Marketing Roundup: December 22, 2020

As the year winds down, we’ve overstuffed your Consumer Marketing Roundup stocking with news, trends, and predictions for the coming year. Enjoy what you can and learn from the rest. Happy Holidays, and wishes for a better 2021.

COPING WITH COVID – REOPENING, RECOVERY, & CLOSINGS

Restaurant Owners Say Additional Covid-19 Relief Is Not Enough

Gift Card Giving To Drive Restaurants’ 2020 Holiday Season 

Safety Net for Indie Restaurants Frays as Winter Sets In

Food Delivery Fees Take a Bite Out of Restaurant Profitability (Comparison)

What Stays and What Goes in a Post-Covid World

NRA: 10,000 Restaurants Have Closed in the Past 3 Months

Nearly 14% of Washington, D.C. Covid-19 Outbreaks Linked to Restaurants and Bars

Should Restaurants Make Covid Vaccinations Mandatory?

Nearly Half of U.S. Workers Say Employers Should Require Covid-19 Vaccines

McDonald’s Changes Franchise Fees, Eliminates Happy Meals Subsidy

Ohio Business Owner Files Lawsuit Over Long Lines at Chick-Fil-A

Bibibop Asian Grill Offers Entire Month of Bowls for $100, Starting Dec. 22

Orangetheory Expands, Even as Covid Cases Soar

Tasty Restaurant Group Adds Another 37 Pizza Huts

Salsa Fresca Mexican Grill Preps for Franchise Growth

Massachusetts Opts for Different Ways of Making Restaurants Safe

E-Book: 8 Ways To Stay Resilient in the Restaurant and Food Services Industry in the 2020s

MARKETING TECH, TRENDS, TOOLS, & REPORTS

Does Advertising Actually Work? (Freakonomics)

2021: The Rise of the Plain-Text Email Newsletter?

New Ad Fraud Scheme Highlights a Growing Problem for Streaming TV 

The State of Quick-Service Technology in 2021 (Netsurion)

20 Restaurant Brands that Unveiled New Store Prototypes in 2020

The 2021 Influencer Marketing Cheat Sheet (Linqia)

6 Ways To Market Sustainability on Social Media

The Ultimate Guide To Generating ROI With Integrated B2B Marketing

Digital Out-of-Home Advertising (DOOH) – The Future of Outdoor Advertising?

The Fastest-Growing Brands of 2020

ANA Blasts Apple’s Newest Move Against Tracking Cookies

Pinterest Shares Trend Predictions for 2021 Based on Usage Data

FTC Suggests Removing Bad Reviews Might Deceive Consumers

Dollar General and Dollar Tree Stores Start Moving Upmarket

FRANCHISING CARES

Denny’s Raises Over $800,000 for No Kid Hungry To Fight Childhood Hunger in the U.S.

Domino’s Commits More Than $9.6 Million to Front-Line Worker Bonuses

PEOPLE, AWARDS, MILESTONES

Focus Brands President Kat Cole To Step Down by Year-End

Starbucks Names Mellody Hobson Board Chairwoman

WEBINARS

TODAY! (2 pm EDT): IFA Reviews the New Covid Relief Package & What it Means for Your Business

On-Demand: The State of Local Marketing 2020-2021 Webcast (Brandmuscle)