• President Joe Biden announced a wide-ranging COVID-19 vaccine mandate that will affect about 100 million Americans, including over 80 million workers in the private sector. Under the new rule, which is being developed by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, companies with more than 100 employees must require that their staffs either be fully vaccinated or show a negative test at least once a week — or else incur a $14,000 fine per violation. (CBS News)
• Microsoft Corp. announced it is indefinitely abandoning plans to reopen its U.S. offices due to concerns about the delta variant, joining a growing list of major corporations that have pressed pause on their returns to offices. The tech giant, which planned to fully reopen its headquarters and many other U.S. offices early next month, has not set a new reopening date, but said it would give employees 30 days’ notice before they’ll be expected to resume in-person work. (CNN)
• WPP PLC’s Mindshare agency retained Unilever PLC’s $3.3 billion media account following a six-month review process, as the consumer goods giant places increasing emphasis on e-commerce. The U.S. portion of the review accounted for $822 million in spending, 48 percent of which goes toward digital, according to COMvergence. (Adweek)
• Verizon Communications Inc., an NFL partner for the past decade, signed a new 10-year marketing deal with the league to become its exclusive 5G network partner, allowing the telecommunications conglomerate to put its 5G brand on NFL media and showcase its technology at games, according to a person familiar with the situation. The agreement is reportedly worth about $1 billion. (Bloomberg)

Fans Don’t See Much of a Difference Among NFL’s Broadcast Partners, Top Talent

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TV Trade Group Forms Measurement Task Force Amid Nielsen Issues

Ethan Jakob Craft, Ad Age

VAB announces new group dedicated to forwarding video measurement.

Broadcasters Anticipate Biggest NFL Ad Revenue Season Ever Following Covid Upheaval

Jason Lynch, Adweek

While Covid-19 and the delta variant are still looming large, advertisers have embraced the NFL wholeheartedly and broadcasters are expecting their biggest ad revenue haul ever from the games.

Elton John And Lil Nas X Are Uber Eats’ Newest Celebrity Duo

Ann-Christine Diaz, Ad Age

Campaign from Special Group takes a new turn to promote all kinds of delivery with the help of the music stars.

Murky Ad-Tech Tactics: What You Should Know About Dark Pool Sales Houses

Mark Stenberg, Adweek

Behind the strategy unscrupulous publishers are using to avoid blocklists.

Samsung Makes Audience Buying On AVOD Easier With Predictive Planning Tool

Tony Rifilato, AdExchanger

To help advertisers reach specific audiences in ad-supported video, Samsung Ads built a predictive campaign planning tool for connected TV.

Yahoo Woos CPG Ad Buyers With Further ConnectID Tie-Ups

Ronan Shields, Adweek

Deals with IRI, mParticle and NCSolutions further its bid to scale post-cookie targeting tool.

BuzzFeed Revenue Rises as Plans to Go Public Stay on Track

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter

Advertising revenue rose compared to the pandemic-hit quarter a year ago.

Apollo Taps Tinder CEO Jim Lanzone for Top Yahoo Job

Benjamin Mullin, The Wall Street Journal

Apollo Global Management Inc. is naming Tinder Chief Executive Jim Lanzone the new CEO of Yahoo, the digital-media business it acquired from Verizon Communications Inc. earlier this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

CBS Revives the Elaborate Network Jingle Promo, Urging Viewers to ‘Feel This Fall’

Jason Lynch, Adweek

Network stars sing, dance and rap in musical throwback.

Texas governor signs bill prohibiting social media giants from blocking users based on viewpoint

Cat Zakrzewski, The Washington Post

The law is an escalation of a conservative critique of Silicon Valley and will likely to face legal challenges from the industry.

Amazon Unveils First of Its Own Smart TVs, Will Bring TikTok to Fire TV in U.S. and Canada

Todd Spangler, Variety

Amazon is officially in the TV set business. After years of selling Fire TV devices that plug into third-party HDTVs and teaming with TV makers for Fire TV-based products, the ecommerce giant is rolling out the first-ever Amazon-built TVs.

Yahoo Launches NFT Collection With Rebecca Minkoff

Erika Wheless, Ad Age

The designer will feature 15 NFTs tied to her upcoming line.

Epic Games shuts down Houseparty app to focus on metaverse

Gene Park, The Washington Post

Houseparty, the social video app that launched in 2016 and soared in popularity during the pandemic, will be shutting down in October, the company announced Thursday.

How 9/11 convinced Americans to buy, buy, buy

Emily Stewart, Vox

Consumer patriotism is the American way.

Tech Companies Wade Into Abortion Politics in Texas

Arielle Pardes, Wired

In 2021, corporations are expected to take a stand on even the most divisive issues.

What you need to know about corporate vaccine mandates.

Lauren Hirsch and Coral Murphy Marcos, The New York Times

After staying quiet on vaccine mandates for months, companies began this summer to announce new requirements as vaccination rates stalled and the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus began to spread.

Amazon offers to pay college tuition for most US workers

Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN

Amazon is offering to cover four-year college tuition for most of its approximately 750,000 hourly workers in the United States, the latest major employer to offer the perk to attract and retain hourly employees in a tight job market.

Walmart ends quarterly bonuses for store associates, as it raises employees’ hourly pay

Melissa Repko, CNBC

Walmart said it is ending quarterly bonuses, which have been paid to employees for decades.

Mondelez Is Making Fewer Cookies, Crackers Amid Strike, CEO Says

Deena Shanker and Leslie Patton, Bloomberg

Mondelez International Inc. is making fewer Nabisco cookies and snacks during a worker strike at three U.S. plants, further limiting supply in an already tight market for packaged food. 

Topo Chico’s Sudden Success

Anna P. Kambhampaty, The New York Times

The sparkling water brand used to be hard to find in the United States outside of Texas. Now, thanks to Coca-Cola’s distribution magic, it’s everywhere.

FDA Needs More Time to Decide Fate of Juul

Jennifer Maloney, The Wall Street Journal

Regulator says it has more work to do on top-selling e-cigarette brands, which are in final review stages.

People are booking Christmas vacations earlier than ever before

Monica Buchanan Pitrelli, CNBC

What a difference a year can make. Last September, the travel industry agonized over a dearth of Christmas bookings. This September, some hotels are already fully booked for the holiday season.  

Airlines end a strong summer, but the Delta variant stifles momentum.

Niraj Chokshi, The New York Times

Airlines ended the traditional summer travel season on a high note, but hopes for the fall have dimmed as employers delay office reopenings and the Delta variant of the coronavirus has eroded sales and driven up cancellations in recent weeks.

Delta Air Says New Covid Policy Is Boosting Worker Vaccinations

Matthew Boyle, Bloomberg

Delta Air Lines Inc. said a fifth of its unvaccinated employees received a Covid-19 shot in the two weeks since the airline announced that they would be subject to a $200 monthly surcharge, providing support for companies that are hesitant to impose mandates.

TSA to double minimum fines for travelers who refuse to wear masks to $500

Leslie Josephs and Rich Mendez, CNBC

The TSA previously fined travelers who refuse to wear masks $250 and up to $3,000 for repeat offenders.

Why athleisure brands are betting on the outdoors

Maile McCann, Modern Retail

Athleta is betting on hikers and campers to help grow its name recognition.