Advertising
With Impeachment in the News, Ads Are Staying Away From Politics
Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times
A desire not to offend potential customers in a divided nation, as well as wariness of President Trump’s Twitter account, means fewer topical ads.
The NFL Takes On Police Shootings Of Black Men In New Ad
E.J. Schultz, Ad Age
The spot, which is slated for the Super Bowl, comes as the league boosts its social justice messaging in wake of the Colin Kaepernick controversy.
Microsoft Ups Pressure on Slack With New TV Ad
Kevin McLaughlin, The Information
Microsoft this weekend plans to launch its first global advertising campaign highlighting the benefits of its Teams workplace collaboration software, which kicks off with a 30-second TV commercial slated to air during Sunday’s NFL playoff games.
Publishers and marketers are mostly absent from key group deciding what comes after the third-party cookie
Lara O’Reilly, Digiday
Google last week set a two-year timeframe on replacing third-party cookies, and rather than waiting on advertising industry groups like the IAB, ANA, 4As, it is turning to a web standards group, the World Wide Web Consortium, otherwise known as the W3C to help come up with alternatives.
Media and Entertainment
Spotify in Early Talks to Buy Sports and Pop-Culture Outlet the Ringer
Anne Steele and Benjamin Mullin, The Wall Street Journal
The Ringer, founded in 2016 by former ESPN commentator Bill Simmons, has over 30 podcasts.
YouTube Will Double Its Original Programming in 2020, Focusing on Documentaries
Kelsey Sutton, Adweek
More than 100 films and series are planned for this year.
Disney Brings Forward Launch of Streaming Service in Europe
Angelina Rascouet, Bloomberg
Walt Disney Co.’s streaming service Disney+ will launch one week earlier than initially planned in the biggest European economies.
Streaming War’s Battle Lines Still Being Drawn
Dan Gallagher, The Wall Street Journal
Netflix and Disney face early test in coming reports, but true impact of competition will remain unclear.
Social Media and Technology
Direct-response advertisers report some early success with Snapchat’s dynamic ads
Deanna Ting, Digiday
Snapchat appears to be winning over several early adopters of its new dynamic ads product.
Snap CEO Spiegel Says TikTok Could Grow Bigger Than Instagram
Hailey Waller, Bloomberg
Snap Inc. Chief Executive Officer Evan Spiegel says TikTok could become bigger than rival Instagram.
Advertisers see early promise in TikTok’s self-serve ad platform
Deanna Ting, Digiday
Advertisers with beta access to TikTok’s self-serve ad platform are, for the most part, optimistic about the global media sensation’s attempts to reach marketplace parity as an ad-supported platform.
When Social Media Is Too Much, Some Teens Tune Out
Julie Jargon, The Wall Street Journal
While Instagram and the like are key to keeping up with friends, some high-schoolers admit that they often need a break.
PR and Marketing
Walmart shuffles executives after holiday season, chief merchant departing
Lauren Thomas, CNBC
The company’s chief merchant Steve Bratspies is set to depart, according to an internal memo sent to employees Friday by Walmart U.S. CEO John Furner, which was reviewed by CNBC.
Cash, Plastic or Hand? Amazon Envisions Paying With a Wave
AnnaMaria Andriotis, The Wall Street Journal
Tech giant plans terminals to let consumers link credit card information to their hands.
Beyoncé’s Ivy Park x Adidas’ line drops online and sends the internet into a frenzy
Chauncey Alcorn CNN
A limited supply of clothes and shoes from Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s new Ivy Park x Adidas retail line dropped at noon on Friday – hours ahead of its scheduled Saturday release date – and started a social media frenzy.
Cargo pivots to car-top advertising, does layoffs
Kia Kokalitcheva, Axios
Cargo, a New York-based startup that sells snack boxes and other amenities to ride-hail passengers, has laid off around two dozen employees and will pivot to car-top advertising, the company confirms to Axios.
How Lunar New Year became a shopping holiday for Western brands
Terry Nguyen, Vox
Gucci, Nike, and Sephora have released new merchandise for the Year of the Rat.
Sears Woes Hit Hometown Stores
Suzanne Kapner, The Wall Street Journal
Operators of the appliance retailer, also owned by Eddie Lampert, say they can’t get merchandise.
How Retailers Are Turning Plastic Bag Bans Into a Branding Opportunity
Robert Klara, Adweek
Reusable grocery sacks are movable marketing tools.
Why Apple CEO Tim Cook Invested in a Shower Head
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg
An environmentally friendly shower system gets an upgrade.
The leggings war heats up, as more fashion brands move into activewear
Katie Richards, Glossy
As the activewear market continues to grow and the athleisure trend stays steady among consumers, it seems almost every brand has its own version of yoga pants or leggings.
Fashion is linking with travel to offer customers new convenience
Danny Parisi, Glossy
Colin Hunter, co-founder of bespoke menswear brand Alton Lane, has a goal to integrate his brand’s custom-fit suiting into travel.
Are Your Pants Vibrating, or Are You Just Happy to See Me?
Jeanie Riess, The New Yorker
A new line of high-tech yoga leggings buzz in targeted spots, to indicate where the body is out of alignment. Will they collect personal data as well?
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Why no one cares about your brand
Stephen Armstrong, Wired
If clothing companies believe they have a captive clientele that loves them, they are wrong. These new fashionistas only care about clothes that help their own brand.
Why Gap Inc. killed its plans to spin off Old Navy and what it says about fast fashion
Elizabeth Segran, Fast Company
The heritage apparel conglomerate Gap Inc.—which owns Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, and Hill City—has been struggling to find its place in the modern retail landscape for some time.
Industry standouts: The companies most admired by the business world
Scott Decarlo and Matthew Heimer, Fortune
Even their rivals recognize that these businesses are outperforming their peers.
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