Advertising
#MeToo Clashes With ‘Bro Culture’ at Ad Agencies
Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times
Campaigns promoting female empowerment are all the rage. But women in advertising say they still have to navigate “Mad Men” workplaces.
Shrinking Budgets, a Project Economy and Work-for-free Demands Created a Perfect Storm for Shops in 2019
Lindsay Rittenhouse and Judann Pollack, Ad Age
Agencies under pressure to restructure their operating models to remain competitive
The definitive oral history of the agency holiday card
Kristina Monllos, Digiday
Whatever the case may be, the heyday of the agency holiday card seems to have come and gone. Here’s the story of how the rise and fall of the agency holiday card from the people who made them.
The Most Overrated Ads of the Decade
I-Hsien Sherwood, Ad Age
Years later, some just can’t live up to the initial excitement.
‘Advertising breaks your spirit’: the French cities trying to ban public adverts
Angelique Chrisafis, The Guardian
Activists in Lille recently demonstrated against advertising, while Grenoble has replaced hundreds of adverts with trees and noticeboards. Could cities remove ads altogether?
How Internet Marketers, from Amazon to Uber, Are Driving Growth in Global Ad Spending
Bradley Johnson, Ad Age
Procter & Gamble reclaims top spot in Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers, while China-based advertisers are moving up the ranks of global spenders.
Media and Entertainment
ViacomCBS buys minority stake in Miramax
Sara Fischer, Axios
ViacomCBS announced Friday a $375 million deal to acquire a 49% stake in Miramax, the television and movie production company founded by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, from Qatar-based beIN Media Group.
‘The lowest-priced time of year’: Advertisers pounce on TV’s discounted holiday rates
Tim Peterson, Digiday
The days between Christmas and New Year’s are typically considered a dead zone for TV advertising. People are more likely to be off skiing or returning presents or getting into politically charged arguments with their parents than tuning into TV. However, while viewership falls, so do ad rates.
Social Media and Technology
Move Over, Santa! Kids Are Asking Alexa to Bring Them Presents
Julie Jargon, The Wall Street Journal
Ordering items from Amazon has never been easier, but young children are asking Alexa to deliver them presents and parents aren’t always able to step in before packages are on the way.
Publicis spent $30 million to build Marcel, an AI tool that was supposed to ‘break the industry.’ Instead, it’s been hampered by confusion, ridicule, and delays
Patrick Coffee, Business Insider Prime
“Silly.” “Fatuous.” “Unrealistic.” These are some of the words a former top Publicis Groupe executive used to describe Marcel, the AI-powered HR and project management app that has been one of the industry’s most mysterious and ridiculed projects in recent years.
TikTok is fueling the viral success of a toy capsule with tiny versions of everyday household brands — and they’re selling out in stores and online
Shoshy Ciment, Business Insider
From toymaker Zuru, 5 Surprise Mini Brands are this season’s holiday hit, thanks, in part, to the viral power of social media. The toy comes as a capsule filled with five tiny versions of everyday household brands, including Dove, Twinkies, Lipton Tea, and more.
Facebook, Twitter disable sprawling inauthentic operation that used AI to make fake faces
Tony Romm and Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post
Facebook and Twitter on Friday disabled a global network of hundreds of fake accounts that pushed pro-Trump messages and covered its tracks using inauthentic photos generated with the aid of artificial intelligence.
PR and Marketing
At Boeing, C.E.O.’s Stumbles Deepen a Crisis
Natalie Kitroeff and David Gelles, The New York Times
Dennis Muilenburg’s handling of the 737 Max grounding after two fatal crashes has angered lawmakers, airlines, regulators and victims’ families.
‘Amazon’s Choice’ Isn’t the Endorsement It Appears
Shane Shifflett et al., The Wall Street Journal
The retailer attaches the badge to some items with safety concerns, that make false claims or whose listings appear to have been manipulated.
Miller’s Low-Alcohol Beer Plugs ‘Dry-ish’ January With ‘Succession’ Actor Nicholas Braun
E.J. Schultz, Ad Age
Miller64 puts a new spin on the most sober month of the year.
Walmart’s Secret Weapon to Fight Off Amazon: The Supercenter
Sarah Nassauer, The Wall Street Journal
Walmart is betting on a future where its giant stores will quickly get groceries to your door, replace the doctor’s office and rent out computing power to passing drones and autonomous cars.
When AmEx Black Just Won’t Do: A Gem-Crusted Card for the .001%
Suzanne Woolley, Bloomberg
Metal credit cards are so 2019. Next year in the U.S., some of the .001% will be invited to own a customized card inlaid with diamonds, pearls and other precious gems.
Falling Sales Squeeze Baby-Food Pouches
Annie Gasparro, The Wall Street Journal
Some manufacturers rethink packaging criticized by pediatricians and parents as inhibiting development.
Barneys’ closing sale looks more like Sears or Kmart than old Madison Avenue
Lisa Fickenscher, New York Post
Barneys is going out of business — and for some shoppers, the situation is too tacky to stomach.
Online Retailers Ready to Tap Rising Demand for Booze Delivery
Matthew Boyle, Bloomberg
Companies from Amazon.com Inc. to Walmart Inc. are finding that fresh-grocery delivery is challenging. But there’s one niche of the market that seems ripe with opportunity in 2020: booze.
How Five CMOs Tried to Boost Battered Brands in 2019
Nat Ives, The Wall Street Journal
From Facebook to Uber, newly appointed marketing chiefs had lots of work to do.
Why Is There a Coffee Shop in So Many Stores?
Caitlin Wolper, The New York Times
In New York, boutiques of all kinds are beginning to look a lot like cafes.
Plant-based milks aren’t the reason US dairies are struggling
Chase Purdy, Quartz
The story behind the struggle of American dairy farms is far more complicated than a handful of nuts.
The rise of ‘grocerants’: Grocery stores that cook you dinner
Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
Supermarkets want to convince customers to visit stores for lunch or dinner — not just for a grocery haul.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
The Ball Pit Will Take Some Breaking In, and Other Lessons From the Instagram Experience Decade
Kenzie Bryant, Vanity Fair
The experience market may be a product of the dying decade, but it’s positioned to live long into the next one.
Crowdsourced branding is a terrible idea. Why do people keep doing it?
Lilly Smith, Fast Company
The UAE is the latest region to attempt to crowdsource the design of its branding. Is this what democracy looks like in 2019?
How to shop without Amazon
Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz
For a couple of months, I would stop ordering from Amazon completely, documenting what I did instead. How did Amazon insert itself in my life, and how hard would it be to extract myself?
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