Advertising
Scammers Target Ad Industry’s Initiative to Thwart Fraud
Lara O’Reilly, The Wall Street Journal
Scammers recently found a new workaround for one of the advertising industry’s most significant efforts to protect marketers from being tricked into buying ads on fake websites.
Amazon is testing a new ad format that asks customers to leave reviews
Shareen Pathak, Digiday
Amazon is working on a new ad product that prompts users to review products they’ve purchased within display ads placed on Amazon.com, according to three agency executives who have been briefed on the new product.
Lee Clow, Ad Legend Known for Apple Campaigns, Retires
Alexandra Bruell, The Wall Street Journal
Lee Clow, whose ads helped put Apple Inc. on the map, is retiring from the agency he joined five decades ago, he announced on Thursday.
Finding in-house media talent is now a top concern for marketers
Jennifer Faull, The Drum
Finding talent to bolster in-house media capabilities was cited as one of the top concerns among marketers last year, according to research from ID Comms.
Media and Entertainment
Apple is targeting April to launch its new video service, but Netflix won’t be a part of it and HBO is in doubt
Alex Sherman, CNBC
Apple is in the final stages of preparing its new streaming video service, which will feature free original content for device owners and a subscription platform for existing digital services.
Meet the CEO Making Yoga Instructors Filmmakers
Vanessa Fuhrmans, The Wall Street Journal
Anjali Sud has overseen Vimeo’s transition from a would-be Netflix competitor to a tech company that helps video creators make and show their own online content.
Cable and satellite TV companies need a miracle to save them from cord-cutting
Jared Newman, Fast Company
Cable and satellite TV services had another lousy quarter as cord-cutting continues.
Ryan Adams Dangled Success. Women Say They Paid a Price.
Joe Coscarelli and Melena Ryzik, The New York Times
Several women say Adams offered to jumpstart their music careers, then pursued them sexually and in some cases retaliated when they spurned him. He denies the claims.
Academy Leaders Defend Oscars Plan Amid Growing Revolt
Gregg Kilday, The Hollywood Reporter
The decision this year to present four awards during commercial breaks has drawn widespread criticism.
Social Media and Technology
AirPods are the latest product to be touched by silly design opulence
Vlad Savov, The Verge
Caviar, a sort of tech-jewelry company that rebuilds iPhones into $22,000 diamond-and-metal showpieces, has today announced its take on the AirPods with a set of repainted and fancified editions.
Instagram Glitch Leaves Celebrity Instagrammers Wondering Where Their Followers Went
Alyssa Newcomb, Fortune
Many power Instagram users noticed their follower count dropped on Wednesday, but the follower desertion had nothing to do with their last selfie or breakfast photo.
Facebook Watch has a new program to fund publisher shows starring influencers
Sahil Patel, Digiday
Facebook has created a new funding program where it would work with publishers and influencers on new shows for Facebook Watch.
Snap is offering to pay $50,000 per episode for original Snapchat Discover shows
Tim Peterson, Digiday
Snap is willing to pay for original shows, and it’s enough to pique entertainment executives’ interest in producing for Snap’s vertical video platform.
PR and Marketing
Tyson Made Its Fortune Packing Meat. Now It Wants to Sell You Frittatas.
Jacob Bunge, The Wall Street Journal
By the time you finish reading this sentence, more than 8 pounds of honey-barbecue chicken strips will have tumbled off a production line at Tyson Foods Inc.’s plant here.
Nestlé’s Revival Plan Starts to Pay Off
Saabira Chaudhuri, The Wall Street Journal
Nestlé SA reported a rise in full-year sales driven by improved performance in the U.S. and China, early signs that Chief Executive Mark Schneider’s efforts to revive growth are starting to bear fruit.
A Sports Store Is Going Out Of Business After Its Owner Boycotted Nike Over Its Kaepernick Campaign
Brianna Sacks, BuzzFeed News
In September, Prime Time Sports in Colorado got rid of everything Nike. Five months later, the entire store is 40% off.
Outlook overshadows strong quarter at Coca-Cola
The Associated Press
Coca-Cola is reporting solid profit and revenue numbers, but the strong dollar could slow organic revenue in the coming year.
Three Months’ Salary for an Engagement Ring? For Most People, It’s More Like Two Weeks
Quoctrung Bui, The New York Times
The median American spends about 4 percent (or two weeks) of annual pretax income on an engagement ring, according to an online poll of 1,640 adults conducted for The Upshot by Morning Consult.
Cities shunned by Amazon revive hopes for HQ given New York opposition
Daniel Trotta, Reuters
Cities that were shunned in Amazon.com Inc’s search for a secondary corporate headquarters are revisiting their bids in case one of the actual winners, New York City, rejects the corporate giant due to opposition from local politicians.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Online Dating Scams Cost Americans $143 Million
Niraj Chokshi, The New York Times
Love is in the air, but don’t let it cloud your judgment — or it might cost you.
The great Equifax mystery: 17 months later, the stolen data has never been found, and experts are starting to suspect a spy scheme
Kate Fazzini, CNBC
Equifax’s data breach on Sept. 7, 2017, stunned markets and American consumers, but where the data of those 143 million people disappeared to has remained a mystery.
Another wave of retail store closures coming. ‘No light at the end of the tunnel’
Lauren Thomas, CNBC
Already, 2,187 store closures have been announced by retailers in 2019, according to Coresight Research.
Why A-list director Peter Berg started a new branded content company
Jeff Beer, Fast Company
The Friday Night Lights director has added Film 47, a new commercial division, to his production company.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
How Michael Jordan became a brand
Ronald D. White, The Los Angeles Times
Michael Jordan remains the OG signature shoe king 16 years after his last NBA game and 21 years after his last championship.
Brand Twitter Is Absurd, and It Will Only Get Worse
Alex Norcia, Vice
SunnyD tweets about depression. Steak-umm is lonely. Wendy’s is sassy. Do we actually want our brands to be that “human”?
Howard Schultz Doesn’t See Color
Ellen McGirt, Fortune
At first, the avowed centrist seemed surprised by a wave of concern from anti-Trump voters, fearing he’d split the contest and offer the unpopular incumbent a path to a second term.
Apple Doesn’t Need to Be Netflix to Succeed at Video
Shira Ovide, Bloomberg
The iPhone maker can have a robust business without revolutionizing entertainment.
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