Advertising
CarMax Sends $100 Million Creative Account to The Martin Agency
Erik Oster, Adweek
CarMax has selected The Martin Agency as its creative agency of record, following a four-month review.
Ads Served Near Rape Among Most Common Brand-Safety Violations
Laurie Sullivan, MediaPost
More than one third of brand-safety violations on online news sites involve a publisher serving a brand’s advertisements next to content about rape and sexual assault, according to data scheduled for release this week.
Three brands, three strategies: Will any put the fizz back into lager sales?
Molly Fleming, Marketing Week
As the lager market continues to struggle, Foster’s, Carlsberg and Carling are each taking a different approach to boost sales and save the category.
Media and Entertainment
Behind Airbnb’s bet on show business to hook travelers
Jeffrey Dastin and Heather Somerville, Reuters
Airbnb Inc, the high-flying startup for booking home rentals around the world, has ambitions to develop a slate of original shows to whet customers’ appetite for travel, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
As Streaming Wars Heat Up, AT&T Is ‘Optimistic’ That Its OTT Service Will Offer Something New
Sara Jerde, Adweek
Details are still under wraps about AT&T’s upcoming OTT service, but the company’s execs said the Disney+ announcement (and its relatively cheap price point) gave them more optimism about what their own service will offer consumers.
Disney Spends $14 Million Plugging ‘Endgame,’ Overwhelms Pre-Sale Ticket-Buying Sites
Joe Mandese, MediaPost
In what could be one of the greatest returns on advertising investment (ROAI) this year, Walt Disney Co. has spent $13.6 million on ads promoting this weekend’s release of “Avengers: Endgame,” the much anticipated culmination of a series of blockbuster Marvel film releases.
Silicon Valley Helped Kill Local News. Can Charity Bring It Back?
Gerry Smith, Bloomberg
Some 200 nonprofit websites are hustling to keep state and city governments honest. Many are succeeding.
Comcast Earnings Boosted by Sky Acquisition, Internet Business Growth
Lillian Rizzo, The Wall Street Journal
Rise in number of internet customers more than offset continued loss of cable subscribers in the quarter.
Netflix Fights to Keep Its Most Watched Shows: ‘Friends’ and ‘The Office’
Joe Flint and Amol Sharma, The Wall Street Journal
Hollywood studios that licensed old TV shows to Netflix are getting into streaming and want their hits back.
Social Media and Technology
Facebook expects to be fined billions by U.S. government
Sara Fischer, Axios
Facebook stock was up more than 4% in after hours trading Wednesday after reporting positive Q1 earnings.
Twitter launches reporting tool to curb misinformation during campaigns
Hamza Shaban, The Washington Post
Twitter introduced a new reporting tool Wednesday designed to prevent deliberate attempts to misinform voters.
Amazon’s Alexa Reviewers Can Access Customers’ Home Addresses
Matt Day et al., Bloomberg
An Amazon.com Inc. team auditing Alexa users’ commands has access to location data and can, in some cases, easily find a customer’s home address, according to five employees familiar with the program.
NFL Prospects Become Social-Media Stars Long Before Draft
Eben Novy-Williams, Bloomberg
Restrictive NCAA rules don’t prevent athletes from turning into online personalities.
PR and Marketing
Walmart to Develop Its Own Supply Chain for Angus Beef
Jacob Bunge and Micah Maidenberg, The Wall Street Journal
Walmart Inc. is pushing into the meat business, the latest retailer to seek greater control and profits in the steaks and rotisserie chickens that fill grocery-aisle meat cases.
The co-founder of Blue Apron has his next big idea, and it involves heirloom chicken
Laura Reiley, The Washington Post
Cooks Venture and FreshDirect collaborate to bring pasture-raised, slow-growth chickens direct to consumers.
Chipotle earnings top estimates as digital sales double, boosts same-store sales outlook
Amelia Lucas, CNBC
The company has been focusing on driving sales through digital engagement with a new loyalty program and investments in delivery and online order pick-up.
McDonald’s Negotiates Uber Eats Contract Ahead of IPO
Leslie Patton, Bloomberg
McDonald’s Corp. is working to make delivery more profitable for its franchisees — and that means it could turn to providers other than Uber Eats.
Lululemon sold women on $100 leggings. Now it’s coming after men, with $38 boxers.
Abha Bhattarai, The Washington Post
Lululemon, the purveyor of $100 yoga pants, is setting its sights on a growing market: men.
‘There are new rules’: How brands are growth-hacking Amazon’s marketplace
Hilary Milnes, Digiday
By the time Tuft & Needle hired Byron Kerr as its first head of Amazon in April of last year, Kerr had launched a health and wellness brand on Amazon, started his own Amazon-specialized e-commerce agency, ran e-commerce for Timex and led the marketplace strategy team at the agency Stella Rising.
Millennials Tried to Kill the American Mall, But Gen Z Might Save It
Jordyn Holman, Bloomberg Businessweek
The next generation of U.S. buyers isn’t shopping like their parents.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
What’s Keeping More Women From Board Seats: Little Turnover
Vanessa Fuhrmans, The Wall Street Journal
New data show average director stays in the role more than a decade, creating few openings for new blood.
Cannabis Brands Put Too Much Focus on Women Who Want CBD Without a High
Kimberly Dillon, Adweek
If you have been following the cannabis industry, you’ll notice the meteoric rise of CBD and its appeal to the archetypal soccer mom.
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