Top Stories

  • U.S. consumers used TikTok for 85 million hours in 2019, a 375 percent year-over-year jump compared to 2018, according to App Annie’s State of Mobile report, spending more time on their mobile phones with the social media and entertainment app than they did with more established video streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video. The report also says that $120 billion was spent in apps globally in 2019, with gaming-related apps accounting for $86 billion of that amount. (Ad Age)
  • At a presentation to investors today, Comcast Corp. will unveil details of its new streaming service, Peacock, and could reveal more about its plans to start an international news service created by NBC News and Sky’s news division. Peacock, which launches in April with 15,000 hours of content, will be free for Comcast customers and available to others at a monthly fee, which will be revealed today. (Reuters)
  • YouTube has been running ads from 108 brands, such as Samsung Electronics Co. and Uber Technologies Inc., against videos that deny or serve misinformation about climate change, according to a new report from the nonprofit activist group Avaaz. The group said 10 of the 108 brands said they were unaware that their ads were placed with these videos, while the rest did not respond to queries, but YouTube questioned the methodology of the report and said it elevates “authoritative voices” on climate change and other topics that are subject to misinformation. (The Verge)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

01/16/2020
NRF Retail Week
NBC unveils Peacock in New York
MediaPost’s Marketing Politics conference
01/17/2020
NRF’s SoGal x Macy’s + Story VIP Women’s Breakfast 8:00 am
View full calendar

Special Report: The State of Consumer Trust

As the new decade begins, Morning Consult’s The State of Consumer Trust report is the first look at how today’s societal forces are shaping a new era of trust. Based on interviews with thousands of consumers, the report provides actionable intelligence into how companies can earn and deepen trust with customers.

Download the full report.

Advertising

Groupon Names TBWAChiatDay New York as Creative Agency of Record
Erik Oster, Adweek

The appointment follows a review that also included Droga5, Fallon, Odysseus Arms and Phenomenon.

Winners, losers and fallout from Google’s plan to drop cookies
Seb Joseph, Digiday

Google has issued a death warrant for third-party cookies, setting in motion plans to kill third-party cookies in Chrome by 2022.

Walmart wants to build an advertising business that rivals Amazon. Here are the 11 execs leading the charge.
Lauren Johnson, Business Insider Prime

The retailer is leaning on people with agency, brand, and publisher expertise in challenging Amazon’s advertising business.

Media and Entertainment

Emilia Clarke Is Clinique’s First Global Brand Ambassador
Alexa Tietjen and Natalie Theodosi, WWD

“The brand feels fresh and relatable and universal, and those are the traits I believe in,” Clarke said.

Glenda Bailey, longstanding editor of Harper’s Bazaar, to step down
Oscar Holland, CNN

She had Kate Winslet hang from a Manhattan scaffold, Demi Moore feed a giraffe and Cardi B breathe literal fire.

Jo Ann Ross Lines Up ViacomCBS Ad Sales Leadership Team
Jason Lynch, Adweek

Other senior execs depart as she integrates the CBS and Viacom units.

Warner Bros., Universal Seek to Merge Faltering DVD Units
R.T. Watson, The Wall Street Journal

Joint venture to distribute home-entertainment products could help rival studios trim costs as they plan separate streaming pushes.

Social Media and Technology

Wait — What Instagram Ads Do Men See?
Kelly Conaboy, The Cut

The topic of Instagram ads recently came up in a discussion with my mostly female-identifying co-workers. We all get basically the same ones. 

Are Consumers Ready for a Toilet Equipped With Alexa?
John McCormick, The Wall Street Journal

Connected toilets, AI-empowered scales, make their way into the bathroom.

TikTok courts publishers with a dedicated team and content ideas
Deanna Ting, Digiday

TikTok is taking steps to help publishers make money off its platform.

Instagrammers rejoice: A face filter for your clothes is here
Lilly Smith, Fast Company

The iconic white T-shirt gets a 21st-century update.

PR and Marketing

Putting a Price on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s #Influence
Paris Martineau and Arielle Pardes, Wired

What if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex became influencers? First, they probably aren’t. But even if they did, experts say calculating their value is complicated.

Retailers Hope In-Store Tech Will Keep Shoppers in Stores
Jared Council, The Wall Street Journal

Old-guard retailers are looking for technology systems that can make visits to physical stores better or more relevant.

Revamped Eastern Airlines Launches To Single Destination, Dismal Review
Ethan Jakob Craft, Ad Age

Monday’s inaugural flight marks the second time in five years that the Eastern name is being revived.

Sears Advisers Have Racked Up $200 Million in Fees as Vendors Await Payment
Soma Biswas, The Wall Street Journal

The law requires bankruptcy lawyers to be paid in full, leaving Sears with little to pay suppliers and employee severance.

Anheuser-Busch Adds 4 Beers to Growing Low-Alcohol Portfolio
Ian Zelaya, Adweek

Dry January brings new craft beers to the AB InBev lineup.

The Best and Worst U.S. Airlines of 2019
Scott McCartney, The Wall Street Journal

Delta outpaced the field for the third year in a row, while American and United didn’t fare nearly so well.

How the North American International Auto Show Reinvents Itself for a New Decade
Ian Zelaya, Adweek

The influential auto event attempts to remain relevant as the industry experiences a decline.

Why are so many brands pivoting to coziness?
Rebecca Jennings, Vox

Marketers have always used beautiful domestic spaces in advertisements. Now even shoes and liquor are supposed to make us feel safe and warm.

Blue-collar Carhartt brand shaking up fashion industry
Jeanette Settembre, Fox Business

Kanye West, Kaia Gerber and David Beckham have worn the brand’s signature coats.

At a growing number of coffee shops, getting a coffee to go means checking out a cup
Adele Peters, Fast Company

As cities crack down on waste, coffee shops are turning to new solutions—like a startup called Vessel—to cut down on their plastic.

Internal Tesla marketing document reveals how the company tried to position itself as a lifestyle brand that makes the world’s best cars
Patrick Coffee, Business Insider Prime

The electric car company wants to “empower” consumers with the “best experience ever,” according to its own marketing copy.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

4 Business And Marketing Trends That Will Fire Up The ‘Post-digital’ Twenties
Andy Main, Ad Age

Deloitte Digital’s Global Head on the state of VR/AR, the evolution of the CMO, the demise of CRM and a keyboardless future.

Under The Influence: The Dishonest And Wasteful Practice Of Influencer Marketing
Kevin Twomey, Ad Age

Why we need to stop chasing vanity metrics and unproven tactics, and return to the fundamentals of marketing and advertising.

Morning Consult