Top Stories

  • Grindr, OkCupid and Tinder and other dating apps are sharing users’ personal information such as dating choices and location to advertisers and marketers in ways that may violate privacy laws, according to a new report from the government-funded Norwegian Consumer Council, which plans to file complaints in Oslo against Grindr and five ad tech companies under European data protection laws. Match Group Inc., which owns OkCupid and Tinder, said it did not violate privacy laws, while Grindr said that it hadn’t received a copy of the report but that the company valued consumer privacy. (The New York Times)
  • Cheetos and Doritos are the latest food brands to confirm Super Bowl spots, marking the former’s first appearance during the big game in 11 years. Frito-Lay, PepsiCo Inc.’s snack division, confirmed two 30-second ad buys one week after each brand announced its new products, including Doritos Flamin’ Hot Limon and Cheetos Popcorn in Cheddar and Flamin’ Hot flavors. (Ad Age)
  • Mark Hamill of “Star Wars” fame said on Twitter that he was deleting his Facebook account over the company’s decision not to fact-check political ads on its platform. Facebook declined to comment on the matter, which came less than a week after it defended the policy in a post. (BBC News)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

01/14/2020
NRF Retail Week
Business Insider’s Ignition: Redefining Retail 8:30 am
01/15/2020
NRF Retail Week
Campaign U Breakfast Briefing: The Year Ahead: Change and Grow 8:00 am
IAB Data Center of Excellence All Committee Meeting 3:00 pm
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

CEO Mark Read on building a leaner WPP: ‘We don’t need 500 brands
Brian Braiker, Ad Age

On the ‘Ad Lib’ podcast, the chief executive of the world’s largest holding company emerges from a year of retrenchment to discuss breaking from ‘the old days.’

Planters Returns To The Super Bowl, This Time With A ‘Veep’ Star
Jessica Wohl, Ad Age

The Kraft Heinz nuts brand is once again working with VaynerMedia.

For Bloomberg And Trump, Super Bowl Ad Buys Are A Drop In The Bucket
Simon Dumenco and Kevin Brown, Ad Age

Presidential candidates will fight it out with 60-second spots.

Executive Sentiment About Ad Industry Mostly Positive, But Getting Worse
Joe Mandese, MediaPost

More than a third of industry executives say their view of the advertising and media business currently is “negative,” and has grown worse in recent years, according to interviews with more than 300 advertisers and agency executives conducted by Advertiser Perceptions late last year for Research Intelligencer.

Pitch deck: An inside peek at how Hulu is selling its pause ads
Tim Peterson, Digiday

In January 2019, Hulu introduced pause ads, and agency executives were initially put off by the new format: A banner-like static ad is displayed when people pause a show.

Media and Entertainment

This is what the future of TV looks like, according to CES
Andrew Blustein, The Drum

Quibi wants to bring the premium TV experience to mobile phones. Samsung TVs are literally on the move. Eventually, live events can be easily livestreamed anywhere on any connected device.

Netflix leads Oscar nominations with 24 nods—a first for a streaming service
Sarah Whitten, CNBC

Netflix earned 24 nominations for the Academy Awards, more than any other media company this year.

Amazon Publishes Books by Top Authors, and Rivals Fret
Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, The New York Times

Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell are among the blue-chip writers whose books the tech giant is not just selling but publishing.

Social Media and Technology

How Brands Can Make The Most Of TikTok
Ilyse Liffreing, Ad Age

Take advantage of trends, connect with influencers and turn up the music.

Beauty YouTube star NikkieTutorials comes out as trans in a powerful video
Alex Abad-Santos, Vox

Nikkie de Jager says someone tried to blackmail her by outing her. She stood up for herself with an announcement she hopes will help other trans people.

PR and Marketing

Oracle Hires Amazon Web Services Executive Ariel Kelman as CMO
Mónica Marie Zorrilla, Adweek

Kelman was named one of Forbes’ most influential CMOs of 2014.

TGI Fridays plans to revamp its bars as it prepares to go public again
Amelia Lucas, CNBC

About 30% of T.G.I. Fridays sales come from its bar, and the company wants to revamp that part of its business to drive revenue growth.

Can Paying $50K for PR Still Make a Restaurant Famous?
Aaron Goldfarb, Eater

In the social media era, plenty of New York restaurateurs are foregoing the expensive publicists once seen as critical for success.

Juul Founders Sued for Self-Dealing Over Altria’s $12.8 Billion
Tiffany Kary, Bloomberg

Juul Labs Inc.’s founders used a $12.8 billion investment from Altria Group Inc. to enrich themselves, a minority shareholder in the e-cigarette maker claimed in a lawsuit.

CVS CEO Larry Merlo says 600 remodeled HealthHUBs will be opened by the end of 2020
Tyler Clifford, CNBC

CVS Health CEO Larry Merlo told CNBC Monday that the health retailer is on track to meet its goal of rehabbing more than one thousand of its stores and said the chain is seeing positive early results.

Inside Target’s private-label apparel strategy
Katie Richards, Glossy

On Thursday, Target announced All in Motion, an activewear brand for men, women and kids, launching online on Jan. 17 and in stores Jan. 24.

Why Fashion Brands Today Have Such Strange Names
Jacob Gallagher, The Wall Street Journal

From 99%is to Suicoke, fashion brands choose increasingly bizarre names as companies strive to stand out on social media and in Google search results.

BlackRock Will Put Climate Change at Center of Investment Strategy
Andrew Ross Sorkin, The New York Times

In his influential annual letter to chief executives, Larry Fink said his firm would avoid investments in companies that “present a high sustainability-related risk.”

DTC-first makeup brand Mented inks deal with HSN
Priya Rao, Glossy

DTC-first beauty brand Mented is taking the plunge into large-scale wholesale distribution with HSN on January 15.

America Drank Less Wine for First Time in 25 Years
Saabira Chaudhuri, The Wall Street Journal

Millennials opted for other beverages and baby boomers pulled back.

Balenciaga Selling Apparel With Koala Prints to Aid Australia Wildfire
Fang Block, Barron’s

Luxury fashion brands are engaging in the fight against the wild bushfires that have been ravaging Australia in recent months.

Truist unveils logo that emphasizes high-touch, high-tech focus
Paul Davis, American Banker

Truist Financial in Charlotte, N.C., is seeking to emphasize customer experience and technology with its new logo.

The New Beer Barons: How Two Scottish Kids Turned Wild Flavors, Crowdfunding And Plenty Of Attitude Into A $2 Billion Business
Kristin Stoller, Forbes

James Watt and Martin Dickie built a multinational $2 billion beer empire from a Scottish shed. To survive, they are pivoting toward higher margin, beer-centric businesses.

MGM Resorts Nears Deal to Sell MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay to Joint Venture Including Blackstone
Katherine Sayre et al., The Wall Street Journal

MGM Resorts International is nearing an agreement to sell the MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay resorts and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip to a joint venture that includes private-equity and real-estate giant Blackstone Group.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

Non-Inclusive Ad Testing: Real Culprit Behind Tone-Deaf Ads
Mario Carrasco, MediaPost

“They should have done their market research before airing this ad.” This is a typical dig by market researchers on social media who lambast the creators of tone-deaf ads. 

The 6 Marketing Trends That Will Drive Innovation in 2020
Heide Palermo, Adweek

Top marketing innovators across industries share their predictions.

Morning Consult