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.
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.
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.
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.
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.