Top Stories

  • The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show for 2019 has been canceled, L Brands Inc. announced during its third-quarter earnings call, following negative publicity surrounding the event and falling viewership numbers. Last year’s 3.27 million viewers was the show’s smallest since becoming a holiday season TV event in 2001. (USA Today)
  • Facebook Inc. is considering raising the minimum number of users who can be targeted in political ads from 100 to a few thousand, according to people familiar with the matter, in the latest potential step from a tech company to limit political campaigns’ online ad targeting. A Facebook representative reiterated that the company is considering various methods “to refine our approach to political ads.” (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube is looking to match appropriate advertisers to its edgier videos, according to a letter YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki wrote to content creators, which noted that a new program resulted in hundreds of thousands of ad dollars on yellow icon videos, or videos that have been demonetized due to the site’s policies, in its first month. YouTube will also be loosening its policies on what qualifies as violence, per the letter. (The Verge)

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New Report: 2019 Holiday Shopping Trends

Our latest economic and U.S. holiday shopping report shows consumers are more optimistic heading into the holiday shopping season than they were in September. Download our newest data to learn how consumer confidence continues its upward trajectory since bottoming out in mid-August.

Advertising

Campaigns Pressure Facebook to Stay Put on Political Ads
Mike Isaac, The New York Times

When Google said it would limit the ability of political advertisers to target voters, campaigns said they did not want Facebook to follow.

Google Will Let Companies Limit Ad Personalization To Facilitate CCPA Compliance
Allison Schiff, AdExchanger

Google will allow sites and apps to disable personalized ad serving across its ad products to help partners comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Keyword block lists still cause headaches for publishers
Lucinda Southern, Digiday

While it’s been a few months since the last wide-scale media furor around a brand’s ads showing up next to unsavory or objectionable content, publishers are being penalized more than ever over blunt brand-safety tools that rely on lengthy keyword blacklists.

Media and Entertainment

A Former Fox News Executive Divides Americans Using Russian Tactics
Nicole Perlroth, The New York Times

An investigation found that several sites owned by Ken LaCorte push inflammatory items — stories, petitions and the occasional conspiracy theory — to the public.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Reboots Ruled—Now, Not So Much
R.T. Watson, The Wall Street Journal

There is waning interest in remakes, sequels and spinoffs, such as Charlie’s Angels and Terminator, that aren’t adaptations of comic books.

Democratic Debate Viewership Slides To Low For MSNBC After Impeachment Hearing Fireworks Light Up D.C.
Dominic Patten, Deadline Hollywood

Turns out there is a point at which America hits political overload. Specifically, it looks like that was 9 PM ET last night, when the fifth debate among the 10 leading Democrats hoping to replace Donald Trump in the White House hit the stage in Atlanta.

Social Media and Technology

In The Age Of So-Called Cancel Culture, Jeffree Star Is Doing Fine
Scaachi Koul, BuzzFeed News

Having weathered repeated accusations of racism, bullying, and bad business, YouTube beauty mogul Jeffree Star is trying to convince the world he’s the good guy

Twitter Says It Will Let All Users Hide Replies to Tweets
Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg

Twitter Inc. said it will start letting all users hide replies to the tweets they send, an effort to improve the health of discussions and interactions on the service.

After Disney+ Glitches, Netflix Stumbles Into Its Own Outage
Scott Moritz and Gerry Smith, Bloomberg

Netflix Inc. customers were cut off from service temporarily Thursday, another high-profile disruption this month following the glitches that marred Walt Disney Co.’s launch of its highly anticipated Disney+ service.

PR and Marketing

Apple says its App Store is ‘a safe and trusted place.’ We found 1,500 reports of unwanted sexual behavior on six apps, some targeting minors.
Reed Albergotti and Al Johri, The Washington Post

The prevalence of unwanted sexual content raises questions about whether Apple can continue to offer a protective cocoon to its customers as its platform grows.

WeWork’s former CEO got a massive payout. Now 2,400 employees are losing their jobs
Sara Ashley O’Brien, CNN 

WeWork said Thursday it is laying off about 2,400 employees globally as part of a broader effort to cut costs and find a viable path forward after a disastrous IPO attempt.

Uber Accused of Cheating the Public in Driver’s Suit Over Pay
Joel Rosenblatt, Bloomberg

Uber Technologies Inc. faces a new legal attack on its refusal to treat drivers as employees that depicts the company as mistreating not just them but the public at large.

Brick and mortar stores are hurting many retailers, but Nordstrom is pushing them as key to the company’s future
Clare Duffy, CNN

The growth of e-commerce has gutted many traditional retailers and led to the shuttering of brick-and-mortar stores.

Gap shares rise on earnings, sales beat; retailer says making ‘progress’ on split
Lauren Thomas, CNBC

Gap Inc. on Thursday reported quarterly earnings and sales that topped analysts’ lowered expectations, after the company warned earlier this month that it was anticipating dismal results.

Microsoft Delays Its AirPods Rival Until After the Key Holiday Season
Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

Microsoft Corp. delayed the launch of its Surface Earbuds, missing the 2019 holiday shopping season. The software giant is the latest company to stumble in a race to catch up with Apple Inc.’s popular AirPods.

McDonald’s workers sue fast food chain claiming they face ‘daily risk of violence at work’
Kelly Tyko and Charisse Jones, USA Today

Weeks after McDonald’s fired former CEO Steve Easterbrook for having a relationship with an employee, 17 Chicago-area workers are suing the fast-food giant over what they call a “citywide and nationwide pattern” of violence. 

A Realistic 3D-Printed Steak Is Fake Meat’s Holy Grail
Agnieszka de Sousa, Bloomberg Businessweek

 You have to re-create the complex interplay of muscle and fat, flavor and texture.

Tiffany CEO Says Customers ‘Don’t Care’ Who Owns the Brand
Claire Ballentine and Kim Bhasin, Bloomberg

“Customers care about your product, about sustainability, about the beauty of your products. This is what really makes success.”

Inside Home Depot’s efforts to stop a growing theft problem at its stores
Courtney Reagan and Jennifer Schlesinger, CNBC

Organized retail crime costs retailers nearly $778,000 per $1 billion in sales in 2018, an all-time high, according to a National Retail Federation survey.

Wingstop names Christina Clarke as its chief marketing officer after two months in an interim role
Jessica Wohl, Ad Age

Clarke joined the chicken chain as VP of marketing in October 2018.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

Beyond ‘Giving Tuesday’: How Companies Can Approach Social Good
Lindsay Singleton, Morning Consult

Around this time of year, two phenomena occur: First, brands cash in on the holidays as shoppers spend upwards of $1.1 trillion during this annual sales spike; second, organizations see an uptick in charitable giving and activity as consumers use the season to reflect upon and act on their values. 

Tech Bends Its Knee to Trump
Eric Newcomer, Bloomberg

Why did Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook turn himself into a political prop in Texas this week? 

Tricks Online Retailers Use to Get You to Spend More
Jo Craven McGinty, The Wall Street Journal

Many e-commerce offers are pushed with fake notifications, bogus countdown timers and other misleading tactics.

Why DTC Brands’ Reliance on Social Ads Is Unsustainable
Laura Schierberl, Adweek

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands have spent huge amounts on social media ads this year to acquire customers and will assuredly continue this holiday season.

Welcome to the Button Wars
Telis Demos, The Wall Street Journal

How consumers pay in the online checkout line is becoming a hot topic for investors.

Morning Consult